physcial education super hero

It was another exciting day at St. Mary’s. We were able to implement some fun activities that contained some predetermined objectives. Out of the activity my group (leaping Lizards) did my station was the football toss. The kids were very excited to participate. Part of the reason was because we all dressed up in super hero costumes. As they were able to make the ball through the hula hoop I had them move back further little by little. It really pushed them and challenged them to try their best. They performed other skills at other stations that I supervised such as hopping and galloping. Some of the kids were confused but we tried to show them and encourage them to perform the movement patterns correctly. The kids seemed like they were having a blast and it is great to be in that type of atmosphere. It is electric. I love seeing the kids participating. It is really a heartwarming experience. I never thought I would enjoy physical education with this particular age group to the extent I do. It is amazing. We went down stairs to the cafeteria and there was a kid hanging by himself so we went and kept him company. Some of the kids stole one of my peers mask and I thought it was funny. On a serious note my classmate might have been able to handle it better. It is difficult to be assertive and take authority with the kids but I think it is important to establish that type of relationship with them. We then went outside and played kickball. The kids had me laughing hilariously. I tried to get Nicholas to understand the rules and strategies of the game. He kept running the bases excessively every time only to get out. The smile on his face after was priceless. But it is ok because the most important thing in this type of setting is if they are moving around and having fun. I was able to allow him to understand that by practicing self control when running the bases he may be able to eventually run all of them and score more points for the team. Some of the kids surprised me with some of the catches they were making. It was a sunny day and we all had smiles on our faces. I was able to evenly distribute positioning such as pitching and the batting order. Then we went back inside and tossed the football. We played some mini football games. The kids were able to run around and work on their hand eye coordination. By the end of the day I was exhausted. Can’t wait to see the kids again next week.

The PE "hall of shame"

I thought the article was harsh in some regards but in others I feel the radical nature was justified. One aspect of the article that I did not agree with was that it is possible to overemphasize fun. I don’t think there is any such thing as having too much fun. Right in our standards of physical education it is stated that students should participate in physical education for enjoyment. Know when fun starts to take away from the development of the child then it could be a problem but let’s face it, fun is one of the main motives for kids when participating in PE. I think there is a way to have boat loads of fun and still sufficiently meet the proper objectives. I think another issue is to make sure that everyone has somewhat equal amounts of fun as well because that will increase everyone’s likelihood in participating in PE again. My favorite line of the article was that one that states the purposes of PE is to enhance unity with mind and body in order to live healthy and productively in society. I believe in that but the one thing that comes to mind is that society does not hold everyone in equal regard all the time. If someone is more talented then you they will have the upper hand especially when it comes to employment. So life is not always fair but if you work hard it is very rewarding. The reward is relative to each person’s potential though. So that is something that needs to be accepted. We don’t all have the same amount of potential in all areas. I love the game Line Soccer but at the same time it might not be appropriate for physical education. I agree that it has low amounts of activity time, high amounts of waiting, students are embarrassed and put on display, and it could be dangerous. But with some modifications it could be an excellent game for PE. Instead of everyone lining up in front of a giant goal, everyone should line up on the sideline, there should be a voluntary goal tender, and there should be a designated line that students have to kick the ball behind so the goalie does not get hurt. Also the physical education teacher should know the students well enough and be prepared to pair kids up with similar skill levels as numbers. When calling out numbers it should be done in increments of 4 or 5 to improve activity time. Also students on the sidelines can be used as teammates to kick the ball to. I would even say put out 2 balls but that may be dangerous for the goalie if 2 balls are kicked at him at once. But at the same time the boundary for shooting will be far away. Also the soccer balls could be substituted for softer balls or beach balls to put student on similar playing field, in regards to skill. Also this is a game that should be introduced after thoroughly teaching and practicing separate skills. It will be a chance for the student to wrap them all together and use them in a game situation. It will incorporate aspects like spacial awareness and cooperation. Their heart rate will be increased due to running long distances against a group who is of equal skill level. Overall it will be fun. Know on the other hand a game like red rover is ridiculous. I agree that this game should be illegal in and outside of PE. I really don’t think there is much hope for this game and it should hold a legendary place in the hall of shame. Their maybe ways to modify it but most of the guiding principles will be changed so it will not even resemble Red Rover anymore. The article really forced me to look deeper into many child hood games that at the surface seem somewhat appropriate for physical education. I appreciate my future profession and I think it is up to us that it remains in educational curriculums as a crucial contributor.

AAPHERD Mini-Conference Suny Cortland

The AAPHERD mini conference was a great experience. Just walking in to the gym at 8:00 in the morning and seeing how big the turnout was, was inspiring. To see all the physical educators who are already out in the field working, gathered around for the conference was moving. Everyone seemed friendly and welcoming. It was awesome to see all my fellow students participating and coming together to help make it happen. Judith Rink was the keynote speaker. She is a seasoned veteran of physcial education that is well accomplished. It was a treat to hear her massage and learn some valuable information. One of the things she spoke of was the idea of bringing the school to the community. This principle would obviously help promote lifelong physical activity by helping them getting use to being resourceful and allowing them to be plugged in for when they get out of school. One practical way to achieve this goal would be to make it a requirement to take part in community run physical activities. Another way could be to bring people from the community who are physical activity and health promoters and activists into the school to teach, lecture, help out, and for the kids to get to know. Another issue that Judith presented on was to do no harm to overweight kids. It shined a different light on the matter because I am so use to the mind set of fighting obesity tooth and nail. We have to be very careful to not damage kids self esteem even though are motives may be good. Some kids are more predispositioned to be overweight. The most important thing is to motivate kids to be physically active and make them feel comfortable to participate. Another concept she lectured on was the family unit. I am also a member of the PE majors club and I was honored with the opportunity to preside at a workshop. It was called “Character education in health education”, and it was run by Greg Scutt, who at one point signed a contract with the Green Bay Packers. He delivered an encouraging talk that addressed the idea of showing that you care as the foundation for teaching. The first step for getting kids to listen is to convey that you have their best interest at heart and that you genuinely care about them. He also lectured on the significance of topics like being prepared, altruism, interviewing, honesty, consequences, and listening. It was a privilege to meet him and preside for him. He seemed like a good hearted warm individual. I was a little afraid of going in front of the group and presiding at first but as I started to talk and introduce him it just flowed. I feel like I grew from the experience and was able to learn some great information that I will be able to apply one day. I left with a feeling of confidence, professionalism, and participating in something much bigger than I am.

What an experience! (at St. Mary's)

I was a little nervous when initiating my interaction with the students. As I demonstrated some courage to approach the children and engage them the fear dissipated. I was able to pick their brains a little and ask them questions about themselves. They were welcoming and responsive. It was an opportunity to improve my ability to communicate with children. It was cool to see them construct pretend phones out of Lego like toys. I notice they started out with simple versions and then progressed into more complicated and sophisticated ones. It was also fun to hear them express their imagination and creativity by pretending to talk on them. I was able to make fun comments, encourage them, and give them ideas. It was nice to just be in their presence and experience the energy they carry with them. One girl wiped a mash potato like substance on me and I was able to be assertive with her and tell her that was unacceptable. She agreed to not behave like that again. It was a great time playing soccer with the kids. I was able to cheer them on and facilitate the game in a way that let everyone get a somewhat equal chance to participate. I was able to teach them how to spread out and emphasize passing. They picked up on it well and were very enthused. It brought me back to being a kid and enjoying physical activity with my peers. That is what I lived for at that age. I left feeling exhausted but it was a good feeling. It seemed like a whole other world in there. I am looking forward to going back.