Joseph Roane '10

Being a part of the teacher education program has paid off tremendously for me in the four years following graduation in June 2010. From 2010-2012, I utilized the skills and techniques I learned as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at West Virginia University. While there, I was an instructor of undergraduate physical education courses in charge of curriculum design, implementation, and assessment using various instructional approaches and sport education models. Since my graduation from WVU, I have been working as a collegiate football and track coach, most recently at Averett College in Virginia. Over the past 2 years I have coached the Linebackers on the football team and the Throwers on the Track and Field team. Both of these positions were new to me, which required that I work twice as hard to become a competent instructor and coach of these positions. I therefore relied heavily on my teaching background to convey information to my players which was new to me. If not for the teaching fundamentals that I had developed at W&L, I would not have had the success as a college coach these last two years that has come my way. I would highly encourage anyone who seeks to teach, coach, or work in any field where training and instruction are involved to take some course work at W&L and develop their communication as well as teaching skills. It will serve you well in any career.