Justin Isberg, a 2013 graduate of the Physical Education Teacher Education program, will begin teaching full time at one of North Carolina’s top performing middle schools this month. Isberg interviewed with a variety of schools for physical education/health teacher positions and learned that thanks to the WVU PETE program, he stood out from the other candidates in many ways.
The WVU PETE program focuses on developing students into physical educators and has established itself as a national leader in physical education teacher training. The program has a unique approach to teaching skill analysis and by enabling students to gain hands-on experience; most graduates are generally employed as elementary or secondary health and/or physical education teachers and athletic coaches.
Isberg stood out during his interview process due to his wide ranging experience in student teaching and lesson planning. “We as PETE students were required to teach parts of a lesson as well as a whole lesson by ourselves, however, the collaboration and planning aspect was done together. During several interviews I learned that team planning within our own content area is becoming more and more popular,” said Isberg.
During Isberg’s PE student teaching block, he had to implement a form of technology into a unit of instruction. This was extremely beneficial in the long run for Isberg; his familiarity with technology deeply impressed administrators. The middle school that Isberg will be working at has iPads, smart boards and potential to get Polor PA Watches. He had used all of these during his student teaching placement.
The student teaching outdoor leisure activities course was another unique characteristic of Isberg’s resume. “All of the administrators I interviewed with loved that I had the knowledge and experience to teach things other than the typical sports such as football and basketball,” Isberg explained.
“They loved the fact I know how to teach orienteering, disk golf, team building, etc.,” he added.
Isberg strongly urges students and graduates to attend career fairs, especially the education career fair, where he personally landed over thirty interviews by formal applications and word of mouth, ultimately leading him to finding a job that he is exceptionally enthusiastic about.
-Article by Drew Allen