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Understanding the Realities of Teaching: A Seminar SeriesFocused on InductionK. Andrew R. Richardsa, Karen Lux Gaudreaultb & Thomas J. Templinc

a Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, ILb University of Wyoming in Laramie, WYc Purdue University in West Lafayette, INPublished online: 27 Oct 2014.

To cite this article: K. Andrew R. Richards, Karen Lux Gaudreault & Thomas J. Templin (2014) Understanding the Realitiesof Teaching: A Seminar Series Focused on Induction, Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 85:9, 28-35, DOI:10.1080/07303084.2014.958251

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28 Volume 85 Number 9 NoVember/December 2014

K. ANDREW R. RICHARDS

KAREN LUX GAUDREAULT

THOMAS J. TEMPLIN

K. Andrew R. Richards (karichar@niu.edu) is a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education at Northern Illi-nois University in DeKalb, IL. Karen Lux Gaudreault is an assistant profes-sor in the Division of Kinesiology and Health at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, WY. Thomas J. Templin is a professor in the Department of Health and Kinesiology at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN.

Public schooling in the United States has become a complex and often a highly political en-terprise. High-stakes testing, the standards-based movement, and the introduction of teacher per-formance evaluation systems have led to signifi -

cant changes in the educational climate and present implications for pursuing a career in education (Lambert & McCarthy, 2006; Schneider, 2012). Recent changes in education have led to the intensifi cation of teachers’ workload in the form of nonteaching responsibilities such as additional paperwork, the need to attend more meetings, and the pressure to meet class- and school-level student performance goals (Meyer & Rowan, 2008). Student pop-ulations are also becoming more heterogeneous, and teachers fi nd themselves in situations they are not adequately prepared for. For example, teachers are now more than ever expected to reach chil-dren who have a variety of complex emotional, cultural, and moral values and needs (Pantic & Wubbles, 2012).

The reality of choosing a career in physical education (PE) may be even more complex, as PE teachers face the added pressures of marginalization and physical and intellectual isolation from other colleagues in the school building (Sparks, Templin, & Schempp, 1993; Stroot & Ko, 2006). These challenges are magnifi ed by the expectation that PE teachers take on multiple roles during and after the school day, such as coaching extracurricular sports or

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supervising student clubs (Rich-ards & Templin, 2012). Navi-gating relationships with col-leagues, administrators, parents, and children in the micropolitical climate of schools may also pose challenges for physical educators (Lynn & Woods, 2010; Schempp, Sparks, & Templin, 1993). It is not uncommon for different stakeholders to have divergent expectations related to the pur-pose of PE, and some physical educators experience resistance when attempting to implement new teaching or assessment strat-egies (Stroot & Ko, 2006). While all PE teachers experience the be-ginning of their careers in differ-ent ways, scholarship contribut-ing to occupational socialization theory provides insight into the socialization and induction of beginning PE teachers, as well as the sociopolitical and contextual challenges many face in schools.

Occupational Socialization in Physical Education: Setting the StageOccupational socialization the-ory (Lawson, 1983a, 1983b) describes a set of processes or phases geared toward the recruit-ment, acculturation, professional socialization, and workplace socialization of an individual. In the teaching context, these

phases relate to infl uencing beginning or veteran teachers toward a set of behaviors, knowledge, and dispositions in line with the norms of the setting in which they teach. These settings may or may not align with one’s ideology and preferred approach to teach-ing. Rather than being passive recipients of socialization, teachers play an active role in the experiences that shape their identities as educators (Schempp & Graber, 1992). Teachers react to the norms of their school(s) through compliance with or rejection of the ex-pectations placed upon them. Preservice and inservice practitioners must understand the realities of what is expected of them, as well as their ability to act independently by either accepting or resisting the socialization experiences to which they are exposed.

