How to Become a Physical Education Teacher – Work is Play

Do you want to become a teacher in health and exercise? Is your expertise outside of the classroom? The path of a PE teacher could be right for you. You’ll discover how to become a physical education teacher through this article.

This guide will explain the step-by-step process, including education, career opportunities, and more. Explore what physical education teachers do, and discover what you can expect from a PE teacher degree program right here at GetEducated.com!

Article Navigation: What does a Physical Education Teacher do? | PE Teachers at Various Levels | How to Become a Physical Education Teacher | Education Requirements to be a PE Teacher | Certification and Licensure | Career Overview | Professional Organizations, Associations, & Resources | FAQs | Tap into Physical Education Teacher Benefits Today!

What does a Physical Education Teacher do?

Physical education or PE teachers are trained educators in physical development, nutrition, health, and sports. Besides being an overseer of school gym time, PE teachers know about different sports and health sciences.

Physical education teachers may teach many different subjects, such as:

• Health topics
• Physical activities, including how to play certain sports properly
• How physical activity improves muscles and other bodily functions

Physical education teachers may exclusively teach PE, depending on the school where they work. They may also teach physical education and other subjects like health, biology, etc.

PE Teacher Requirements and Common Tasks

To be a PE teacher, you have to be reasonably physically fit. After all, you must demonstrate the physical activities and workouts you’ll instruct your students. Furthermore, PE teachers must have enough energy to teach multiple classes and activities each school day.

PE teachers frequently hold classes indoors and outdoors. One day, for instance, you might hold an exam indoors. But on another day, you may take your classes outside and teach your students a new game or type of workout.

Overall, PE teacher responsibilities include:

• Organizing different physical education activities
• Designing a PE curriculum
• Preparing and maintaining gym equipment
• Maintaining knowledge of sports, nutrition, and basic health
• Participating in coaching activities for sports teams at your school
• Acting as a faculty advisor for different student clubs

You need a four-year degree from an accredited institution to be a teacher. You also need to be licensed to teach in your state. In addition, all teaching jobs generally require some teaching or practice experience.

Who Makes a Good Physical Education Teacher?

One of the key aspects of the physical education teacher job description is the enjoyment of educating students about physical fitness, nutrition, and sports. Some teachers thrive in controlled classroom environments and have no difficulties lecturing for hours daily. But other teachers don’t want to spend all their time teaching math, English, biology, etc. A good physical education teacher combines practical educational concepts and strategies to keep kids active and healthy.

Reasons to Become a PE Teacher

There are plenty of benefits to becoming a teacher, such as:

• A reasonable salary, mainly if you stick with the same educational institution for several years
• A more dynamic and often engaging day-to-day routine since you’ll spend some time outdoors rather than indoors
• The opportunity to educate kids about important topics like health and nutrition

Furthermore, teaching offers opportunities to head student clubs and sports teams. If you like engaging in these extracurricular activities, then a PE teacher degree may be right for you.

Importance of Physical Education

Physical education overall is highly important. According to the CDC, physical education is vital in schools because:

• PE helps students increase their base levels of physical activity
• It allows students to remain on task while in the classroom
• Physical education studies lead to improved grades and standardized test scores for students

Teaching students about activity, nutrition, and exercise at an early age is crucial to developing and maintaining those habits. It’s much easier to teach kids to eat well and exercise regularly while they are young. As a PE teacher, you’ll directly and positively impact your student’s health and life outcomes.

PE Teachers at Various Levels

Your duties, expertise, skills, and day-to-day routines will vary depending on which grade levels you teach. Therefore, you should consider the following before deciding what grade level you want to teach:

• The educational level required – for example, many postsecondary institutions require you to have a graduate degree to qualify for PE teacher positions.
• The breadth and range of your physical education subjects
• The maturity level of your students
• Whether or not you want to teach advanced sports or courses
• Whether you want to coach team sports or participate in extracurricular activities
• Salary ranges and employment opportunities

Elementary School Physical Education Teachers

Elementary PE teachers teach students from kindergarten to fifth grade. At this stage, PE teachers focus on foundational healthy habits in terms of physical activity and eating healthily.

In addition, elementary school PE focuses on playing games and basic principles for healthy eating.

Middle School Physical Education Teachers

At the middle school level, physical education teachers educate students between sixth and eighth grade, ages 11 and 14. PE teachers educate students on proper exercise techniques and healthy habits at this stage.

Furthermore, physical education teachers may lead sports such as soccer, flag football, volleyball, and gymnastics. Depending on the school, some PE teachers are further required to educate students about adolescent physiology and changing bodies.

