NORA QUINN MILLER  

 

1. What were your majors/minors?

Health and PE major. Adapted and health sciences minor

 

2. Are you APENS certified?

      YES

 

3. How has the minor affected you?

I loved every minute working in the Adapted PE program. Those kids positively changed the way I view all children with or without disabilities. I believe the program shaped me to be the type of educator I am today. I am proud to have been the first class to graduate with the adapted PE minor at West Chester.
 

4. What are you doing now?

Working at Red Clay Consolidated School District in Wilmington, Delaware
 

5. What are your future plans?

Recently received my masters degree in school leadership and may pursue an administrative position in the future.

 

6. A quick word of advice for future adapted minors or for parents looking for an adapted PE professional.

The minor in my mind is the greatest educational program the university has to offer potential teachers. Though I do not currently teach solely Adapted PE the minor taught me so much about teaching children of every ability level. Also always be thankful for everything Doc does not only for you but also the many children and parents whose lives she impacts on a daily basis. You're lucky to have a mentor like her and don't ever forget it.

 

Lauren Mitcham (Montague)

  

1. What were your Majors/Minors?

Health and Physical Education, Adapted PE Minor

 

2. Are you APENS certified?
 No, took the test, but missed by a few points b/c I didn’t study hard enough!

 

3.  How has the minor affected you?

The minor has given me the opportunity to work with so many special people teaching and consulting. I met so many great educators and professional peers through the minor. It also gave me the chance to work with so many different kids with different abilities. I am able to look at a student with special needs and see what they CAN do instead of what they can’t do. It has also given me the opportunity to introduce all students to the students with special needs through peer groups. I never got the chance to work with anyone with special needs until college, now my students get to work with them as early as 4th grade and they do a great job!

4. Where are you now?

Harrison Township School District New Jersey

5. A quick word of advice for future adapted minors or for parents looking for an adapted PE professional.

Minors- work with as many different children and adults as possible; it will help you in the future! Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Parents- your child deserves to participate in Physical Education safely and effectively!

 

Kelly Duke 

 

1. What were your majors/minors?

Health and Physical Education, Adapted Physical Education minor, Master's Degree Educational Leadership

2. How has the minor affected you?

My decision to complete the minor was by far the best decision I made in my college career. This minor provided me with the best experiences and opportunities that a future physical education teacher would need in order to feel comfortable and confident in the teaching profession. Through the completion of the minor, I had the opportunity to work with a number of different children with a variety of different physical and cognitive disabilities. While working with these children I learned how to adapt any lesson to help the students learn the skills in order to be successful. One experience in particular was my trip to Tucson, Arizona where I was a camp counselor at Camp Abilities. At camp I worked one-on-one with a camper that was blind while working with her I realized the amount of patience, compassion, and determination a teacher needs in order to help a student learn. I also realized how rewarding it was to watch her complete a task we worked so hard on all week! Although it was tough at the time completing this minor, I truly think it helped me to get where I am today. I would like to thank my fellow classmates that completed the minor with me for all their help and support as well as Dr. Lepore who was always there to answer a question and explain something further!

 

3. Where are you now?

 I'm currently in my third year at Garnet Valley Elementary School in the Garnet Valley School District. I teach health and physical education to students in third, fourth, and fifth grade. I'm piloting a new Fitness Club after school introducing dance, aerobics, yoga, and weight training. I just finished my master's degree from Neumann University and plan to take more classes over the summer. Now that I'm done my masters I would like to do some volunteering with the Special Olympics and maybe coach basketball.

 

4. A quick word of advice for future Adapted PE minors or parents looking for an Adapted PE professional:

Although it might seem daunting at first to complete an extra 15 or something credits along with your major but trust me it is completely worth it in the end not only for your future but for you to grow as a person.

 

Joann Judge 

 

1. What were your majors/minors?

BS Health & Physical Education from East Stroudsburg University and Post-back (teacher certification) West Chester University 2006

 

2. Are you APENS certified?

Yes

 

3. How has the minor affected you?

With a Bachelor of Science degree in Health & Physical Education and several years of experience working as an instructional assistant at the secondary level, I thought teaching adapted physical education would be an ideal way to incorporate physical education and special education into one.

 

4. Where are you now?

 Adapted Physical Education Specialist for the School District of Lancaster (secondary)

What your future goals are: To complete my masters degree in special education at West Chester University and to obtain a doctoral degree in adapted physical education. My areas of interest include physical education, autism, and technology. I look forward to doing research and writing articles and literature reviews. My ultimate goal is to become a professor and to teach adapted physical education at West Chester University with Dr. Monica Lepore.

 

5. A quick word of advice for future Adapted PE minors or for parents looking for an Adapted PE professional:

In addition to my educational endeavors, (1) I would like to advocate for the need to have at least one "highly qualified" adapted physical education teacher/specialist in every school district in the state of Pennsylvania: and (2) to increase and/or enhance the educational requirements for general physical education teachers to work with children with special needs.