I was recently asked what the biggest challenge that PE teachers face today, and if I had a super power how would I fix it? My response was immediate – time was the problem and if I had a super power I would stop the clocks during PE class. As Physical Educators we know what quality programs look like and we know what it takes to impact health and fitness in a positive way, but very often we are not given enough time to accomplish all that we know is possible. While I consider myself fortunate compared to some because I see my primary students three times in a six-day cycle, I often feel rushed because I only see my upper elementary students twice in that same cycle. During my thirty-year career I have often lobbied for more time, but at some point I realized that more PE class time was a luxury that I might never see. In response, I began to look for ways to make a difference beyond PE class time. My goal was to increase activity time and focus on healthy choices. I divided my efforts into three segments: (1) classroom activity and healthy choices; (2) special events in school, and (3) student and family activity outside of school.
Classroom Activity and Healthy Choices
In considering ways to increase activity time and healthy choices in the classroom, I first took into account that classroom teachers are overwhelmed and don’t have enough time to accomplish all that is required. The new Common Core Standards have only increased these expectations. Adding to their work was not a realistic goal so I sought to provide opportunities that would be fun, quick, and easy. Wellness Wednesday and Fitness Friday were born as a result of a school-wide wellness committee plan. Every Wednesday announcements remind students that, “Today is Wellness Wednesday. Eat a healthy snack.” Incentives as part of our Healthy Highway program allow students to “earn miles” when healthy snacks are eaten. This simple reminder puts the focus on healthy snacks and continues the conversation about the importance of good nutrition. Often students stop me in the hall to tell me what they had for a healthy snack!
Fitness Friday increases activity time as the daily announcements remind students, “Today is Fitness Friday. Exercise to earn a mile.” I organize school-wide Fitness Friday activities using music and our PA system and classroom teachers organize individual activities ranging from a simple dance such as “Macarena Math” to group activities and outdoor play at the end of the day. Additionally, when my schedule allows, I invite grade levels to come to the gymnasium for a special Fitness Friday activity. In addition, classes that attend PE on Fitness Friday participate in a special activity each week and receive a Fitness Friday certificate.
One of my favorite classroom programs that I created to make a difference beyond PE time is “The Adventures of Fitness Frankie and Friends” program. It all started with “Fitness Frankie” a few years ago. Fitness Frankie is a bear that loves all things healthy! I wrote a story to introduce him to the students and he began to spend time in each classroom so that students could teach him about physical fitness and making healthy choices. Each classroom took a turn hosting him and the only request at the end of the visit was an entry into his journal about healthy snacks that he “ate” and his activity on Fitness Friday. I could never have predicted the success of this program. Fitness Frankie was soon the most popular character in the school and teachers and students wrote poems and books and drew pictures about his healthy adventures. I began to write a blog about his adventures using the journal entries from his visits to classrooms and it was soon clear that we needed more bears to add to the program. We now have Physical Eddie and an “exchange bear” from California named Cardio Cal. As a result of this program, the focus on the importance of physical activity and healthy choices continues to the classroom environment as students take ownership of their choices on a daily basis, not just when they attend PE class.
Special School-wide events
I am fortunate to work for an administrator who not only supports Physical Education, but also understands the connection between physical activity and academic success. As a result, my principal supports my efforts to create school-wide events that focus on physical activity and healthy choices. In fact our entire school provides support as classroom teachers are willing to give up some classroom learning time to gain the benefits that extra physical activity provides. After one of these events this year a Kindergarten teacher came to me to say that her class had the best writing and math activity time all year and she was positive that it was a result of the chance to begin the day with physical activity. Our school is a pilot school for a program called Healthy Highway, which was started by Physical Educator Wendy Cooper. This program uses a highway theme to focus on physical fitness, nutrition, and character education. School-wide assemblies focus on different “roads” that we travel down and each assembly ends with physical activity as we dance the Healthy Highway dance!
In addition, every year our school participates in Jump Rope For Heart, Project ACES, and Fuel Up to Play 60. Jump Rope for Heart is planned during the school day so that all students can be a part of the event. Project ACES (All Children Exercising Simultaneously), is a national project started by Len Saunders of New Jersey and occurs on the first Wednesday of May. Project ACES increases the focus on the need for daily physical activity as our entire school exercises together outdoors using music and dance. This year we were able to invite a world-class duathlete as a special guest and role model for our students. Fuel Up to Play 60 has helped us to focus on the importance of playing sixty minutes every day and has provided funds for us to increase physical activity and eat nutritiously.
