Juel Mecklenburg is entering the family business. The new graduate of NIU’s Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education has a job secured for January – teaching P.E. at Crystal Lake’s Prairie Ridge High School – as she continues a McHenry County legacy
Read moreTeaching the ropes: Jim Ressler delivers workshop on adventure-based learning
Jim Ressler, professor of Physical Education Teacher Education, delivered a well-received Nov. 8 workshop on adventure-based learning at Glenbard East High School in District 87. The event drew a diverse group of participants from across Chicagoland, including preservice educators from community colleges
Read moreSoon-to-graduate P.E. majors participate in mock job interviews with employers
Forty future P.E. teachers are out in the schools this fall gaining the hands-on experience to excel in their careers after they graduate next month. Jim Ressler is making sure they’re also ready to secure those careers. Ressler, professor of Physical Education
Read morePhotos: All-College Meeting, Social
The Spring 2023 edition of the All-College Meeting took place in the Regency Room of the Holmes Student Center, which provided a short walk to the social event in the Huskie Den. Colleagues were able to bowl or shoot pool. On the
Read moreLook them in the eye: P.E. majors gain valuable insight in interviewing for jobs
Earning a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education is only the first step. Standing between Anderson Hall and each K-12 gymnasium is a successful job interview. But future teachers in Jim Ressler’s classes have a leg up on their competition. Ressler, professor in
Read moreUruguayan teachers visit NIU, nearby schools to gather ideas for improvement
After two weeks of visiting schools in DeKalb, Rochelle and the Chicago suburbs, 20 teachers from Uruguay made their way to Rockford. Their destination – Lincoln Middle School, opened in 1927 and located adjacent to the city’s historic Midtown District – provided
Read moreCongratulations!
Congratulations to these members of the NIU College of Education family! Paul Wright, the EC Lane and MN Zimmerman Endowed Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, was inducted as a fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK). Wright
Read moreDancing Queen: P.E. alumna Kelly Zerby thrives as teacher, colleague, advocate
Young Sullivan Zerby could barely contain his excitement. The 15-year-old Huntley High School freshman was in kindergarten then, his mother remembers, and had come home with news about something amazing that happened in his P.E. class that day. “Sully says, ‘Mom, we
Read moreLicensure candidates observe, practice pedagogy at P.E. Leadership Summits
Like many who enter the exercise field, Jordyn McFarlane was a three-sport athlete in high school. The St. Charles North graduate who’d played golf, hockey and lacrosse went on to play lacrosse at North Central College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree
Read moreKNPE students, faculty, alums converge for advocacy, networking at conference
One year after COVID canceled the annual conference of the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (IAHPERD), members were more than eager to gather again Dec. 2 and 3. That includes students and faculty from the NIU Department of
Read moreKNPE quartet visits University of Tetova for global conference on sport sciences
More than 80 years after NIU first opened as the Northern Illinois State Normal School in 1899, faculty in Physical Education began to embrace a new way of thinking. “Our Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, and our peers across the country,
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