High School Physical Education Teachers

High school physical education teachers have more opportunities to coach team sports and to participate in extracurricular activities. They educate students ages 15 to 18 from grades 9 to 12.

At this level of education, PE teachers cover more advanced topics such as:

• How to use exercise equipment at the gym
• How to exercise carefully and healthily each day (by showing students how to avoid injuries)
• Advanced nutritional information
• The importance of eating healthily and exercising each day
• High school physical education teachers focus on instilling healthy activity habits in young adults that they can carry into adulthood.

Furthermore, some PE teachers at the high school teach sexual education. However, this is highly variable and dependent on one’s state and employing institution.

Postsecondary Physical Education Teachers

Postsecondary or college-level physical education teachers may teach advanced physical literacy, physical activity, and fitness topics. Furthermore, postsecondary physical education teachers may teach the PE courses they took to earn their PE degrees. These cover aerobics, nutrition, health, physical education, psychology, and more.

Because of their education level, postsecondary PE teachers have much more flexibility over their instructional methods and locations. They may teach exclusively in classrooms, gymnasiums, sports fields, and more.

How to Become a Physical Education Teacher

To become a physical education teacher, complete five distinct steps. These are similar steps to those required to become a teacher of another subject, like biology or math.

Step 1 – Earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education

The first of the physical education degree requirements is a bachelor’s degree. This degree can be in physical education or a related major, like education or biology. Most public and private schools will accept physical education teachers with an accredited bachelor’s degree in one of the above subjects. However, degrees in physical education specifically qualify you for competitive PE teacher positions, like those at private schools.

Step 2 – Complete a Student Teaching Internship

Next, complete a student teaching internship. Internships involve shadowing a licensed teacher in your state for a certain number of hours (usually around 1000 or so). You may act as a substitute teacher at some schools. To be a licensed PE teacher, you’ll need to complete this teaching internship in a physical education context.

Step 3 – Take Your State’s Required Tests

After you complete the requisite practice hours, you’ll need to take your state’s required tests. These may include the National Evaluation Series Physical Education Test and the PRAXIS II: Physical Education Exam. However, each state has unique requirements, so check these to know what tests you must pass.

Step 4 – Apply for a Teaching License

After passing state exams, you can apply for your PE teaching license. Licensing usually involves taking an exam and paying a fee.

Step 5 – Apply to PE Teacher Positions

Once you have your license, you can apply to open physical education teaching positions. Once accepted, you can begin working as a PE teacher in full!

Education Requirements to be a PE Teacher

Physical education teachers must meet certain educational requirements.

At a minimum, every PE teacher needs a bachelor’s degree in physical education or a similar subject like education, nutrition, etc. Accordingly, the best bachelor’s degree majors for physical education include:

• Physical education
• Physical therapy
• Nutrition
• Health
• Kinesiology
• Physiology

A bachelor’s degree is the minimum educational requirement if you want to be a PE teacher in middle or high school.

That said, most states require a master’s degree within five years of obtaining certification. Otherwise, an employed PE teacher may not be able to stay employed.

Therefore, PE teachers should expect to acquire a graduate degree sooner or later. Graduate degrees must be in the above topics, like kinesiology, physical education, etc. Fortunately, getting a graduate degree qualifies students to work at standard school levels and postsecondary educational institutions.

Physical Education Teacher Qualifications

Aside from having the requisite educational certificates, PE teachers must also meet other qualifications, such as:

• Passing a physical fitness test. Public and private schools will not employ a PE teacher if they can’t do the physical education activities they will be demonstrating or explaining.
• Having good grades or GPA. However, this is less important than having a degree from an accredited institution.
• Having state licensure. As noted earlier, PE teachers must have state teaching licenses for their states of residence. If you move states, take your new state’s licensure exams and receive a certificate to teach there.

Courses for PE Teachers

PE teachers take a variety of courses on many different subjects, including but not limited to:

• Child psychology and development
• Educational principles and philosophies
• Teaching strategies
• Kinesiology and physiology
• Anatomy
• Biology and nutrition
• Physical education techniques

Physical Education Degree

Fortunately, any worthwhile physical education degree will include the above courses and many more. Some physical education degrees include courses to concentrate your curriculum on one or more specialties. For example, if you want to teach in high school, your schooling will reflect that career.

