Ah, the question every college student gets asked, "What's your major?" Now this could be a great question to a nursing major, psych major or a pre-law major, but for a P.E. major, it's a dreaded question. There's a huge stereotype around P.E. teachers. People think they're lazy, non-athletic, fat and boring. That is not the case! It takes a lot of work to be a P.E. teacher. First off, you have to learn how to play every sport. Now this may seem like an easy task, and trust me I thought it would be too, but boy I was wrong. Putting a bunch of super athletic college students in a gym and having them run around can be pretty funny. A few of us, myself included, couldn't play half of the sports we learned. Secondly, you have to learn how to teach sports to all different types of students. This means work, work, work. You have to look up modifications for all games you intend to teach, activities that meet the needs of all your students, warm-ups and attention getters that get your students excited to exercise. On top of that, you have to motivate a bunch of kids who really could care less about your class. You also have to write lesson plan upon lesson plan, which is a very tedious task to do week after week. Lastly, you have to advocate for yourself. Physical education class is seen as "unimportant" in schools. I've filled out countless witness slips on why P.E. is important to have in schools and why it should be in every school. I remember my senior year of high school being a student leader for a freshman gym class and the P.E. teacher asked me if this was really what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I was so shocked that someone who had my dream job was questioning what I wanted to major in. I was at my orientation for my new summer job where an elderly man came up to me and asked me what my major was. I smiled and told him, "physical education." He then gave me a blank stare and asked, "Are they even hiring?" This is the question that every education major, not just P.E. hates being asked. It is not easy for college graduates to get jobs. It's a vicious world out there with everyone applying for the same positions. This is especially hard for P.E. majors due to the huge cuts in physical education time in schools. I never knew my junior year of high school when I started to look at schools that so many people look down on the P.E. major. It's something that has made me into the person that I am today. I remember walking into my first P.E. class my freshman year of college being scared to death, timid and anxious. I didn't know if I'd even be good at what I wanted to do. As the weeks went on, I became more confident in my ability to be a great teacher. I became friends with some pretty amazing people that I know are going to be my friends forever. I've had multiple experiences where I was able to attend professional conferences, I have presented at a conference and I've had the opportunity to teach some pretty awesome kids. I've grown up in this major, I've learned to love exercise even more than I already did, I've learned a lot about myself and I've learned that if you want something you have to fight for it. So here's to you P.E., for making me proud of what I do.
