James Long is one of the most beloved teachers at school. From living in Riverdale, Maryland, in Prince George’s County to running his fan-favorite Instagram account, “coolchiefrocker37,” and from being a football coach for Georgetown Prep in Bethesda, James Long has a list of things that make him one of the school’s favorites.
Riverdale, Maryland which is about a 45-minute commute from school. Right before high school, Long moved to Kansas City with his family and attended Ruskin High School, where he played football. As a child, Long liked to play sports which were his fondest memories and as a father, he has instilled these values into his kids. Long said, “Playing football and boxing with my Brothers.”
After college, Long moved back home to Maryland, living in Colombia. His first job after college was as a waiter at Michael’s Pub. Long said, “I loved working at the pub before teaching.”
After working at Michael’s pub, Long started teaching PE at Rocky Hill Middle School in Clarksburg for two years. He never knew what he wanted to do after college but finally decided to teach. Long said, “My dad told me to make sure I had a job, and I said teaching sounds fun.”
Students widely love Long for his fun activities, vibrant personality, and being calm and collected. Activities Long’s PE class enjoys are kickball, flag football, Chicago-style softball, and more. Senior PE student Kyle Fuster said, “Every day I come to his class to see him with a smile on his face setting up the activity for the day.”
Long also likes to keep students entertained through his Instagram. He posts a multitude of content, including examples encouraging people to vote, scores of his PE games, and even content about his pugs. Long said why he makes content: “As an influencer, I realized there was a lot of content being a creator, and I wanted to spread that joy.”
Long is also a football coach at Georgetown Prep in Bethesda alongside co-worker Paul Kirk. Long played football in high school and has always loved and been passionate about football. Long said, “I love being a coach because I get to teach motivated people things they want to know.”
Students also admire Long’s passion and drive for teaching PE. Freshman Elai Zeif said, “Mr. Long brings good intensity to PE but also keeps class fun.”
Students also have close relationships with Long and look up to him as a role model. Long likes these relationships with kids as he likes inspiring kids and teaching them new things in sports. He also talks about what is going on in the world with his students like the World Series, college football and how students’ lives are going. Long said, “The kids are my favorite and touching their lives.”
Another thing students admire about Long is how he takes students’ feedback and uses this feedback. If students don’t want to play flag football that day he will ask students why they don’t and what other activities they would like to do. Elai Zeif said, “As a student, I really appreciate Mr. Long because he always listens to what we want and cares about our opinions.”
