Physical Education Teaching Certification
People who enjoy working with others as well as having a job where they aren't sedentary might enjoy becoming a physical education teacher. As with other teaching careers, physical educators are certified following collegiate coursework and content assessments.
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The First Step to Certification
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Generally, a bachelor’s degree in physical education or a related field is the first step toward certification as a kindergarten through 12th-grade physical education teacher. Some of those related fields include health and fitness. Physical education teachers coordinate physical activities and fitness for elementary and secondary school students.
Beyond Sports
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Coursework toward a bachelor's degree in physical education includes more than just fitness. Some courses include physiology, anatomy, bio-mechanics and team sports in addition to the fitness and vocational classes. For instance, at Aurora University, students learn a gamut of sports from tennis to golf; they also learn aerobics and dance, self defense and first aid, coaching and officiating, sports management and athletic training.
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Post-Grad Programs
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An option for those who have a four-year degree in something other than physical education would be to pursue a graduate certificate in physical education instruction. These certification programs focus on the vocational aspects of physical education, as well as research and theories related to the field. For instance, curriculum development and coaching strategies are two of the courses leading to the graduate certificate in physical education.
Certification
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Physical education certification is awarded as any other teaching license, by meeting certain education requirements, demonstrating teaching aptitude and passing an exam. Physical education teachers also can pursue certification from two national agencies. One is the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. That agency requires a bachelor's degree, three years of physical education teaching experience and a valid state license. There aren't any continuing education requirements for the board. The Adapted Physical Education National Standards has three levels of certification: recent graduate from an accredited program, 10-year teacher and higher-education teacher. Re-certification needs to be accomplished every seven years, and candidates need to pass a three-credit adapted physical education course and supervise student teachers or interns for a minimum of 200 hours.
Outlook
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The demand for physical education teachers is not expected to be as strong as the outlook for general education teachers through the next decade. However, physical education teachers earned a range of $30,000 to $76,000 per year in 2009.
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References
- Photo Credit The young girl goes in for sports in the open air image by Oleg from Fotolia.com
