That’s an identity question. And it would appear to be easily answerable.
Am I or am I not a #PhysEd teacher?
Not surprisingly, my response is a “Yes, and…”
Because if you examine my social media profiles, you might have to dig a little deeper to locate that particular identifier. On LInkedIn you get: Professional Leadership Coach. On Twitter you’ll find:

Leadership Coach, Educator, Workshop designer and facilitator, avid reader & writer @ home on the edge of the alps. #100Connections

Facebook: Don’t even bother.
So, clearly I’m not advertising my #PhysEd badge. Hmmm…
Rather, I choose to identify as an educator. That’s broad, comprehensive and some might say, vague, too. I’ll agree to all of those.

Yet what brought me to social media were broader interests than what goes on in PE. I came to find insights on education as an industry, as a public and private good, as a right, as a privilege, as a vehicle, as a cash cow, as a straw man, as a hostage, as a force. I wanted to think more deeply about learning as a habit, as an opportunity, as a chore, as a moving target, as an invisible victim. I was looking to challenge my understanding of teaching as a practice, a career, a stepping stone, as a source of authority, as an absolute.

And yes, I am a #physEd teacher.

When I am in the gym with students, I am at home. I have music playing, I am moving around correcting body positions (“side to target”) or issuing reminders (“what does that mean: ‘to your partner’?”. The day is flush with groups coming and going, with grade level transitions to make your head spin (i.e., from 5th to KG) and I love all that. I’ve been at it for almost 20 years and have been blessed to work with an incredible bunch of colleagues who not only know their stuff but keep adding to and improving their “stuff.”

The advantages to being a physical educator are many beyond the surface ones that everyone likes to put out there: comfortable clothing (all day, every day) and no papers to grade. What I love and what keeps me coming back are the special relationships I can develop with students. Because we’re working with the body which is a very concrete and immediate experience, I encounter each child’s vulnerability and unique strengths in very different ways than a classroom teacher might. In the course of a school year, I see every child struggle with something. Every one of them has something, some barrier they need to overcome. For some it may be social – finding and working with partners. For others, there may a particular area of movement that proves challenging or even frightening. My job is to facilitate each child’s struggles towards a positive end for that individual within our class group framework. The gym provides the most fertile soil for cultivating a growth mindset in every child and in this teacher.

Yes, I am a #physicaleducator who believes that all educators need to be ready to learn from their students, their colleagues, parents, and countless other educators who are eager to share and dialogue. I am out to learn for more my than myself and to do that effectively, I cannot and will not simply “stay in my lane.” On the contrary, I travel off-road cross country and consider myself an all-terrain learner. And in the process, I am making tracks, leaving impressions, having an impact.

Yes, I am a #physical educator and all of my work is about moving: moving minds, moving hearts, moving bodies.