I want to give a huge shout out to Julie Williams, Krissy Darm, Megan Mkrtschjan, Jennifer Landcaster, & Kate Hertz who were the first to respond to last week’s challenge winning themselves a free year’s subscription to The Marshall Memo!!!
I have a very diverse Twitter account, I follow a variety of people and organizations. Last Saturday I was doing research for a new Administrator Academy I am writing so of course I hit up Twitter. I was surprised to find, on a Saturday morning, post after post of amazing activities taking place across the country during physical education class!
As a student PE was one of my least favorite activities which, if you know me personally, is very surprising because I am athletic and truly value the social, academic, emotional, and physical benefits of working out (evidence in that I get up at 4:30 each morning to go to the gym to run). However, my experience of physical education class was vastly different than what I was observing on my Twitter feed!! My memory of PE includes playing with the parachute, alot of being talked AT by my PE teacher(s), dancing, bowling, and stretching…..lots and lots of stretching!!! The posts hitting my Twitter account last Saturday included a PE teacher videotaping his students in slow motion on an iPad so they could review their own dribbling techniques (basketball) turning the gymnasium into an American Ninja Warriors arena for station work, or turning a simple activity like walking up stairs into a mathematics fact practice station!
My experience with PE teachers as a consumer (student) aligned with the stereotypes you would see on TV; however, over the past 13 years I have been beyond impressed by the physical education teachers I am honored to call colleagues. As a teacher and principal, the role of the PE teacher in the buildings I worked in was proven to be irreplaceable. My PE teachers were my backup administrators when I was out of the building, were PBIS mentors, created a “jump start program” for students who needed to get up and moving first thing in the morning before class started, and attended grade level curriculum meetings so that they were creating cross-curricular units specific to each grade level!!!
There has been research study after research study that shows the countless benefits from children accessing a quality physical education program including but not limited to:
- Improved physical fitness
- Skill and motor skills development
- Provides regular, healthful physical activity
- Teaches self discipline
- Facilitates development of student responsibility for health and fitness
- Influence moral development, leadership, cooperate with others
- Stress reduction – an outlet for releasing tension and anxiety
- Strengthened peer relationships
- Physical education can improve self-confidence and self-esteem
- Respect – PE helps you respect your body, classmates and teammates
- Experience in setting goals
- Improved academics – The big bonus benefit!
The Tremendous Benefits of Physical Education in School,
www.phitworld.org/Benefits_of_P_E__in_School.htm.
While doing my research on a Saturday morning, and being completely sidetracked by all the amazing out-of-the box activities taking place across the nation during student’s PE block, I came across this cool resource that was just launched this January and is local to Illinois. Upon doing more research, I found local school districts who had already commented to their twitter account.
Although I am not an expert on physical education, I am a believer in the benefits of a quality PE program and as such have partnered with Central School District 301 to host an amazing PE conference as part of the Kane County Regional Office of Education’s County Wide Institute Day on March 1, 2019!! The staff within D301 have worked tirelessly to find applicable, quality professional development for our PE teachers with more than 25 different breakout sessions plus vendors this is an event you don’t’ want to miss….did I mention it is 100% FREE FOR ALL EDUCATORS??
If you would like to attend this spectacular event or have questions regarding the details, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, I am happy to answer all your questions and get your PD needs taken care of…until then, keep active!!
Katie Algrim – Director of Innovative Professional Learning
(t):630-444-3044
(c):630-675-4447
(e):kalgrim@kaneroe.org