What does a health and physical education teacher do?
Health And Physical Education Teachers help young people lead healthy lifestyles. They organize games and challenges that promote physical activity for children and young adults.
Health and physical education teacher responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real health and physical education teacher resumes:
- Lead the girls' volleyball team to a district championship and coach the state winner in high jump.
- Take part in IEP meeting to discuss the progress of the student.
- Support classroom teacher by preparing and distributing unit notes to students as outlined by their IEP
- Instruct and educates elementary grades, k-5, about the importance and significance of life-long physical activity
- Lead three basketball teams to the state final four and one team to a state championship.
- Design lesson plans for specific unit (indoor activities, soccer, weight room, etc . )
- Teach organize games and challenges that promote physical activity among children and young adults from kindergarten to high school.
- Support development of physical abilities and healthy habits for children ranging from Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) through 8th grade.
- Coordinate and organize a fitness program tracking system that tracks and records fitness progress of all students in the k-12 institution
- Educate students in grades k-5 how to eat right, and exercise, to maintain a healthy body and lifestyle.
- Schedule lesson plans tailor for appropriate age group including kindergarten, middle school, and junior high school age students.
- Implement the middle school concept through effective teaching methods in pre-algebra geometry, and probability and statistics for all grades.
- Lecture and present on first aid, cpr, nutrition, goal setting, and other health topics to police recruits.
- Direct literature and drama instruction.
- Develop and implement physical education syllabus.
Health and physical education teacher skills and personality traits
We calculated that 27% of Health And Physical Education Teachers are proficient in Classroom Management, Physical Education Curriculum, and K-12. They’re also known for soft skills such as Speaking skills, Writing skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Health And Physical Education Teachers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Classroom Management, 27%
Developed and executed strong classroom management style allowing for a positive culture and environment for a high level of cognitive engagement.
- Physical Education Curriculum, 8%
Certified teacher providing education for students in the health and physical education curriculum.
- K-12, 5%
Adapted Physical Education Teacher 08/1999 to 06/2000 Browning School District Browning, MT Served the special needs population in grades K-12.
- School Health, 4%
Worked between buildings teaching three Middle School Health Classes and Physical Education.
- Volleyball, 4%
Referee for volleyball as well as girls' and boys' basketball grades 3-12 for the Catholic Youth Ministry.
- Classroom Environment, 3%
Fostered a classroom environment conducive to learning and promoting student/teacher and student/student interaction.
Most health and physical education teachers use their skills in "classroom management," "physical education curriculum," and "k-12" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential health and physical education teacher responsibilities here:
Speaking skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a health and physical education teacher to have is speaking skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "postsecondary teachers need good communication skills to present lectures and provide feedback to students." Health and physical education teachers often use speaking skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "prepared weekly health and physical education lesson plans that adhered to the strict guidelines presented by the school. "
Writing skills. Many health and physical education teacher duties rely on writing skills. "postsecondary teachers need strong writing ability to publish original research and analysis.," so a health and physical education teacher will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways health and physical education teacher responsibilities rely on writing skills: "designed daily lesson plans for students from pre-k through 4th grade participated in curriculum writing and ccss implementation"
Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of health and physical education teachers is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday health and physical education teacher duties, as "postsecondary teachers need to work well with others for tasks such as instructing students and serving on committees." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "served as facilitator for big/little buddy program ( interpersonal relations class) incorporated various teaching styles to maximize student learning. "
The three companies that hire the most health and physical education teachers are:
- New Brunswick Public Schools3 health and physical education teachers jobs
- California Academy of Sciences2 health and physical education teachers jobs
- Connections Academy2 health and physical education teachers jobs
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Compare different health and physical education teachers
Health and physical education teacher vs. Adjunct professor
Adjunct professors are instructors who are employed on a contractual basis, commonly in part-time positions. They teach courses in the same manner as full-time professors do, but they are free from some of the duties of those fully employed university instructors or in tenure-track positions. They create, develop, distribute, review, and manage course syllabus materials. They teach students, evaluate their performance, and maintain records of attendance, engagement, and progress. They may also facilitate lectures, conduct seminars, and do other administrative tasks within the department. Most adjunct professors enjoy teaching as part-time because they have more flexibility in terms of schedule, can avoid the dilemma of the higher education system and it's known to be less stressful and demanding.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a health and physical education teacher are more likely to require skills like "classroom management," "physical education curriculum," "k-12," and "school health." On the other hand, a job as an adjunct professor requires skills like "course curriculum," "syllabus," "semester," and "blackboard." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Adjunct professors tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $73,962. In contrast, health and physical education teachers make the biggest average salary, $50,131, in the government industry.On average, adjunct professors reach higher levels of education than health and physical education teachers. Adjunct professors are 14.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 10.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Health and physical education teacher vs. Adjunct faculty member
An adjunct faculty member teaches part-time at learning institutions, usually on a contractual basis. Although their duties depend on their position or area of expertise, it usually includes preparing lessons and coursework plans, administering examinations, producing learning materials, grading tests and quizzes, and assisting students as necessary. They also organize various activities meant to enhance the students' skills and abilities. Moreover, they may participate in different committees and work together with fellow educators in maintaining an effective and safe learning environment for everyone.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that health and physical education teacher responsibilities requires skills like "classroom management," "physical education curriculum," "k-12," and "school health." But an adjunct faculty member might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "syllabus," "curriculum development," "powerpoint," and "english language."
Adjunct faculty members may earn a higher salary than health and physical education teachers, but adjunct faculty members earn the most pay in the start-up industry with an average salary of $66,491. On the other hand, health and physical education teachers receive higher pay in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $50,131.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Adjunct faculty members tend to reach higher levels of education than health and physical education teachers. In fact, they're 14.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 10.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Health and physical education teacher vs. University professor
An assistant professor is an entry-level position who teaches in a university, conducts research, and assists senior professors. Assistant professors supervise undergraduate and graduate students at the same time provide professors and department heads with feedback on the progress of their students. To be effective in teaching and mentoring students, assistant professors must possess strong communication skills with advanced knowledge of their field. They must also have a Ph. D degree in the relevant academic discipline as well as teaching experience in a university setting.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a health and physical education teacher is likely to be skilled in "classroom management," "physical education curriculum," "k-12," and "school health," while a typical university professor is skilled in "iv," "undergraduate courses," "sociology," and "political science."
University professors typically earn higher educational levels compared to health and physical education teachers. Specifically, they're 5.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 11.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Health and physical education teacher vs. Assistant professor
Types of health and physical education teacher
Updated January 8, 2025
