As many of you may know by now I have been selected as a SHAPE America Board of Director candidate. I am very humbled and honored by this opportunity. I feel it is very important to have not only physical educators on the SHAPE America Board of Directors but also young professionals. I would be grateful if you would take a few minutes to read the information I have provided below which outlines my passion and desire to further our profession. Voting has begun for SHAPE America Members and ends April 7th. Please help me give a voice to the #Physed PLN, physical educators, and young professionals.

Personal Qualities and Professional Skills

Early in my life, I was diagnosed with a learning disability. While many would see this as a weakness, surprisingly, my learning disability has caused me to cultivate foundational life skills that I otherwise may have overlooked. These include integrity, insatiable curiosity, determination, strong work ethic and resilience. I have to work harder than most people to accomplish my goals and have learned to keep trying until I succeed.

I have focused upon becoming an engaging and engaged communicator open to innovating with others to develop new solutions to old issues. Integrity is extremely important to me and is the foundation of who I am. I also try to model the behavior of the physically literate individual, participating daily in vigorous physical activities including completion of two Ironman Triathlons. The combination of commitment to, and modeling of, these personal qualities complement the advancement of SHAPE America’s mission and our impact upon the communities we serve.

I also have focused upon developing key professionals skills that greatly serve the SHAPE America vision. I would describe myself as a highly self-motivated professional and an independent self-starter. As a professional, I am obsessed with reflecting on and improving my teaching; a pursuit that was recognized by my receipt of NASPE STARS award. In addition, I have successfully written and received many grants that support innovative school programs in physical education. My desire to pursue continuous improvement in my teaching skills has resulted in my completion of the National Board Teacher Certification.

Finally, as a teaching professional I am an innovator. This is evident through my work on PHYSEDagogy.com as a blogger for physical educators. Through this blog I have not only shared innovative ways I have created for teachers to reflect on their teaching practices but also the use the cutting edge technology to develop ways to engage students on their journey to becoming physically literate.

Leadership Skills and Strengths

I am a passionate servant leader who desires to share leadership roles and help others elevate their performance to a higher level while also striving to improve myself. The SHAPE America mission requires a collaborative leadership whose skills complements the work of others and brings the best out of fellow colleagues… positive attitudes, optimism, hard work and integrity are infectious in these settings. It is both important and powerful to understand individuals’ interpersonal sensitivity. Leaders must understand colleagues’ worldviews to better communicate and motivate them to achieve innovative solutions.

I have demonstrated a high level of commitment to our profession through leadership. Continuous professional involvement has been a hallmark of my career; giving presentations on best practices in physical education at professional conferences and holding various leadership positions at the state level. I have been nationally recognized for my efforts and featured in Momentum as a young professional striving to better my teaching and seeking leadership opportunities. Earning the NASPE STARS award and my National Board Certification is further evidence of my commitment to leadership in my chosen profession.

Inspiration is equally as important as commitment in leadership. I believe that my leadership skills help me inspire those I work with to strive to take their profession to the next level. It is important to me to find people who desire to become better and to help encourage and mentor them.

Expertise and Credentials

Social Media

Being a K-12 physical educator still in my first decade of teaching, I represent and understand an important demographic in SHAPE America. An integral part of this organization is communicating and sharing knowledge related to advancing best practices and research between members. One of the best ways currently to grow and communicate within our profession is through the use of social media. It is also a key way to draw in the younger generation of teachers. The creation of the Exchanges shows that SHAPE America recognizes this. I have a solid understanding of social media and am a well respected professional within the digital community. With my knowledge and experience in social media as well as my background of service with SHAPE America, I am uniquely positioned to help bridge the gap between the generations of our members. I would love the opportunity to help continue building momentum in SHAPE America’s development of Exchange.

Technology

I possess a unique skill set in my understanding of how cutting edge technology can be applied to physical education. This is evident in my work on the website PHYSEDagogy.com. As a thought leader, I discuss ways to use new technology, such as augmented reality, in a physical education setting. Technology is becoming more prevalent in physical education, and I will be able to help SHAPE America create guidelines for implementing meaningful technology in K-12 physical education.

Innovative Strategies for Professional Development

I am a founding team member of Physed Summit, an online community that offers digital professional development for physical education teachers. The Physed Summit has created a way for individuals to partake in free professional development online. This is done using tools such as Google Hangout, where up multiple individuals can be in a video chat and share documents for free. Google Hangouts are then recorded via YouTube to watch at a later date.

The Physed Summit and other professional development opportunities such as EdCamps are changing the way we think of conventional professional development. I desire to share my ideas and expertise to help SHAPE America be at the forefront of 21st century professional development.

SHAPE America could benefit from adding young physical education professionals to the Board of Directors; professionals like myself who are passionate about driving innovative approaches to advance our organization through the 21st century. If given the opportunity I would collaborate with, and complement the work of, colleagues as well as be a key contributor to our national organization. Thank you for your consideration of my application. If successful, I look forward to becoming a Board of Directors candidate for SHAPE America.