The socialization phases that lead up to teachers’ entrance into the workplace certainly have an impact on how they view their teaching position. For example, protracted exposure to schools and teachers as a pupil provides some insight into how schools function, as well as the roles and responsibilities of teachers. Lortie (1975) estimated that, as children, potential recruits into the PE profession spend nearly 13,000 hours in classrooms, which al-lows them to see teaching from a pupil’s perspective. Through this

exposure, students develop impressions of teachers (and classes) they like or dislike and see how schools operate and how subjects are taught. These impressions contribute to the development of a subjective warrant, which includes recruits’ personal conceptu-alization of what it means to be a PE teacher and the extent to which they believe they are able to meet the challenges (Lawson, 1983b). However, this experience does not provide recruits with a complete understanding of the technical side of teaching (Curtner-Smith, Hastie, & Kinchin, 2008; Templin & Schempp, 1989); it merely serves as an introduction to the world of education. During acculturation, recruits also develop orientations toward teaching and coaching that help determine the extent to which they value each role and view them as important to their future identity as a PE teacher (Richards & Templin, 2012; Stran & Curtner-Smith, 2009).

The more formal element of professional socialization begins when recruits enter a physical education teacher education (PETE) program. It is here where individuals experience the technical world of teaching (Zeichner & Gore, 1990). Through general edu-cation in the university, as well as specifi c coursework and fi eld experience in PE, professional socialization attempts to provide preservice teachers with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions re-quired to teach effectively. Students are exposed to classes founded on evidence-based curricular and pedagogical practice and do re-search on teaching and teachers. Equally, preservice teachers gain valuable experience in school settings where they observe and practice teaching PE.

In this professional socialization phase preservice teachers can compare and contrast their own school experiences with the mod-els and practices presented in the PETE program. Here too, stu-dents begin to accept or reject new learning or even combine what they learn in pre-training and training phases (Schempp & Graber, 1992). Recruits begin to better understand the realities of teaching through exposure to research related to organizational or work-place socialization that describes the realities of being a PE teacher. Equally, for those who enter PETE programs with a strong ori-entation toward coaching versus teaching, students may be intro-duced to the realities of serving in multiple roles as a teacher and coach and the potential confl ict that may result from balancing these roles (Richards & Templin, 2012). Teacher/coach (T/C) role confl ict occurs when a dual-role teacher receives varying expecta-tions for performance from different stakeholders and/or does not have enough time to complete role-related responsibilities. When T/C role confl ict becomes severe, some teachers engage in role re-treatism, where one role is prioritized as the dominant role while deprioritizing the secondary role (Millslagle & Morley, 2004). The marginalized status of PE in many schools, combined with the prestige and accolades offered to successful coaches, often leads to coaching being prioritized over teaching (Konukman, Agbuga, Erdogan, Zorba, & Demirhan, 2010).

Socialization continues once students graduate from a PETE program and assume a job as a teacher. This organizational so-cialization is ongoing — from career entry until career termination — in an environment that contains some formal rules and many other guidelines that are unwritten (Curtner-Smith, 2001; Lawson, 1989). Each beginning teacher has a personal, idiosyncratic expe-rience with school induction. Some start their careers in contexts that embrace PE and value its contribution to the overall school mission. However, this is not always the case, and many teach-ers experience less-than-ideal beginnings to their careers (Stroot & Ko, 2006). Schools tend to be “custodial bureaucracies” that

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perpetuate the status quo (Lawson, 1983a, p. 3), which reduces the new teachers’ ability to implement the practices they learned during PETE (Stran & Curtner-Smith, 2009). As a result, beginning teachers may face the reality shock (Stokking, Leenders, Jong, & Tartwijk, 2003) of working in a school for the first time and navi-gating the micropolitics of school culture (Kelchtermans & Ballet, 2002).

While some teachers do have smooth beginnings, in other situ-ations teaching colleagues can be resistant to new or innovative curricula and instructional strategies in favor of more traditional approaches to teaching PE (Blankenship & Coleman, 2009). When faced with custodial-oriented professional cultures, beginning teachers must choose how to respond to the socialization process, as initially outlined by Lacey (1977). First, they can strategically comply with the status quo by adopting the current practices while maintaining private reservations about doing so. Second, they can engage in internalized adjustment by willingly adapting to fit the teaching context. Finally, they can engage in strategic redefinition, which occurs when beginning teachers attempt to alter the envi-ronmental constraints. Research in PE indicates that many begin-ning teachers choose to strategically comply with current school practices, even if they do not agree with them, to avoid early clashes with colleagues or administrators (Richards & Templin, 2011; Williams & Williamson, 1998). Over time, however, these beginning teachers may experience the washout effect. Washout occurs when teachers succumb to the pressure to conform and stop attempting to implement the instructional strategies and teaching behaviors learned in their PETE program (Blankenship & Cole-man, 2009).

