1. Tell me about yourself. What is your educational background and where have you worked previously?
I started as an elementary physical education teacher in Lewisburg, PA as a long term sub. In that position, we integrated health into physical education, which is a lot of what I do here at SRU. I earned my teaching certificate at Lockhaven University and did some public school teaching, then went on to get my Masters and my Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction at IUP. During my Doctorate, I worked with preschool children on creating healthier nutrition and physical activity habits, so my research and dissertation was on school based activities for preschool children. That’s what brought me to my career here where I prepare future teachers to make a difference with physical activity and healthy eating through schools.
2. What attracted you to Slippery Rock University, and in particular, the College of Education?
I was a temporary faculty at IUP when I was looking for a tenure track position and there were a couple of openings at IUP and SRU. Through attending state and national conferences, I had seen other Slippery Rock professors presenting. One of the things that they did really well was get students involved with research and the presentations. I was interested in that way of teaching and learning where the student is a big part of their learning experience, which is now called project based learning. That’s really what attracted me to Slippery Rock, seeing what other SRU professors in the COE were doing out in the field. I kind of looked up to them and thought I really wanted to work there because they were active in research and presentations.
In addition, the Slippery Rock students are just good! I can remember applying for jobs in K-12 schools and knowing that I’d be up for jobs against SRU graduates because I knew that their training was state of the art and rigorous. I never went here as a student but I always knew that it was a quality school for education.
3. What is your favorite course to teach?
I absolutely love what I do and love every course that I teach, but lately a course that I have really been enjoying teaching is Social and Emotional Wellness. It’s a relatively new class and part of the School Wellness Education curriculum that we created about five years ago when we saw that there was a need in schools to really help students feel better socially, emotionally, and to develop coping strategies that can help them handle life’s stressors. The class is fun and relevant and in this program. A lot of the strategies taught are through activity, but there are also some classroom based strategies that help students connect with each other, help them self-reflect, and help them know that there are tools to empower themselves. Then when stressors do come up in their lives, they don’t have to feel defeated since they have some skills to be able to face their stressors and cope better. So while I really love all my classes, Social and Emotional Wellness is one that is so relevant and important.
4. What is your favorite aspect of working in School Wellness Education?
My favorite aspect is that I am teaching real world stuff. If you look at the health and wellness of society today, a lot of adults use physical activity to cope with stress and as a way to manage their blood pressure. We as teachers in schools have the opportunity to use physical and health education as the vehicle to give people these skills to stay healthy and well.
At the end of the day, I feel like I am helping people live better. And honestly, our profession was not always that way. Physical and health education used to be more based on “can you do push ups or run a mile”, and that has shifted now to “how can you be a healthier better human and what skills can we work on to help you get there”.
I also love working with the students. They come in passionate and excited with all of these ideas. A lot of times, I learn from them when they get to do peer teaching or teaching in the field.
5. What were you like as a college student?
As a college student, I was always curious and wanting to learn more. I went to classes with an open mind and that's really what drove me to keep going to get a Master’s and Doctorate degree. I could see that in this field, there was so much more to learn. I think that’s common with any area in the field of health or education. As soon as you learn one thing, either that fact changes or there's a new strategy or idea that builds on it. I like the aspect that I can go to class and really get something out of it. I was a pretty average student though. I was not an overachieving student who earned awards in all areas. I was a good student, just not one of those students who everybody always remembers. I was a good example that all students can be successful!
6. What do you know now that you wish you would have known as a college student?
I wish I would have known how valuable some of the opportunities were. I did go to classes curious and I took some opportunities to go to conferences and workshops, such as the state convention to see other speakers. However, I wish I would have known then that it's really an honor to be able to be a college student and to have the opportunity to seize every opportunity, not just some of them.
