Educator Earnest Hudson is now an Adjunct Lecturer at York College!

For those of you who have attended my classes and have told me that I should teach at the collegiate level, I want you to know that I took those words seriously! After some hustling and putting a plan together, I finally managed to be hired as an Adjunct Lecturer at York College, CUNY. I will be in the Department of Teacher Education, working with students finishing up their teaching credential. The particular course that I am teaching for that department is Curriculum & Methods in Health and Physical Education for the Elementary School. Here's the course description:

Course Description - EDUC 318

Methods and materials appropriate to plan and implement lessons and units in health and physical education for the elementary school teacher. Classroom management and safety, assessment and evaluation, integration of children with special needs. Learn to teach basic rhythmic and motor activities, sport skills, and health-related fitness concepts. Selection of culturally sensitive and functionally appropriate media and technology.

What this basically means is that I will be teaching K-6 grade teachers how to integrate Health and Physical Education principles into their lesson plans. This class will be largely lecture and workshop based. I do not believe that I posess the words to convey my excitement at being able to bring fitness to the collegiate environment, particularly as I perceive it as a fitness professional, rather than as a strict academic.

There is also  the possibility of teaching a program design course within the Physical Education Department for Special Populations. As many of you know, I am pretty much considered to be Special Needs as far as personal training goes. In fact, thats probably the only type of training that I've done for many years now. It's pretty common knowledge that I work with Detective Eric Grimes, the NYC police officer who experienced an unfortunate accident that resulted in a below the knee amputation of his left leg.

Read the NY Times article

You probably also know that we've worked together to get his kettlebell game up bigtime- he's doing 6 minute sets, 20 lifts per minute, 3 minutes per hand, all with the 16kg.

If that's not enough, he's stepped his game up and has begun to visit some of NYC's local Bar conditioning groups. On occsion, he's even hung out with some of the Highlanders, a Brooklyn based Bar group. Here's a youtube vid of the group hanging out and doing their thing:

Eric has gotton to the point of being able to do a handstand press with a static hold- NICE!! I'm hoping to bring all those training paradigms that were used with Eric and my other clientele and really give these college students something to think about!

Once again, I thank you all for your support! Without it, I couldn't make a living doing what I enjoy doing- helping people to safely and effectively reach their fitness goals. Through such support and affirmation, I have been able to continually challenge myself, and thus, I find myself moving into this new chapter of fitness as an educator and professional. A friend of mine cautioned me by saying "It's going to be challenging! People simply do not like to think anymore." My reply? That's the whole point of education, in the true Latin sense of the word- Educe: To draw out. During my years of teaching, I realize that, as evidenced by my experience, the learning environment is MOST conducive to learning when I take on the role of an educator in it's Latin sense. My job is to draw out all that good "stuff" within the student tht motivates them to a cognizance of themselves, their goals and actions. For myself, that's the fun part- challenging and preparing myself to meet that task as honestly as I can. Logic stipulates that someone who doesn't have immediate life experience of a thing cannot possibly appreciate the importance of WHY they need to become familiar with a particular concept of principle, BUT a good educator provides the context and the drive that lights the fire within the student, to make them WANT to learn WHY they need to become familiar with the concept or principle to which they are being introduced.

YES! I am indeed excited about this new opportunity...and it makes me think...if I take all this stuff seriously, why not go on to get the Ph.D.? You already know that I want to do it, it's just a matter of finding the right program at the right time...

LET'S STEP THIS FITNESS GAME UP A NOTCH!

I thank you all sincerely for your support over the years!

Earnest L. Hudson, Jr.
MS, CSCS, CES, PES