Keaton Belbas, M.Ed. ‘25, was hired this summer at Creekside Community High School in the Tigard-Tualatin School District. A newly minted first-year teacher, she is the only health and physical education teacher at the school. On any given day you might find her teaching ninth grade PE, driving a small busload of students down the road to Planet Fitness where she holds weight training class, diving into critical mental health topics like disordered eating or designing battle jackets with students in a Counterculture DIY community action class.
“I’ve been working with kids my entire life, and I’ve always loved it,” Belbas says. Her father, an educator who works in accessibility and disability services, has always been an inspiration. But much of her path to the classroom grew from her own dissatisfaction with the health education she saw in schools. Now as a health educator, she aims to break down societal myths and norms that can cause shame or harm.
Belbas earned a bachelor’s degree in history with a concentration in African Studies at Macalester College, and then enrolled in Portland State University’s Graduate Teacher Education Program (GTEP). Looking for a pathway to teacher licensure that didn’t take over her entire life, she found the two-year program’s flexibility and proximity to home were ideal. The secondary health endorsement option was also particularly appealing.
As graduation approached, Belbas began searching for the right teaching position. She wasn’t specifically looking to work in an alternative high school, but is grateful to have landed at Creekside, a place that centers wellbeing, belonging, personal growth and authentic learning. “I can't believe that I found this gem,” she says.
Learning the Ropes
As the first quarter of the school year comes to a close, Belbas reflects on her first few months in the classroom.
“Funny things happen, kids say weird stuff, and it’s awesome,” she laughs.
But the transition hasn’t been without challenges.
“It’s hard to be a first year teacher,” she says. “The hardest part is just being in a new place where I don't yet know how everything works. It's a new school with different norms.”
Planning and preparation has also proven more time-consuming than she expected.
“When you are student teaching, you're working with a teacher who has been doing this for a really long time,” she explains. “Typically, everything is really fleshed out, so it doesn't really give you an accurate representation of how much time everything takes.”
Still, Belbas appreciates how community-centered the school is and feels well supported as she settles in. She describes the staff ethos as realistic and humanizing, and has been impressed by how committed everyone is to ensuring that every student has access to what they need.
“This is not just a school for these kids, this school is their chance,” she says.
Belbas often draws on lessons from her year of student teaching — a core component of the GTEP program — when challenging situations arise.
Recently, a student unexpectedly announced in class that he wanted to drop the course because he disliked her. After the initial shock wore off, Belbas stayed calm, considered what might be driving his frustration and ultimately rebuilt the relationship and kept him in class.
I hope that students don't come out of my class feeling any sort of guilt or shame about themselves or the decisions that they make because that can have lasting negative effects.
Becoming a Warm Demander
While her student teaching experience was invaluable, Belbas is also quick to point out a game-changing strategy she learned at PSU: the warm demander. The approach centers on building strong relationships and showing empathy while also holding students to high expectations that push them toward their full potential.
“The warm demander chart blew all of our minds!” she says. “I still think it’s the coolest thing ever.”
She believes her focus on this blend of warmth and accountability helped her land the job at Creekside, where the philosophy is woven into the school culture.
Approaching students with compassion and a person-first mindset is paramount for her. She wants them to develop useful skills and see themselves reflected in the curriculum.
“I hope that students don't come out of my class feeling any sort of guilt or shame about themselves or the decisions that they make because that can have lasting negative effects,” she says. “I hope that they feel empowered to think critically and be kind to themselves.”
Advice for New Teachers
Starting out can be daunting, but Belbas encourages new teachers to lean on others and share what they have.
“Use your resources,” she says, noting that collaborating on curriculum and ideas with classmates or mentor teachers can make a big difference.
“The more you can collaborate and figure out ways to help each other out, the easier your first year teaching will be,” she says.
“This is not a job you do alone. This is not an experience that you have alone. Lean on other people for support and resources. Everyone was a first year teacher once, everyone was a student teacher once, and it's weird and hard and you're doing your best.”