Implications for Physical Education Teacher EducationIt is critical for physical educators to be equipped with the knowl-edge and skills needed to navigate relationships within the mic-ropolitical context of schools and to advocate for their subject matter (Lux & McCullick, 2011). Physical education teacher education programs are driven largely by the National Standards for Initial Physical Education Teacher Education (National Asso-ciation for Sport and Physical Education, 2008), which have been adopted by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Edu-cation (NCATE). These standards focus primarily on content and pedagogy to the neglect of preparation for the sociopolitical and sociocultural realties of school life. Therefore, PETE programs that adhere to the NCATE guidelines may not be providing adequate training in assimilating into school cultures and taking on the non-instructional roles and responsibilities that are associated with teaching (Richards, Templin, & Gaudreault, 2013).

While content and pedagogy are an integral component of teacher education programming, alongside Lux and McCullick (2011) it can be argued that preservice teachers also need to be prepared to navigate the political and sociocultural realities of schools. This includes understanding the role of PE within the contemporary American school; working with colleagues, admin-istrators, parents, and students; and managing marginalization and isolation. It is not possible for teachers to become fully inducted into school life during teacher training. However, it may be pos-sible to reduce reality shock and washout through PETE program-ming focused on preparation for the multifaceted nature of life in schools and the complexities of teaching PE in these contexts. To this end, the purpose of this article is to introduce a four-part,

field-based PETE seminar series that spans the teacher education curriculum and focuses on induction into the school context. This seminar is grounded in the scholarship of occupational socializa-tion and is intended to address common concerns of beginning PE teachers so as to prepare them for the realities of teaching. Along with an overview of the seminar series, examples of strategies for meeting the goals associated with each segment are provided.

A PETE Seminar Series Focused on InductionTeacher preparation programs have the responsibility of induct-ing new recruits into the professional role of teacher by preparing them for the realities of school life (Gaudreault, 2012; Lawson, 1983b; Metzler, 2009). While some PETE programs do a superb job of preparing graduates for the transition into the workplace, such instruction should be an integral component of all PETE pro-grams. Teacher induction can be enhanced through a field-based PETE seminar series that introduces students to life in schools and addresses common concerns of beginning PE teachers. This seminar series draws upon instructional strategies that have been proven effective in preparing preservice teachers for real-life teach-ing in schools. Ideally, the seminar should correspond with stu-dents’ first, second, third, and fourth years of study. Each seminar (with the exception of the final student-teaching seminar) can meet twice a week for 50 minutes. Depending on the particular seminar, more or less class time can be allocated for field experiences during which preservice teachers observe or participate in PE instruction and discuss the realities of teaching with inservice practitioners. The following sections provide an overview of the seminar series, as well as example strategies that can be used to work toward the goals of each seminar. Table 1 summarizes the approach that was taken in constructing the seminar series.

First Seminar: Introduction to the Role of TeacherThe first seminar should focus on introducing first-year students to the role of PE teacher and the organization of schools. During this seminar, students should be encouraged to critically examine the purpose of contemporary schools and the role of PE teach-ers within these schools. The overarching goal is to help recruits transition from viewing schools from the perspective of a student to understanding them from the perspective of an aspiring teacher so that they can begin to understand the technical aspects of the teacher’s role (Lortie, 1975). The seminar should begin with an overview of the current state of education and the role of PE within the school structure. Students should be introduced to the growing trends of obesity and inactivity and asked to consider the impact of the increasingly sedentary American lifestyle on children (Le Masurier & Corbin, 2006). The potential for PE to help remedy inactivity and encourage physically active lifestyles can then be discussed as a way of emphasizing the role that PE should play in American schools.