Student and Family Activity Outside of School
Our students are in school for just six and a half hours per day/180 days per year. Making a difference beyond the school day became of particular importance to me as I realized how little time students are actually in school. One of the ways that students and families are encouraged to exercise outside of school is using our Fitness Calendar. Each month, I create a Fitness Calendar that has simple activities listed for each day on one side and has a “Create Your Own Fitness Calendar” on the other side so that students and families can add their own activities. Students and families are encouraged to complete at least three activities per week and return the completed calendar to school to be included on the monthly list of “Fitness Fanatics.” This list of “Fitness Fanatics” is included on my PE website, in my monthly newsletter – “The Fizz-Ed Times,” and on a chart hung on the wall outside of the gymnasium. While each month is slightly different, the rate of participation is tremendous. In fact, this year a fifth grade classroom took it on as a monthly project for the entire class and the classroom teachers participated as well.
While the Fitness Calendar is sent home monthly, there are two special events during the school year during which students and families are encouraged to exercise and make healthy choices outside of the school day. First, using the importance of May as Physical Fitness and Sports Month, I launch a program called “Operation Healthy North Park”. I have been running this program for thirteen years and originally found this idea on PE Central and morphed this idea into the project it is today. Operation Healthy North Park begins May 1st and runs until May 31st of each school year.
Students and families are invited to participate by exercising for at least twenty minutes and completing a “coupon” of sorts that includes the name, date, activity, and class. These coupons are collected, counted, and displayed by class on a hallway bulletin board as we attempt to break the previous year’s record. In recent years, this program has been extended to the rest of my district and now includes participation by a middle school health class, teachers from other schools, several administrators, and our Superintendent of Schools! Second, Family Fitness Night was created as a result of a grant from Fuel Up to Play 60 and has continued with parent and community support. Families come to school on a Friday night, participate in several physical and nutritional activities, and are treated to a healthy snack prepared by a Culinary Institute of America chef! Families carry “Fitness Passports” which are stamped upon completion of each activity and have the opportunity to participate in a QR code scavenger hunt using questions related to fitness and nutrition. At the conclusion of the evening, families are given packets with healthy snack recipes and tips on making healthy choices as a family.
I’m often asked about challenges along the way as I attempted to implement some of these programs and certainly there were many. Funding, support of colleagues, scheduling, creating community partnerships, and finding the time to organize each of these events are all challenges I have had to overcome. However, when these challenges arose, there was always someone available to offer support, advice, or lend a helping hand. Funding sources were found from local health departments, community foundations, NYS AHPERD grants, and local donations. I found support and encouragement in colleagues, parents, our food service director, wellness committee members, my principal, and of course from the enthusiasm of my students.
While this support is truly amazing, it had to be earned and has definitely increased over time. In fact, I remember the resistance I encountered when I attempted to organize my first school-wide Field Day thirty years ago, and realize how far we have come as a school. Scheduling requires creativity, consideration of classroom time, the master schedule of other special areas and related services, patience, and a large eraser! Creating community partnerships came about as I participated in district wide wellness committees, PTA meetings, professional development conferences, and other committees and networking opportunities. Finally, time management can be challenging as the number of these special projects has increased. It is true however, that we make time for the important things in life and I have made it a priority to make the time necessary to keep these programs going and have, perhaps more importantly, learned to ask for help.
Conclusion
While I am the only full-time PE teacher at my school and it is true that I have spearheaded these efforts, the collaborative effort of our school as a whole cannot be understated. Our school works together in an amazingly cooperative way and as a result of this hard work and collaboration our school has been awarded 2014 Touchdown Status from Fuel Up to Play 60, has been named a 2014 Let’s Move Active School. We have also achieved Gold Level Fit Friendly Status from the American Heart Association for the second year in a row. Our work is not done, but our efforts to provide a quality Physical Education program and additional opportunities for students and families to learn to make healthy choices for life will continue. If you would like to learn more about our programs visit my website North Park Physical Education
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