Physical+Education+Teacher

**Job Description**
Physical education teachers provide instruction on the basic techniques and skills required for team and individual sports, such as tennis, football, hockey, and baseball, as well as dance, gymnastics, track and field, and aquatics. They also teach their students how to develop and maintain healthy levels of personal fitness. This often includes lessons on the muscular system, heart rates, and aerobic exercise. Finally, they give lessons on personal health issues such as nutrition, sexuality, drug use, and sexually transmitted infections like HIV/AIDS.

Another part of physical education teachers’ jobs is to teach students about the safety practices associated with the different exercise and sports activities they participate in. This may include everything from warm-up stretching to prevent cramped muscles to swimming pool resuscitation techniques.

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**Earnings **
The national median salary of all middle and high school teachers is around $51,000 to $52,000 a year. Most earn somewhere between $34,000 and $82,000 a year. Teachers who go on to become principals and assistant principals can earn anywhere from around $50,000 to $150,000 a year. Teachers with master’s degrees tend to earn more than those with bachelor’s degrees. Those who work in private schools typically earn less than public school teachers. Depending on the school board, teachers may receive extra money for extracurricular activities like coaching a team.

A more detailed graph can be found at this link.

**Education **
If you want to teach physical education, the most direct route is to take a bachelor’s degree in physical education or kinesiology and then apply to a teacher education program. Teacher education programs are usually 1 year in length, and are offered at many 4-year colleges. Teacher education programs include training in the main subject areas you’ll teach (physical education, for instance) as well as courses on the philosophy of education, psychology of learning, and teaching methods. Most programs include a period of student teaching.

AVERY PETERSEN