Senior Research Project
Jon Schulte
December 20, 2013
Jon Schulte
Hour 1
Advanced Comp
December 20, 2013
Physical Education is a job requiring a lot of communication and the ability to speak to large groups of people at a time, also connecting with somebody one on one. I am choosing this career because I am good with communicating with my teachers, classmates, and friends. Along with that I love being able to help others, and what way to help others than become a teacher. I am very interested in learning more about this career and if I truly would enjoy it. I will be shadowing Jeremy Burgum a phy ed teacher at Bay Lane Middle School and will be interviewing my second cousin, another phy ed teacher at Eau Claire High School. From researching, shadowing and interviewing I will learn if becoming a physical education teacher is the right job for me.
Section I: Library Research There are many aspects of work that come with a Physical Education job. Most of the duties that are involved in this occupation require lots of patience and communication. For example, helping a student with hygiene, speaking to them about eating right, teaching them how to be active and basic life skills. (“Summary “Research Monographs ) Many physical education teachers must keep logs of their student’s activity done outside of class in order to make sure they are picking up the skills they are taught in class. Physical education teachers are sometimes looked down upon, but at the end of the day a phy ed teachers core responsibilities are just like any other teacher, they are there to teach the students how to become better learners and better people. Before you judge a physical education teacher, be aware of the positive impact they make on the everyday lifestyle changes of a student. Physical Education requires much education and training to get involved in this occupation, and it goes beyond just a degree k-12 and getting put into physical education. “A master’s degree is highly recommended and is in fact in most situations essential “ ( U.S Dept. of labor “Education and Training” )not to mention while you are studying for degree you are required to do a semester of student teaching at a school of choice other than your previous schools you have attended. That is without pay and you still have to balance in studying for your classes. After all that is said and done, you are also required to have a teaching license, and it is not easy to get one of those. Along with the degree in Physical Education, a teaching license, it is also recommended that you have a minor in Kinesiology due to most Phy Ed teachers being able to teach a health class and have an understand of how the human body works. While searching for a job in physical education it is also recommended that you try and pick up some minor degrees in other subjects so you can be flexible at other positions in the building. The job of a physical education teacher may sound easy, but the pre requisites to get the job are not, it is truly a lot of hard work to get any type of job in the field of education especially with physical education because of how popular the job is, so by doing the extra education you can find a way to set yourself apart from others. A Physical Education teachers working conditions rarely change and they really like to consider themselves likely if it does get to change. It all depends on where you find yourself a job. If you are a teacher from the West coast, Southern states or find yourself out in the east coast you can find yourself going outside practically whenever you want, but being from the Midwest the teachers do not have the luxury of being able to go outside whenever they want and often find themselves always indoors. Depending on your schools income and amount of teachers on staff determines what kind of office you have. Most Physical Education teachers are given an office inside the locker room so they can keep an