My guest today is Erin Evans. Erin is a passionate physical education teacher originally from Australia. Erin’s journey brought her to Montana, where she played soccer at Rocky Mountain College and earned her Bachelor of Science in Health Enhancement K-12. Since starting her teaching career in 2014, Erin has been dedicated to promoting health and wellness not only in her physical education classes but also throughout her community.

Erin has made a lasting impact in her community by serving on the PTA board, organizing annual fun runs, raising funds for a new playground, and running a thriving after-school program called PEAK—Providing Enhanced Activities for Kids—that engages students across 18 elementary schools in her district. Her commitment to excellence was recognized when she was named SHAPE Montana Teacher of the Year in 2024 and Western District Teacher of the Year in 2025. 

We discussed the varying expectations for what a high quality physical education program looks like in different districts and states, curriculum, heart rate monitors, the benefits and challenges of providing students with opportunities to self-assess their progress toward goals, various ways to reflect on your own practice, the role that being a reflective teacher with a growth mindset plays in avoiding teacher burnout, and other topics.

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If you enjoy this podcast and are interested in learning more about how you or the PE teachers in your district can earn licensure renewal credits through a facilitated book study based on the book Becoming a Distinguished Physical Education Teacher, please fill out this form or email [email protected].

If you haven’t already, be sure to join our Facebook group where we have assembled quite the group of experts, always willing to share their insights and help out colleagues with their problems of practice. Simply search for Distinguished Physical Education.

Resources

Montana OPI Content Standards

Denver Public Schools LEAP Framework

Denver Public Schools Consent Decree