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Frequently
Asked Questions If you are visiting our site with a specific question this page is for you! Listed below we've compiled the most frequently asked questions together with our responses. Please read through this list and then if you can't find the answer to your question don't hesitate to contact us. Perhaps we will add your question to this list
********** I'm thing about majoring in physical education..should I? Teaching physical education to children is one of the best careers you could choose...that is if you are really interested in (1) teaching, (2) children, and (2) physical education! What do we mean by this? The fact is that many folk who choose to teach PE do so for the wrong reasons. What they are primarily interested in is coaching. While there's nothing wrong with coaching, many physical educators are great coaches, there is a BIG problem with folk who are not equally committed to being top quality teachers. You don't need to be a PE teacher if you really want to be a coach. Choose something else, maybe another teaching area or some other career that will give you free time to coach in the late afternoon. It just isn't fair to kids to have someone who is not really interested in teaching lots of different skills to all students regardless of ability. You need to recognize that coaching takes place after school. Only choose to become a PE teacher if you enjoy teaching new skills in a noncompetitive environment and showing interest in the health and well being of ALL students in your classes. Do I have what it takes to become a PE teacher? A common misperception is that physical education or "phys. ed." is one of the easier teaching options. Actually, the reverse is probably true. Our majors tend to be among the brightest and highest skilled of all teaching majors. Our classes are demanding and we hold students to high expectations. In many areas, some quite unexpected we excel. For example, our students were the first on campus to create instructional materials that they posted on a personal home web page. Of course we expect PE students to be physically skilled but it isn't necessary to be a great athlete. We are more interested people with a broad range of physical skills who will motivate children to adopt healthy lifestyles. What types of classes will I have to take to become a PE teacher? A
complete listing of required classes is posted elsewhere
on this website. Basically however, the PE Major consists of the following
types of classes:
Can
you provide more information on the required classes? Movement
Analysis
Scientific
Foundations Health
Education Professional
Education Program I heard that beginning Fall 2000 the PE major has changed - what's different? You first need to understand that we were required to make some changes to our major because of changes occurring with the way that Washington State prepares teachers (Link here to the OSPI Professional Education website). Coincidentally, faculty in the department also wanted to make some program changes to improve the quality of your experience. These two events combined to lead us to introduce an entirely new program in the Fall of 2000. The new program consists of approximately 53 credits in PE and 25 credits in Health Education. While we started as a "pilot program" we have already submitted the paperwork requesting approval for this pilot to soon become our regular program. Almost all of the PE classes in the new program have been newly designed. In addition we have sequenced the classes so that you could complete the program in 9 quarters. Most importantly we are planning for students to take the classes in an arranged sequence so that you will progress through the program with the same colleagues. This means that once in the program you will not need to worry about getting into your sequence of PE classes. Because of the sequenced classes students will only be able to enter the major once a year. Students who miss this start will be encouraged to take other classes necessary for the endorsement but will need to begin their PE sequence with the next new set of students in the fall. We are very excited with these changes and believe they will result in a much improved professional preparation program. Has the Health Education Program changed? The Health Education major and minor classes remain mostly the same except for slight changes in credits. You should however plan to see the Health Education Director to ensure you are planning to take the health education classes in the proper sequence. As with most courses there are often prerequisites you must take. You need to take care not to miss a prerequisite because that class may not be offered again for several quarters. I plan to graduate by June of 2001 with either a major or minor in Health or PE. How do the changes affect me?
If you are this close to finishing, the changes should not affect your
program. You can continue to complete your existing Health or PE program
and will simply receive the new endorsement in health and fitness. I have a few credits in the PE major. Should I stick with the old program or change to the new major? You should probably plan to switch into the new major. While you could continue on with your current program and still receive the health and fitness endorsement, you may have difficulty getting the classes you need after next June. The existing PE classes will only be offered during the 2000-2001 academic year. Because you will be around for probably a couple of years it will be much simpler to phase in to the new program. Also, instead of taking the currently required 77 credits in PE you will take a total of approximately 75 credits which will include classes in both PE and Health and qualify you to teach both. I plan on taking a Health major and a PE minor. Will the changes in the PE Major affect me? If you have not already started with your major and minor you should probably plan to switch into the new Health Education major. While you could continue on with your current program and still receive the health and fitness endorsement, you may have difficulty getting the classes you need after next June. The existing PE classes will only be offered during the 2000-2001 academic year. Because you will be around for probably a couple of years it will be much simpler to phase in to the new program. I will be beginning a PE or Health major this fall. Will the changes in the PE Major affect me? Anyone starting in either Physical Education or Health Education in Fall 2000 must begin the new major and choose an emphasis in either Physical Education or Health Education. I
have a few credits in the Health major (perhaps about 10 -15 ) and I had
not planned a PE minor. How will the changes affect me? I am about half way through my PE or Health major and I am also taking a minor in PE or health. What should I do? This situation will require some thought and credit counting. You can continue on with your current program. If you don't graduate by June 2001 and have some remaining PE classes you will need to take some of the new classes or work out some arranged or substituted classes. Now remember that the current PE major alone is 77 credits and if you are taking a Health Education minor that is an additional 20+ credits - a total of almost 100 credits. The new PE and Health majors will consist of fewer credits. If you plan to major in PE, the program will consist of approximately 53 credits of PE and 25 credits of health. If you plan to major in health, the program will consist of approximately xx credits of health and 25 credits of PE. In other words the programs will be about the same length and both ensure that you meet the requirements for an endorsement in health and fitness. Do notice that everyone in the new major will be required to take classes in both health and PE - It will not be an option I currently have a college degree but want to be able to teach Physical Education. What do I need to do? After applying for and being accepted as an "endorsement only student" by CWU you will be expected to meet the criteria we have established for a "Supporting Area Endorsement in Health and Fitness." This 42 credit program consists of a combination of Physical Education and Health Education classes. If you have prior credits in either area or have experience you feel is relevant you can request that we consider these qualifications. You will need to provide us with documentation to be able to consider your request. Will any of the classes I need to complete a PE endorsement be offered at the CWU Branch Campuses or through some type of distance learning? At this time the classes you will need to take for an endorsement in Health and Fitness are only offered at the main CWU campus in Ellensburg. Some of these classes will be offered in our summer school program. To find out more about the CWU Summer Session call 509-963-3001 or check the web page for Summer School 2001 Why is the Health and Fitness Supporting Endorsement so long? When the Legislature approved the proposal by the State Board of Education to create a new list of endorsements, it combined the previously separate physical education and health endorsements into one new endorsement - health and fitness. At CWU and among professionals around the State it was viewed that to adequately prepare individuals who could effectively teach both physical education and health education required more than just the minimum of 24 quarter hours as mandated by the State. In contrast to most of the other new endorsements, this new Health and Fitness endorsement qualifies a person to teach in two separate curriculum areas. Faculty in the Physical Education and Health Education programs at CWU therefore created a supporting area that we felt would provide students with the bare minimum of experiences needed to be able to teach with a reasonable level of competence in both areas. Do you offer any courses online? We are currently planning to offer online graduate level courses as part of a proposed MS Online degree option. It is possible that some of these classes may be made available to students not enrolled in the MS program. More information on this option will be added to this site as it becomes available but you are welcome to check with the Program Director for the latest information.
If
you have questions about our programs please contact the Physical Education
Program Director
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