During the first seminar, students should be asked to critically appraise the role of the PE teacher, especially as it relates to their own PE experiences. As part of this process, students should be introduced to the notions of acculturation and the subjective war-rant, as well as the influence of these concepts in shaping their ex-isting notions of the teacher’s role. It is critical to engage students in activities and discussions that focus on defining what it means to be a PE teacher. Effective and ineffective approaches to teaching

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can be contrasted through the viewing of selected videos of PE teachers. Time should be provided to allow recruits to discuss and reexamine their own PE experiences and the impact of those expe-riences on their role orientations toward teaching.

Teacher metaphors are another strategy that can be used to pro-mote critical thinking among recruits (Bullough, 1991). By writing teacher metaphors students are able to articulate how they view the teacher role in relation to student learning by drawing a com-parison between teaching and some other profession or process. An example metaphor would be “Like the air-traffic controller who guides planes onto the runway and helps them to land safely, the teacher should guide students toward learning in a safe envi-ronment.” Students can be encouraged to present their metaphor in class and explain why it is representative of their approach to education. These metaphors should be saved and revisited during the third seminar.

Integral to the first seminar is that students have the opportunity to enter schools, observe PE classes on multiple occasions, and talk with inservice practitioners about what it means to be a teacher. These observations should be paired with reflection assignments and in-class discussions that analyze school life and ask students to think critically about the types of activities and teacher behaviors

they observe. This is especially important given that participation in field experiences can help students to critically appraise teaching behaviors, but only when the experiences are debriefed. While de-briefing can take a significant amount of class time and faculty ef-fort, these experiences are critical to the reflective process. Without the space and time for reflection, students may use field experiences to reaffirm the preconceived notions they bring from the appren-ticeship of observation (Curtner-Smith & Sofo, 2004).

Second Seminar: Understanding the Realities of School LifeThe second-year seminar should focus on understanding the reali-ties of school life for a physical educator. Students can be asked to read a book that depicts the daily experiences of beginning teach-ers (e.g., Codell, 2009; McCourt, 2005). Texts that provide a first-hand account of school life from a teacher’s perspective may help preservice teachers understand the realities of beginning a career in education. Regardless of the chosen text, the objective should be to get students to engage in face-to-face discussions about the issues that arise in their readings. To examine the realities of life in schools more critically, students can be asked to read and reflect

Table 1.Overview of the PETE Seminar Series Focused on Induction

Seminar Segment Primary Goal Example Teaching StrategiesFirst Seminar

Introduction to the role of teacher

•   Review current state of education•   Discuss the role of PE in schools•   Critically examine the role of the PE teacher in facilitating student achievement•   Discuss and reflect upon acculturation and the subjective warrant•   Watch and discuss videos highlighting effective and ineffective teaching practices•   Write and share teacher metaphors•   Observe and reflect upon classes taught by PE teachers (field component)

Second Seminar

Understand the realities of school life

•   Read and discuss a book that depicts the first years of teaching•   Read and analyze case studies of common issues faced by PE teachers•   Discuss common issues faced by PE teachers in schools•   Discuss coaching roles and the T/C role conflict•   Invite inservice teachers as guest speakers to talk about their experiences in school•   Team teach PE lessons with an inservice teacher (field component)•   Interview a PE teacher (field component)

Third Seminar

Prepare for life in schools

•   Discuss teaching experiences during early field experiences•   Continue to discuss common concerns of beginning PE teachers•   Role play and debate specific situations that beginning PE teachers may encounter•   Author a case study about a specific issue related to teaching PE•   Revisit and rewrite teacher metaphors•   Experience nonteaching responsibilities (field component)•   Discuss socialization strategies in relation to experiences in schools (field component)

Fourth Seminar

Student teaching and the transition from student to teacher

•   Prepare for the logistical and technical components of student teaching•   Read and analyze case studies written by previous student teachers•   Read research related to teacher induction and the first years of teaching•   Invite program graduates to discuss their induction and the beginning of their careers•   Ask students to interview their cooperating teachers•   Discuss current trends in teaching and education•   Author a case study grounded in experiences during student teaching

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on case studies that depict key issues in the lives of PE teachers. A variety of cases are available in JOPERD (e.g., Boyce, 1998, 2000; Veal & Taylor, 1995), as well as in case-based texts (e.g., Stroot, 2000). Case topics might include isolation, marginalization, T/C role conflict, navigating relationships with colleagues, and teaching diverse learners, to name a few.

