On Your Mark. Get Set. Go!: a Guide for Beginning PE Teachers

Beginning physical education teachers, teacher candidates, and student teachers will be well-prepared for that first teaching position with this book at their side. On Your Mark, Get Set, Go! A Guide for Beginning Physical Education Teachers was written to help the teacher candidate transition from the university to a teaching position. This handbook is also a valuable reference for any physical education teacher who is considering a move to a new school.

Part I On Your Mark covers the basic components of the search for a teaching job including developing a teaching philosophy, a sample cover letter and resume, references, the application process, how to use a teaching portfolio as a marketing tool, and interview strategies. A list of questions likely to be asked by the interviewer and a list of questions that should be asked of the interviewer will help the teacher candidate handle interviews like a pro!

Part II Get Set provides advice on developing a classroom management plan and record-keeping techniques. The book gives recommendations on developing protocols and procedures, developing a system of consequences, preventive behavior management, and motivational techniques. An entire chapter focuses on designing a record-keeping system that can help a single teacher track every child in the school! Sample grade book pages are pictured along with a notation system key.

Part III Go! provides tips on getting acquainted with school personnel and the facility, keeping lines of communication open with students and parents, and how to deal with the complexities of a school’s culture, both inside and outside the building. A five-page orientation guide provides a very comprehensive list of information and questions that teachers new to a school should ask.

The final chapters of the book give tips on developing professional development goals and an action plan, maintaining a teaching portfolio, networking with other professionals, and balancing personal and professional life.