Online Master's Student Earns Top Teaching Honors in Physical Education

Courtesy of SHAPE America

Kalie McKinley, left, receives her award from Fran Cleland, past president of SHAPE America.

A University of Arkansas master's student studying online won the SHAPE America Midwest District High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year award for 2018.

Kalie McKinley teaches at Assumption High School in Louisville, Kentucky. She also won the Indiana state organization's Secondary Physical Education Teacher of the Year for last year. SHAPE, which stands for Society of Health and Physical Educators, is the nation's largest membership organization of health and physical education professionals.

McKinley is enrolled in the Master of Education in physical education program. She learned about the program from Amanda Sullivan, who taught at the University of Evansville (Indiana) when McKinley was an undergraduate there. Sullivan, a clinical assistant professor, now teaches in the physical education program in the College of Education and Health Professions at the U of A.

"I needed an online program because I have two young children," McKinley said. "The state of Kentucky requires that new teachers must have a master's degree half done within the first five years of teaching and fully finished within 10 years."

McKinley said her creativity and emphasis on outdoor activities drew attention.

"I teach more lifetime activities than competitive sports," she said. "I teach surfing, standup paddle-boarding and kayaking in a gym without a water source. My goal is to engage my students in positive behaviors and healthy habits so they will incorporate good choices for the rest of their life."

The M.Ed. in physical education is delivered online through the Global Campus.