A physical education teacher’s ultimate goal is to introduce students to physical activities that will develop and promote good health and nutrition and will encourage a lifelong dedication to physical exercise. If you find sports irresistible and want to work with children, then becoming a physical education teacher might be a great career path for you. At the elementary level, physical education teachers work with students to introduce them to a wide range of physical activities.

The intensity and variety of physical activity increase at the high school level. Physical education teachers may teach indoor and outdoor sports such as swimming, golf, baseball, dance, and aerobics. They also teach and demonstrate the use of equipment such as trampolines and weight-lifting equipment.

An important aspect of teaching physical education is imparting the notion of sportsmanship and fair play. In the past, physical education stressed the importance of competitive sports, such as running and competitive basketball. Students who did not perform well in such competitive activities often experienced a lowered sense of self-esteem. Today, physical education has changed and aims to offer physical exercise for students of all needs and abilities.

Teaching physical education isn’t all fun and games, though. Planning exercises and monitoring your students’ progress throughout the school year is a large part of the job, and not an easy one. Also, like every other elementary or secondary school teacher, you may have other duties such as monitoring students, attending parent–teacher conferences, and administrative work.