Kinesiology Career Pathways
Physical Education involves teaching Pre-Kindergarten through grade twelve children the performance and understanding of basic motor skills, games, and lifelong fitness activities as well as the social and personal skills related to participating in physical activities.
The Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) Concentration is specifically designed to prepare students for a career as physical education teachers in the public schools. The PETE concentration is founded on the SHAPE America national standards and the TExES Physical Edcuation EC-12 standards. These standards require that students possess a substantial level of physical fitness and can perform a great variety of motor skills. Students are expected to be physically fit upon entering this concentration and maintain that level of physical fitness throughout. Similarly, students are expected to be able to perform fundamental movement skills such as kicking, throwing, basic gymnastic moves, and locomotor skills. Students who perform those skills poorly will be given an opportunity to learn and improve, but will have to meet satisfactory levels of performance prior to enrolling in internship.
The PETE concentration requires admission to the Educator Preparation Program in the College of Education, successful completion of the THEA, a comprehensive Physical Education content examination, and passing the Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES) teacher certification examination before being admitted to student teaching. The student teaching internship requires that student teachers spend 5 full work days per week for an entire semester in the public schools improving their teaching skills. This is the culminating learning experience and it is not financially compensated, but students may receive financial aid. This concentration is appropriate for those students who are committed to becoming teachers of physical education, a highly rewarding and challenging profession.