Key to the successful integration of case studies is the instruc-tor’s ability to tie issues raised in the case to meaningful content areas that can help prepare preservice teachers for life in schools (Richards, Hemphill, Templin, & Eubank, 2012). For example, the case “It’s All Academic” (Veal & Taylor, 1995) portrays a PE teacher who is struggling to implement a meaningful student-assessment system in a school that values academic achievement. When the teacher assigns a high-achieving student a low grade, he is pressured to change his grading system to ensure that the student receives an A. Using this case as a starting point, PETE faculty could facilitate discussions on issues related to assessment in PE, marginalization, and the pressures one might face when trying to implement a standards-based evaluation system in a school that has traditionally graded solely based on participation.

Given that recruits often plan to pursue a coaching role (Rich-ards & Templin, 2012), coaching should be discussed as an op-tional, secondary role for physical educators. Recruits should be encouraged to discuss teaching and coaching roles and be intro-duced to the implications of T/C role conflict. Rather than at-tempting to dissuade recruits from pursuing coaching roles, these discussions should help them to understand the implications of concurrently serving in multiple roles. To assist with this process, PETE faculty can invite inservice physical educators to the seminar to talk frankly about their lives and careers. Attention should be paid to getting the perspectives of beginning teachers, as well as of teachers who have been able to successfully navigate the T/C role conflict. These guest speakers should focus on presenting a contex-tually based account of what it is like to teach PE at their school in order to help preservice teachers better understand the realities that inservice practitioners face. Students should be encouraged to ask critical questions and write reflective essays based on these presentations.

During the field-based component of the second seminar, pre-service teachers should transition from primarily observing in-struction to participating in the delivery of instruction. In order to facilitate this transition, students can coplan and coteach lessons with a cooperating teacher. In helping to plan these lessons, the cooperating teacher should explicitly note the ways in which con-textual factors (e.g., time allotted to PE, number of class meetings per week, facilities and equipment) impact instructional decisions. At the beginning of the seminar the cooperating teacher can take the lead role in planning and instructing and then can gradually shift control to the student. By the end of the semester the preser-vice teacher should be taking the lead role in both the planning and instructional components of the experience. In addition to planning and teaching, students should also be asked to interview the PE teacher with whom they are working to gain a better understand-ing of the teacher’s work life. The interview experience should be geared toward helping the students develop a better understanding of the teachers’ daily schedule, preferred and nonpreferred roles and activities, and any particular components of their job that re-sult in satisfaction or stress. The interviews can be summarized by the student and presented to the class. The instructor can then lead a discussion of the common themes that arose during the interview presentations.

Third Seminar: Preparing for Life in SchoolsThe third-year seminar aims to use students’ early field experiences in schools to continue discussions about effective and ineffective teaching practices, as well as critical components of the socializa-tion and induction processes. Students should be given opportuni-ties to discuss issues or concerns that have arisen in the field experi-ences they have participated in during PETE with classmates and the instructor. The PETE faculty can use students’ experiences in schools to engage them in critical discussions about isolation, role conflict, marginalization, and the micropolitics of schools, along with strategies for managing issues related to these concepts. De-bates and role plays can help students learn more about specific situations that they may encounter in schools, such as how to navi-gate a discussion with a colleague who is devaluing PE.

Based on their field experiences and course discussions, students can be asked to identify an element of teaching PE that they find to be particularly interesting and explore it in more detail by author-ing a hypothetical case study. Authoring case studies gives students an opportunity to consider the complexity of the situations they are likely to encounter, as well as the possible resolutions they may choose to pursue (Boyce, 2000). Richards et al. (2012) provided an overview of a student-authored case study process that can assist first-time case authors. Important to this process is that students spend time writing, reflecting upon, and revising their case study so that they can engage with the material critically and develop a more complete understanding of the topic they are exploring. It may also be beneficial for instructors to share readings with the students that relate to the topics they are exploring in order to further their understanding. Students can be asked to present their case studies to the class and lead discussions about the key issues they have identified.

