Fostering Positive Relationships Among Adapted and General Physical Educators in Support of Students With Disabilities

During an educational climate that is marked by teacher attrition and shortages, relationship-building among teachers is more critical than ever. The workplace relationships between adapted and general physical education teachers has been problematized and may negatively affect the education of their students with disabilities. Grounded in role socialization theory, we present three non-fiction narratives of adapted physical education teachers to highlight the growing workplace concerns emerging through research and their implications for kinesiology and physical education departments as they train preservice teachers. After each narrative we provide reflective prompts for faculty to engage their preservice teachers. Finally, we conclude with a series of practical strategies faculty may consider to improve the relationship-building skillset among their preservice adapted and general physical education teachers.