The PETE Collaborative: Established in Crisis, Sustained through Community

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted life around the world, and the (traditional) educational system came to a screeching halt. Educational systems, including physical education teacher education, moved to remote and online teaching modalities almost overnight. This shift, coupled with the cancellation of academic conferences, resulted in many physical education teacher education faculty members feeling isolated and uncertain in their pedagogical approaches. In April 2020, the PETE Collaborative was formed. Initial meetings centered on faculty-related concerns for how to modify content and provide meaningful opportunities for preservice teachers to engage in field experiences during the pandemic. As the community grew, so did the purpose of the Collaborative, which adapted to meet the needs of the members it was established to connect. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to tell the story of the PETE Collaborative, describe its theoretical underpinnings and provide some thoughts for the future of the initiative.