Most students know Brian Donaldson as the occasional substitute teacher, or, for a select number, as an assistant coach of the Lynbrook boys’ varsity track team. Fewer know Donaldson as a Lynbrook graduate and former track star who is also studying to be an educator in both the physical education and health fields.

“Physical education was always my favorite subject. As a kid, I was very physically active. In my free time, I either did sports outside of school or ran,” Donaldson reminisced, “I ran every season.” When asked what sports were most popular with him, he named basketball, football, and baseball.

Having been interested in sports education from a young age, Donaldson came to consider this for his career path. “In a way, it was pretty early onset,” he joked. “I coached my younger brothers’ sports teams and was a counselor at summer camp,” he added. But Donaldson admits his decision was not entirely unilateral; “Ms. DeBetta, Mrs. Friedman, and Mr. Cornicello were probably the three teachers who had the biggest impact on me. They really stood out as role models to me.”

Graduating from LHS in 2013, Donaldson pursued his education at Cortland State University in New York. “I went there and fell in love instantly,” said Donaldson. “College-wise, I knew that’s where I wanted to go from the beginning of junior year.”

Donaldson graduated from SUNY Cortland in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and concentration in adaptive physical education. He easily recounted the effects the school had on him: “At Cortland, I became more socially active—I opened up more. Being away from home helped with that development.”

He continued,“I learned new teaching styles from different parts of the country that made me understand students from other schools and such.” The Adapted Physical Education (APE) program, which deals with people of physical and mental disabilities from ages three to 60, also played a role in Donaldson’s time at Cortland. “The program there is one of the best in country,” he stated.

After graduating from Cortland, Donaldson began student teaching at West End Elementary School. “I worked at West Hempstead as well, though I still coach there. These experiences helped me better understand that schools’ problems are the same. No matter where they’re from, learning about the student outside the classroom is the biggest motivator to connecting the teacher and the student.”

When asked how he felt as a former student returning to the school in a teaching role, Donaldson admitted it was a bit strange. “Coming back to Lynbrook as a teacher was certainly interesting. It felt like I never left. Of course, the students were all different. I wasn’t called by my first name anymore, for one thing—that’s where ‘Donaldson’ came from. Calling my old teachers by their first names was also weird,” he commented. Donaldson was also caught off guard by recent developments in Lynbrook. “Technology is a much bigger aspect of school life; my class didn’t have tablets. When I first came back to start subbing, I didn’t even know what OneNote was. Besides that, the only thing which changed about the school since my time here is the gender-neutral bathroom—that used to be a part of the library.”

Donaldson is intensely popular among the student body; when teachers inform classes they will be absent, some students go so far as to ask for Donaldson specifically. Sophomores Billy Wren and Conall Maloney, both of whom ran track under Donaldson in the past, spoke of him with great respect.

“He’s a mentor,” Maloney stated. “Donaldson is really a good, friendly teacher.” Wren said, “As a sub, [Donaldson] is someone who tries to help you rather than hurt you. He doesn’t overwhelm students unnecessarily with work, which I feel happens a lot.”

“Donaldson is good. I like him as a sub. I love him,” Junior Collin Kelly said. “Just a great guy, to be honest,” added Kelly. As of now, Donaldson coaches middle school track and boys’ spring league basketball. However, he still emphasizes his dream of working in a permanent teaching role. “No matter what the school district or grade level, I want to help educate other people to live healthy lives,” added Donaldson.