Depending on the degree you choose to pursue, you may need to meet certain admission requirements, such as:

• Good high school transcripts or a high GPA (most bachelor’s programs require a GPA of 2.5 or above)
• One or more letters of recommendation
• A statement of intent or entrance essay detailing why you want the degree and what you will use it for

Be sure to choose your physical education degree carefully. There are both in-person and online degrees available. Physical education teacher online degrees can be advantageous due to their:

• Increased flexibility. Many online degrees can be pursued full-time or part-time, depending on your schedule and personal needs. Part-time online degrees are great for those who have to juggle many responsibilities at once
• Asynchronous work requirements. Most online degrees don’t require you to attend virtual lectures at the same time as other students. In this way, you can watch lectures or turn in work on your schedule.
• Affordability. Some online degrees are very affordable, especially if you can find a degree program with tuition assistance or scholarships.

Certification and Licensure

First and foremost, you need a state certificate or license to operate as a teacher in any subject. All 50 states require certification, and each has its licensure requirements. Should you move from one state to another, you’ll need to get new state certification to practice as a teacher in that state.

However, you may need additional certifications to work as a physical education teacher. Certain institutions, especially private schools, require physical education certifications, such as a CPR certification. Note that this requirement could also be necessary for teachers of other subjects.

In conclusion, check your state’s PE teacher certificate and licensure requirements to become a physical education teacher. Before applying for an open PE teacher job, ensure that it doesn’t require special certificates. If so, you may need to prepare your resume further before you qualify for such a position.

Career Overview

Physical education teachers are generally qualified and paid similarly to other teachers, such as those that teach math or English.

How Much Do PE Teachers Make?

The average PE teacher’s salary depends on which grade levels they teach. For example, kindergarten and elementary school teachers earn about $61,000 annually.

Middle school teachers, on the other hand, earn over $61,000 per year on average. Meanwhile, high school teachers earn nearly $62,000 a year. Teachers can earn more money by staying in the same school and gaining seniority and experience. Some teachers earn over $100,000 per year.

Typically, teachers who work at private schools earn more than public school teachers. But private school positions are more competitive compared to their public school counterparts.

Physical Education Teacher Jobs

PE teachers can primarily or even exclusively teach physical education. It all depends on what their educational institutions require, their skills and qualifications, and other factors.

Generally, PE teachers exclusively teach physical education at higher levels, like high school or postsecondary institutions. Elementary or middle school PE goes in tandem with complementary subjects like biology or nutrition.

But physical education isn’t restricted to schools. You may also qualify for fitness training and instructing positions with a physical education degree. These individuals earn over $40,000 a year. You can work as a fitness trainer or instructor for gyms and other fitness institutions.

Physical Education Teacher Job Outlook

Like other teaching positions, physical education teaching jobs will become more common over the next few years. The BLS indicates that teaching jobs should grow by 8% until 2030. That’s around as fast as the job growth rate for other occupations. It translates to over 77,000 job openings for teachers at each grade level.

If you earn a physical education degree, you should have no difficulty finding employment in public or private school sectors after graduating.

Professional Development for Physical Education Teachers

You may take continuing education classes yearly to maintain licensure as a physical education teacher. You can also professionally develop your career by:

• Earning education certificates, such as graduate certificates, in certain topics. These may allow you to, for example, teach special education students or students with physical disabilities
• Earning a graduate degree in physical education or a related subject
• Earning a graduate degree in education. With this pathway, you’ll be able to pursue an administrative job and help to define curriculum standards for PE.

Professional Organizations, Associations, & Resources

You’ll also benefit from joining different professional organizations as a physical education teacher. In addition, you might take advantage of resources for networking, career development, etc.

• Society of Healthy and Physical Educators (SHAPE)
• American Kinesiology Association 
• National Association for Sport and Physical Education
• American Heart Association
• American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
• School Nutrition Association
• American Lung Association
• American Council on Exercise (ACE)

FAQs

What is a physical education teacher?

A physical education teacher is trained and qualified to teach students about nutrition, health, physical activities, and sports. They are important members of any school’s overall faculty.

Which course is best for physical education teachers?

The best courses focus on teaching strategies and principles, child psychology, health sciences, and similar topics.

How do I become a gym teacher?

You can become a gym teacher by earning a bachelor’s degree in an appropriate topic. Then you must complete a certain number of practice hours and acquire state licensure to teach.

What skills do you need to be a physical education teacher?

To be a physical education teacher, you need to be skilled at educating students and have a working knowledge of nutrition, biology, and similar topics.

Are physical education teachers in demand?

Yes, and about as much as other teachers. Many thousands of positions will open up each year until 2030.

Tap into Physical Education Teacher Benefits Today!

In conclusion, you can become a physical education teacher in just a few years with the right bachelor’s degree program and training opportunities. Fortunately, you can apply for one of the best online PE teacher degree programs. This is especially true if you use the GetEducated.com online university catalog. Check it out today!