Moving Classes Back Indoors: Winter and the Secondary PE Curriculum

Winter is in front of us and if we have not bowed to it yet, we will soon. That means coming inside and finding ourselves surrounded by four walls and a ceiling. What a change: less room, more noise, and lots of compromises.

Girls gym class with climbing rope

But it isn’t all bad. Getting back in the gym can be a relief in some ways. You can feel as if you have more control over your environment. You don’t have to worry about weather and rainy day plans synching with what you were teaching outdoors. More importantly, you don’t have to worry about the possibility of unpleasant situations from bystanders or trespassers.

Frankly, I used to look forward to knowing that I could be heard more easily indoors and could use the gym’s portable blackboard to diagram the strategies and positioning I was teaching. Sadly, my relief was usually short lived. Limited space and intensified noise levels eventually took their toll. Though I loved when the noise of excited kids rose, being in constant noise seemed to increase my stress level. Then, too, when the limited space made it difficult to keep the kids moving and doing what they enjoyed the whole time we were together, I was not happy. It wasn’t long before addressing that issue became a high priority for me and maybe you, too.

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What’s Ahead for Physical Education and Health Education in 2016?

Writing this the day after Xmas, I can’t help but think about the past year and imagine what’s ahead. Most of us I suspect do the same every year. We think about the joy and sadness we’ve experienced in our jobs and family in the year just ending, and wonder what awaits us in the New Year.

Kids playing soccer

For health educators and physical educators, 2015 ended on an upbeat note. After more than a decade outside of the “core” curriculum, we were included as part of a “well rounded education” in the recently passed Every Student Succeeds Act(ESSA). Its predecessor, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) sadly resulted in not only leaving academically behind millions of students, but also health and physical education.

NCLB although well intentioned, justified school administrators making program and position cuts to our subjects in the name of academic accountability. Noticeably no one’s celebrating much about the success of this focus, while the evidence is clear that the majority of young people fail to lead physically active and healthy lives.

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Striving to be a Superhero Physical Education Teacher

What would the perfect physical education teacher do? Have you ever asked yourself this question? Who do you picture when you think of the perfect teacher? Perhaps like me you picture someone made up of a combination of all the great teachers you’ve ever met, all wrapped up into one incredible superhero package?

Superhero cape

Years ago, I fleetingly believed I was on top of the teaching game, perhaps even on my way toward superhero status, until I humbly learned the benchmark I was measuring myself against was outdated and missing major components. My students liked me and they loved physical education, I had very few discipline issues, and when they joined other elementary school students in middle school they showed themselves to be competent athletes. All these factors led me to believe I was doing an outstanding job. What burst my bubble? What brought me to my current realization that I will never “arrive” and will always have room for improvement?

My first ah-ha moment came when I started National Board Certification. As I began studying the teaching standards and planning how I would demonstrate competency in each standard, I realized that a quality physical education program consisted of much more than I was doing. This launched a major reflecting and growing process. I hadn’t understood how high the bar was set. I was astonished that teachers were actually capable of not just accomplishing but mastering each of the standards.

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Be a 50 Million Strong by 2029 Champion

As physical educators, we have many opportunities to improve the lives of thousands of kids who participate in our school physical education programs. If we are diligent in improving our programs by focusing on lifelong health and physical activity with our students, we can all do our part in succeeding with “50 Million Strong.”

Group biking

What’s My Number?

At McPolin Elementary School, my number is 425, preschool through 5th graders. I work directly with the Lifestyles Counselor to provide quality instruction at our Title 1 school. We are a Spanish Dual-Immersion school. Although we live in an affluent resort town, 50 % of our students are on free or reduced lunch. We have Federal funding for free breakfast for all students and a healthy snack every day (See EATS program below). We have an Afterschool Enrichment Program for at-risk students, that provides a snack, a physical activity, computer, and homework sessions.

