HHP Pirate Profile - Collin Brewer
About Collin:
College/ Department: Department of Kinesiology
Major: MAEd in Physical Education Pedagogy
Age: 22
Hometown: Jacksonville, NC
Hobbies & Interests: Running, tennis, basketball, and trying new things
Clubs & Organizations: NCAAHPERD-SM
Favorite place on campus?
My favorite place on campus is the Rec Center when I am not teaching in there. Lately, majority of my time spent on campus is in the academic side of Minges.
What is your favorite class?
Any class that allowed me to go into a school setting and teach. It is one thing to hear/read lectures but I always preferred practicing what I learn.
What is your favorite food?
Japanese
Why did you pick your major?
It was not my first choice when I came to ECU for undergrad. I ended up switching into it at the end of freshman year because part of me figured it would be a good fit for me. I was always active and involved in sports and wanted to get into coaching as well. What really got me hooked though was my first observation of a physical education class. It was at an elementary school just down the road. After watching the first class, I knew right then that this is what I wanted to do. Sounds cliché, I know. After graduating from undergrad, I decided it would be best to go ahead and enroll in grad school to pursue my masters.
Why / How did you pick ECU?
Growing up I would never have thought of attending ECU. Mainly in part to the fact that I grew up far from eastern North Carolina until the start of 8th grade. However, it was the best school for my original intending major and thankfully lucked out when I switch to physical education. I could not have asked for anything better.
What do you plan to do after graduation?
After graduation, my main focus would be to teach physical education at the elementary level. Unfortunately, you normally have to wait till someone leaves, retires, or dies before getting a job.
Long term goal?
Long term goal would be to teach as long as I can in the K-12 school setting. After that though I could see myself working at the university level to prepare future physical educators.
What is your favorite aspect of your major?
My favorite aspect of physical education is that there is more to it than people realize. Typically, people assume that physical educators just “roll the ball out.” That’s not all programs though. There is more good than bad. In a well-designed program, students are actively learning more than just how to throw a ball. They learn social responsibility skills that may not be taught in the classroom. They learn to strategize a plan to complete a goal/task either alone or with a group. You can incorporate real life settings to the subjects learned in the classroom. Students learn differently and physical education can provide a unique learning environment to a variety of students. My second favorite would be actually teaching, and although they can be stressful, the few good moments outshine all the negative things.
Describe your research.
I am involved with a research that looks into the professional development engagement of undergraduate students in physical education and how it relates to their quality of teaching as well as job placement.
Do you have any advice for students wishing to pursue a career in your field?
1) Always find at least one good thing that happened to you during the day, no matter what.
2) Get involved with organizations. Either at the state, region, or national level. Attend workshops and get to know the professionals in the area.
3) Take every possible opportunity to learn.