Health Education

Why choose health education at North Central College?

This minor will equip you to teach health education at the middle school/junior high level as well as high school levels. There is a demand in school systems for educators to be able to teach in more than one specific discipline. Majoring in physical education and minoring in health education provides a distinct advantage in the job market. Many teaching positions are now split between the two disciplines. Opportunities are present in the curriculum to complete practicum hours as well as extensive in-class exposure to currently implemented health education curriculum and teaching philosophies.

You can also:

Join the Student Leaders Association of Teacher Educators, which develops and carries out service projects and programs.
Join PECS, the student organization for physical education and health education students.
Student-teach in some of the Midwest’s premier school districts.
Benefit from a program approved by the North Central Association of College and Secondary Schools, as well as the Illinois State Board of Education.

Andrea Kovalsky and Kristen Brandenburg facilitate lessons with educators

Students present team-building sessions to local educators

North Central College students studying physical and health education present to K-12 educators at DuPage Regional Office of Education County Institute Day.

North Central College earns White House recognition for community service

North Central College has earned a spot on the 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

Augustine Afullo, Ph.D., and Christopher ‘Sola Olopade, M.D.

College hosts symposium on Global and Environmental Health

North Central College presents Feb. 19 symposium in Global Human Rights series, featuring two keynote speakers, sessions by faculty and students.

more news

Internships

Girls swim coach intern, Naperville North High School
Track & field coach intern, West Chicago High School
Intern, Ultimate Strength and Fitness, Bloomingdale, IL
Sports and programming intern, YMCA, Schaumburg, IL
Intern, Dixon Park District, Dixon, IL

Careers

Health education minors often find teaching positions in districts within a 30-mile radius of North Central, like:

Aurora and East Aurora School District 131
Chicago Public Schools
Naperville School District 203
Indian Prairie School District 204
Plainfield School District 202

Tammy Wynard

Health Education Faculty Coordinator

Adding a health education minor to programs in physical education, secondary and elementary education makes North Central students more marketable, says Tammy Wynard, faculty coordinator for health education.

“Being qualified and diverse in today’s society is critical. You have to bring more to the table than just a physical education degree. At North Central you gain important credentials and skills and fill a need in the schools.”

Students learn how to teach, develop curriculum, adapt lessons to fit any classroom situation, and gain access to real classrooms to practice their skills early and often. “It’s important for aspiring teachers to teach in dynamic, growing school districts and North...

Alicia Zimmerman

Elementary Education major, Health Education minor

Alicia minored in health education, in part because she wanted additional classroom training. As a sophomore, she interned at a local middle school where she created lesson plans, ran review sessions, observed classrooms, and graded tests daily. A member of North Central’s cross country and track and field teams, as well as the Concert Winds music ensemble, Alicia credits the personal attention of her professors with keeping her on task while accommodating her intense schedule. “They understand my schedule because they know who I am, my habits in class, and what I am involved with,” she says.

Natalie Tomei

Physical Education major, Health Education minor

Natalie’s interests—athletics, health, coaching, teaching—are central in her academic and career choices. “I knew I wanted to teach physical education at the middle-school level. Adding the health endorsement gives me different experiences than being in the classroom and the gym and opens additional career options.”

Health, says Natalie, is a required subject and won’t be eliminated in schools. It focuses on nutrition, stress management, environmental health and more. Having a health endorsement opens doors to teach community health at a health department, a rehab program, service center or other health-related area.

“North Central’s health education program requires 150 hours of field experience...

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