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LaBonte, Leo

College of Education and Social Services

2007

MEd

This thesis is about my journey into the profession of teaching and becoming a high school health teacher. My journey is unique, because teaching caught me by surprise. My original intension was not to become a teacher at all. I had a successful career as a certified athletic trainer, but still found myself gravitating to the classroom. In this thesis, I explore the forces that drew me to the classroom and why I now want to stay there. Teaching has now become part of my identity and teaching health to high school students is something I am passionate about. On the pages that follow I probe into what drives my passion and I attempt to share the wisdom I have gained from my experiences. My newfound wisdom comes from many sources and spans many facets of a teaching career. My road to becoming a teacher has taught me many things. As I embarked upon my new career, I wanted to be successful. My early lessons in teaching forced me to reflect on my practices and define successful teaching. My insight changed and I now teach from a much different perspective than I did at the onset of my career. I have also grown to believe my experiences in the classroom have been defined by the relationships and interactions I have with my students. I have discovered building relationships is a priority before any learning can take place. I have gone to great lengths to understand my students not only developmentally, but also in their defining personal stories. In this thesis, I explore those relationships and what they have taught me. Along with my newfound passion for teaching, my journey has also offered me greater insight into the subject of health education. Health education is a subject constantly evolving and steadily becoming an integral part of the educational landscape. Health education is vital and has grown to encompass a growing number of topics and information. In my thesis, I investigate the present status of health education and try to look to its prospects. I have learned health education can have a profound impact on students and is important to their futures. My thesis explores methods for teaching health education so students can make life-long informed healthy decisions.