Tennessee Tech is first university in the southeast to certify P.E. teachers in fly fishing instruction
David Mann, assistant professor of exercise science, teaches students how to cast
a fly rod during a class in Tech’s Memorial Gym.
For some, gym class may conjure up old memories of dodgeball games gone awry. Faculty
in the Exercise Science Department at Tennessee Tech University, however, are pioneering
a new program to expand the physical education curriculum and train future P.E. teachers
on a valuable skill for Tennessee’s open waters.
Tech is now the first university in the southeast to teach its P.E. teacher-licensure
students how to instruct fly fishing in K-12 schools using a curriculum from the National
Fishing in Schools program.
Already, 15 students in the program have become certified fly fishing instructors.
It follows Tech’s earlier success as the first university in the state to certify
P.E. teachers in archery.
Both undertakings have been of personal importance to David Mann, assistant professor
of exercise science at Tech, who says the curriculum enhancements are ultimately about
instilling in younger generations a love of the great outdoors.
“My fear is that, if students don’t learn to appreciate what we have here in Tennessee,
this will be a generation that may not work to protect it,” said Mann. “We know our
lands and natural resources must be protected. My hope is that we can teach these
candidates how to teach fishing so that, when they go into their professions, they
can teach their students how to get outdoors, enjoy being outdoors and therefore appreciate
and preserve it.”
Mann is a fly fisherman himself. He explains that his father taught him as a young
child. By empowering future P.E. teachers to teach their students the sport, Mann
hopes to see more Tennesseans adopt a lifelong skill they can share with others.
“It’s something entire families can do,” Mann added.
To bring the curriculum to Tech, Mann worked with Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency
(TWRA) staff including David Lowrie, R3 fishing program coordinator, and Matt Clarey,
assistant chief of the outreach program.
Clarey, himself a 1998 Tech graduate, praised the university’s leadership in teaching
students outdoor sporting skills that promote conservation.
“The connection they’re making with these students is phenomenal,” said Clarey. “That’s
what this is all about – connecting people to nature. I think we’re getting away from
that more and more every day, so there’s a huge push to get these kids outside, help
them understand what conservation is really about and tell them why we’re here. It
means more than something on a phone or a computer.”
A P.E. teacher licensure isn’t the only way Tech students can gain experience with
a fly rod, though. Mann has also channeled his passion for the sport into his service
as faculty advisor for the university’s fly fishing student organization, “Tech on
the Fly.” The club recently hosted ESPN Outdoors fly fishing gold medalist Chuck Farneth
for a free casting demonstration open to the public.
“We’ve got something pretty amazing here in Tennessee when it comes to our rivers,
lakes and streams,” said Mann. “We want to teach students to appreciate and preserve
it.”
Learn more about the Exercise Science Department at Tech by visiting www.tntech.edu/education/exercise-science/.