Some students go home to care for their younger siblings at night while parents work in a service job. Many have multiple families living in the same apartment. The challenge for me is to help provide a variety of opportunities for physical activities at school and in the community. I work closely with community agencies to provide access to programs that will benefit ALL of our population. The adage “it takes a village to raise a child,” definitely applies to our town. Many residents have stepped forward to benefit our diverse population.

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A Master Teacher’s Influence Never Ends

The 3rd Annual Dr. Bob Frederick Sport Leadership Lecture Series took place on the campus of Lewis-Clark State College this past October. I started the series in 2013 to help students gain insight from leaders in the sport industry, and provide a glimpse into the number of career opportunities available to them. In three years, 44 presenters from sport-related fields including: interscholastic sport, intercollegiate sport, professional sport, collegiate sport recreation, municipal recreation, education, outdoor recreation, sport business, and sport governance, have kindly given their time and knowledge to the series.

Jump Rope

As I walked one of this year’s speakers, Dr. Mike Kinziger back to his car I asked him about his invention, the KINZI. The KINZI is a group jump rope where up to 40 people can play at one time. During his presentation, Dr. Kinziger mentioned that he had a prototype of the KINZI in his car and I was curious what it looked like. When we reached his car, he unloaded a long rope with a handle on one end. As I was asking him about how the KINZI worked and the type of games one could incorporate with it, he immediately seated himself in the middle of the parking lot. Using his body as the base, he began to swing the rope in a giant circle. A slightly amusing scene ensued as he looked up at me from the asphalt and shouted, “Start jumping.” Carrying a backpack, a stack of handouts, and wearing dress shoes I immediately began jumping to avoid tripping on the swinging rope.

When inviting speakers for the lecture series I often try to find professionals that have the ability to reflect on a lifetime of work and share that perspective with the audience. As a presenter, Dr. Kinziger had many experiences to draw from. He taught and coordinated outdoor leadership for 17 years as an associate professor in recreation at the University of Idaho. He led over 100 wilderness trips, holds six long distance canoe records, and has done numerous solo canoe adventures. In his retirement he reflected on years of teaching and wrote King Frog, a book containing more than 100 established group games.

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Painting Peaceful Playground Games in Oklahoma Schools

In January of 2015, I was asked by Lindsi Lemons the Program Director of Schools for a Healthy Lifestyle, and Jason Hasty of the Putnam School district, if I would be interested in Painting peaceful playground games again for their Oklahoma schools. After numerous delays due to record rainfall, other commitments, and a minor injury, we were finally able to paint the third week of July. It turned out that it would be the hottest week of the summer!

Blake Taylor and Vaughn Humbolt

I talked my former co-worker and dear friend Vaughn Humbolt who was enjoying retirement to come help me for four and a half days to paint eleven schools, nine in Oklahoma City and two in rural Oklahoma. The schools that we painted included: Overholser Elementary, Apollo Elementary, D. D. Kirkland Elementary, Ralph Downs Elementary, Harvest Hills Elementary, Northridge Elementary, Parkland Elementary, Oakridge Elementary, Hupfeld Elementary, Beggs Elementary, and Choctaw Elementary.

The first day we left my farm outside of Augusta Kansas at 4:30 A.M. and drove to Oklahoma City to our first of three schools. The first two days we had six schools to do with some of them being repaints, while the last two and a half days we were starting from scratch. Typically, we would work from 6:30 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. By about 11:15 A.M. the surface would be too hot to work on. Then we would go eat lunch, take a nap at the hotel, and go back to painting from 4:00 P.M. to 8:30 P.M.

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Answering the “What Do You Do?” Question

(This essay was originally published on SHAPE America’s member Exchange [December, 2015] and is reprinted with permission.)

Does this scene sound familiar? You’re in a social setting and someone politely asks, “What do you do?”

Quickly the question morphs into a conversation killer if you answer, “I teach physical education.” A few seconds of uncomfortable silence follow. “What do you coach?” they ask, hoping for respite. “I don’t coach,” you say. Discomfort heightens. Blank stares. What to do?

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