PE Teacher Job Descriptions

Teaching physical education is more than playing basketball all day.

Most students love their physical education classes, but for physical education teachers, the work goes beyond playing games with students in the gym. It involves promoting an attitude of health and physical fitness while keeping the physical education facilities and equipment maintained and performing other teacher and coaching duties.

Qualifications

Physical education teachers should have a valid teaching certificate for the state they wish to teach in, along with a bachelor's degree in health/physical education or a related field. Many districts also require gym teachers to have first aid/CPR certification. Potential gym teachers should demonstrate a lifestyle that promotes physical fitness and health as well--it is difficult to encourage students to live a healthy, fit life when the teacher is not doing it himself.

Skills

Gym teachers should be vocal, outgoing people who are good at motivating students. They should also possess some athletic skill in order to demonstrate activities. Physical education teachers should have strong organizational and management skills, because they often double as a coach and must manage a team.

Duties

Physical education teachers are required to plan and teach physical education classes at multiple grade levels. They must also maintain the equipment and facilities and wisely use school funds to purchase new equipment. The majority of physical education teachers double as health teachers, particularly in high school, and are responsible for teaching the health education curriculum and encouraging students to adopt healthy lifestyles.

Salary

Beginning physical education teachers make between $30,000 and $40,000 a year, with their pay going up approximately $1,000 for every year of experience. Most phys-ed teachers also coach school sports and are generally given a stipend of anywhere between $1,000 and $5,000 per year, per sport, for their time.

Benefits

Most school districts provide affordable, comprehensive health insurance plans, along with generous pension plans or a state teachers retirement plan. Districts also provide paid sick days for teachers. As teachers, physical education instructors also have access to money to help with continuing education and professional development opportunities.

Other Responsibilities

Gym teachers are required to occasionally attend faculty meetings after school and supervise students during lunch or recess periods and assemblies. Because the focus of physical education teachers is athletics, many are also expected to coach school sports teams, although they generally receive a stipend to do so. They are also expected to attend a lot of the school's athletic events.

References

• Charlottesville City Schools: Health/PE Teacher