Toward the end of this seminar, students can be asked to revisit the teacher metaphors they wrote during the first seminar. They can be given the choice of either rewriting their metaphor and ex-plaining why it has changed, or providing a rationale for why they believe their initial metaphor is still relevant to their approach to teaching (Bullough, 1991). This activity may help students under-stand how PETE has either challenged or reinforced their initial views about teaching. Students can present their revised case stud-ies in class and discuss how and why their thinking has changed since their first seminar. The instructor can also use this activity to comment on the progress students have made between the first and third seminar experiences.

During the field experience associated with this seminar, stu-dents should be encouraged to explore the role of school teacher and the multiple job-related responsibilities teachers are expected to perform. By following or shadowing a PE teacher for part of a day or a full day, preservice teachers can develop a better under-standing of nonteaching tasks such as lunch and hall duties, com-mittee service, and the requirement to complete paperwork. These extended school visits can also give students insight into teacher workload and job-related stress. In selecting cooperating teachers, it is critical to identify positive role models so as not to reinforce any negative stereotypes about teaching PE that students bring with them from their acculturation experiences. Written essays can help students reflect on their experiences, and in-class presenta-tions can allow them to make connections and identify common experiences.

Students should also be introduced to the socialization strate-gies of strategic compliance, internalized adjustment, and strategic

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redefinition described by Lacey (1977). They can be asked to think about their personal experiences during fieldwork and the strate-gies they would use if teaching in that particular school on a full-time basis. Role playing may help students to better understand when it is appropriate to challenge a school’s prevailing norms and when it might be better to strategically comply. The goal of these discussions should be to help students understand that they can make intentional and calculated decisions when considering how to act in response to the established sociopolitical culture of a school.

Fourth Seminar: Student Teaching and the Transition from Student to TeacherThe final seminar should occur in conjunction with the student-teaching experience. The seminar should begin prior to student teaching so all current student teachers have an opportunity to prepare for and discuss their impending field placements. In ad-dition to logistical and technical preparation (e.g., creating lesson and unit plans), student teachers should be given the opportunity to discuss some of their concerns related to student teaching. To facilitate this process, the students can read case studies written by previous student teachers that depict real-life accounts of work-ing in the schools. These case studies provide insight into some of the concerns that students may face as they transition into student teaching and have the added benefit of authenticity as they have been authored by peers (Wilson & Williams, 2001).

Once student teaching begins, the seminar should meet once per week with a specific focus on the political and social contexts that students observe at their placement schools. The instructor can ask students to make connections between what they are experiencing

during student teaching and what they can expect during their first years of teaching. These connections could be enhanced by having students read relevant research related to the first years of induc-tion into the profession (e.g., Richards & Templin, 2011; Stran & Curtner-Smith, 2009). Further, graduates of the PETE program can be invited to present during the seminar and lead discussions about their own student teaching experience and how their careers are progressing.

Over time, the focus should shift to preparing students for their transition into the workforce. Discussion topics may include in-

duction assistance, bal-ancing teaching and coaching roles, and maintaining contact with PETE faculty. In order to understand the perspectives of practic-ing physical educators, PETE students could complete an interview assignment in which they pose questions to their cooperating teacher(s) about topics such as job satisfaction; teaching a subject that is sometimes marginal-ized in the context of schools; and the ways in which they navigate relationships with col-leagues, administrators, parents, and students. Seminar discussions should highlight cur-rent trends in educa-tion, such as increased teacher accountability, value-added measures of student performance, and the continued di-

versification of student populations. Students should be encour-aged to ask critical questions and voice their concerns. The empha-sis of this component of the seminar is to encourage the students to begin making the transition from a student of teaching to a teacher of students in a supportive and encouraging environment.

