Courtney McAuley explains why the health and physical education major at UNH was the best choice for her.
Introduction:
I'm Courtney McAuley, I'm a senior at UNH in the health and physical education department.
Why did you end up choosing this major?
I chose to be a health and physical education major because I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to teach. I knew, being in PE in high school, being active was something I really enjoyed.
How have you seen yourself grow during your time at UNH?
When I first started here, I was definitely nervous to become a teacher and stand in front of a bunch of people and talk and feel ready to be able to be influential to my future students, but now I feel like I can walk into any classroom, any room, any crowd, and just talk to people and feel very comfortable.
What was your best experience at UNH?
I think the greatest experience you get through being in this program is being K through 12. I've taught sixty hours in an elementary school, sixty hours in health education in middle school, six hours of PE, so you get so much experience just from your four years teaching, not even your student internship. I've now worked with three teachers, and I've already got over one hundred and twenty hours just teaching already, so I feel very prepared.
What do you like most about your major?
One part of this program I really enjoy is being able to interact with the professors a lot closer. Our class sizes are around twelve to fifteen students for our major.
What are your plans for after graduation?
I definitely want to be a health and PE high school teacher. I want to have some coaching experience, maybe get more degrees once I'm done, just keep furthering my education.
How has this program set you up for the future?
This program has definitely set us up for success. Even in our senior year before we have a student internship, with so many teaching experiences, getting to teach in front of our peers, different people coming in and talking to us, and just giving us all different opportunities resources prepares us a lot.