As a final assignment, each preservice teacher can be asked to write a case study that captures key issues experienced during stu-dent teaching. In contrast to the hypothetical case studies authored during the third seminar, this case study should be based on their actual personal experiences in the schools. It should focus on criti-cal elements of their student teaching experience and describe the struggles and decisions that affected them personally and profes-sionally. As outlined by Richards et al. (2012), students should be asked to share their case study with a fellow student teacher and receive feedback related to how the case can be improved. Student teachers can also share drafts of their case studies with their coop-erating teachers and/or the seminar instructor to solicit feedback. The final case studies should be edited and added to the reposi-tory of cases to be read by future cohorts at the beginning of the student-teaching seminar.

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Discussion and Final ThoughtsPhysical education teacher education students need to be well versed in PE content and pedagogy to become effective physical educators. Thus the main goals of PETE should be to help stu-dents develop the knowl-edge, skills, and dispositions required to teach effectively. However, if beginning teach-ers are not also prepared for the realities of school life and given strategies for navigating marginality, they may struggle to implement what they have learned (Lux & McCullick, 2011). While some teachers begin their career in a sup-portive, nurturing environ-ment, others are inducted into challenging school contexts and may experience signifi-cant reality shock that may lead them to question whether or not they want to remain in the profession (Stokking et al., 2003) The concerns of begin-ning teachers are best repre-sented by the fact that approx-imately 50% of all beginning teachers leave teaching within their first five years on the job (Smith & Ingersoll, 2004). While there are a number of reasons for why these teachers leave, reality shock may be a key contributing factor.

Teachers who are able to cope with reality shock and re-main in schools may still have difficulty implementing what they learned during PETE, es-pecially in custodial contexts characterized by colleagues concerned with the mainte-nance of the status quo (Curtner-Smith, 2001; Lawson, 1989). While some may attempt to redefine the context in which they teach, this can be a risky venture and may be met with resistance from colleagues (Williams & Williamson, 1998). For teachers who choose to strategically comply with less-than-ideal circumstances, this means putting what they learned during PETE on hold until they feel empowered enough to implement change or challenge the status quo (Lacey, 1977). Unfortunately, some beginning teach-ers become accustomed to the way things operate and relinquish any reservations they once held. In certain situations, teachers can experience the washout effect when they give up on teaching the way they had been taught during PETE in favor of the practices espoused in the school context (Blankenship & Coleman, 2009).

Although not an absolute solution, an increased emphasis on teacher induction during PETE could help to better prepare pre-service teachers for school life and, in turn, reduce reality shock and the washout effect. While several PETE programs currently do

an effective job of preparing recruits for real-life work contexts, such training should be recognized as a foundational component of all PETE programs. The purpose of this article was to present a field-based PETE seminar series focused on induction and address common concerns of beginning PE teachers. While such a seminar

series should not replace the time spent in schools observ-ing and teaching PE classes, encouraging students to think critically about their experi-ences through a seminar may help to supplement their field experiences and further their learning. Through the combi-nation of meaningful school-based field experiences, re-flection and discussion, and activities designed to help prepare preservice teach-ers for the realities they will confront in their first teach-ing assignment, this seminar series provides one way to introduce and stress the roles that school culture and mic-ropolitics play in the lives and careers of PE teachers.

It should also be noted that exposure to the realities of school life should not be touched upon in the seminar series alone. Strategies such as those outlined in this article can be integrated through-out the PETE curriculum so that connections can be made among the seminar series, field experiences, methods courses, activity courses, and founda-tional courses. Further, the teaching strategies presented in this article should not be interpreted as an exhaustive

list. Physical education teacher education faculty will likely have other strategies, in addition to those presented here, that can be integrated into the seminar series.

While preservice teachers need to be made aware of the reali-ties of school life, they should also be presented with a balanced perspective that includes the joys of teaching PE in addition to the challenges. The goal is to prepare students to overcome chal-lenges, not to portray a negative impression of PE that causes stu-dents to question their career choice. Of course, teacher prepara-tion programs are not the only ones responsible for the induction of beginning physical educators. A very large component of in-duction is contextually based and must occur on the job through organizational socialization. However, PETE programs can do a lot to prepare preservice teachers for induction in the context of schools by helping them to understand some of the challenges they will likely face and giving them the tools to overcome them successfully.

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