In the Classroom at St. Mary's

What a way to start off my morning. I was half a wake and sick but still managed to drag myself to St. Mary’s. I introduced myself to the teacher and she put me to work giving the kids name tags. It gave me a chance to interact with the kids. I played around with them about spelling their names and it was fun. The pre K kids are so adorable. The teacher seemed very nice and smooth with how she managed the classroom. I think it was morning free time because the kids were participating in different activities all over the class room. Some kids were doing finger paints, others were playing house, some were playing with Legos, and others sat attentively well the teacher read a book to them. I was able to remember a bunch of names for a chance. One of the girls was begging me to play house with her so I finally gave in. It is not my favorite activity but I managed to stomach it for a little while. I then started to read a book to them and before I knew it was potty break time and then I had to rush back to Cortland College for psych class. One thing I noticed about the experience was that I saw a different side of the kids. They were not as riled up in the classroom. I got to hear input from the teacher as well. It seemed like they were calmer and more focused. At the same time being in a class room all day I could see how they may get a little rambunctious. I actually witnessed them sitting still and concentrating, normally when I am there they are constantly running around. It was a great experience and put me in a great mind set for the rest of the day.

The Masterpiece Portfolios

It was an honor to attend the portfolio showcase. I had a lot of work to do and studying to do for finals but I still took some time out to attend. I got a chance to see some of the awesome work my peers have done. I am right about to start my portfolio so it was a perfect time to get ideas. The idea of making a portfolio is daunting and overwhelming but I will take it one step at a time and I am sure I will do well with it. It was also nice to converse with some of Cortland’s elite. I congratulated them on how nice their portfolios were and all their work that went into them. I was able to pick their brains a little about their time at Cortland. It is always good to be surrounded by people who are passionate about physical education because it rubs off and makes me more passionate. It also gave me a different perspective on where I am at because they are all about to go out to student teach and were sad that they are leaving Cortland. It is only my first semester here but I could imagine being involved and living at a place for years, there is bound to be an attachment forms. It was nice how they were all dressed up and looked so professional. I was able to flip through some of the portfolios page by page and get an idea of the format. I also got a good glimpse at what awaits me down the road. I saw a lot of their work from the 300 and 400 level classes. I was able to talk to them about their experiences and what it took to build such an amazing portfolio. I was also able to talk to a personal friend Brandon Herwich who is in the picture with me. Some of the activities that he was involved with are amazing. He is truly inspiring and a great role model for PE. It got me thinking of things that I could do to help build on my portfolio. It was a great experience to be a part of and I am glad I got a chance to attend it.

North Pole recruiting at St. Mary's

I arrived to lab in a reserved, stand offish mood. I was sick, finals were coming up, and I felt burnt out. My group was assigned to go down to the cafeteria. I ended up playing chess with some of the kids. I really did not know how to play very well so I had them teach me. It seemed like our roles were reversed as Sage, Melinda, and Herald explained the game to me. I learned how to play and at the same time they were forced to think critically. I believe this type of social interaction helped them to grow socially and cognitively. It was a lot of fun playing and interacting with them. It was amazing how the free spirited nature of the kids took me out of my stressful and tiresomely dazed state. After playing for a while it was time for us to go upstairs. When we got up there we started to toss the football around. I jumped up to catch it and one of the students ran under me and I came down on her. I felt so horrible about that but my fellow classmates kept ensuring me that it was not my fault. It helped me see that if we have our guard down for a minute and lose our vigilant awareness than an accident can occur. Luckily the girl was not hurt but even though it may not have been my fault I vowed to myself to be more cautious in the future. We then set up a game which consisted of a series of activities. The first activity was the students rolling on scooters, then the kids jumped through hula hoops, and then last they kicked balls at posters that our group created. The students were getting off task so I had to interject my enthusiasm into the activity in order to keep them focused and excited. It was a fun game that gave them a cardiovascular workout, helped them with their manipulative motor skills, had some mild competition woven into it, and had a variety of components to it. One of the ways I used to motivate the kids was since we all had elf hats and Santa hats on and it was a Christmas theme, I told them that we were recruiting for the North Pole and this was their tryout. I asked them to see how many times they could hit the poster, with only kicking it 3 times per run through. We then used modifications to keep the game fresh. Instead of hitting the poster with the balls they had to score on me. I was the goalie and we used the giant mats as goals. It was fun to challenge them to score on me. After awhile I started to block all their shots and forced them to come up with a strategy to score. I helped them to come to the conclusion that in order to score two of them had to kick the balls at the same time. Nick and sage where the first ones to catch on and then the rest took heed. Then another group came in to the gym so we switched activities and just played knock out. It is a famous game to play at St. Mary’s and we always have fun playing. Again I would actually be trying and sometimes they would still get me out. For those who didn’t want to play or when people got out in knockout we went to the side and tossed the football. We wrapped the day up with a great dance that one of my classmates conducted. Then we took a group picture, first with just the Cortland students and then with the kids too. After Mr. Yang gave us a debriefing and brought closure to the end of our motor development labs at St. Mary’s. I am really going to miss it. From the bottom of my heart I truly cherish my experience at St. Marys. It really helped me come out of my shell and interact with kids in such a lively, joyful, and rewarding way. It contributed to my professional as well as personal growth in ways that cannot be measured. I am truly grateful for the opportunity

Still In Awe From The NYS AAPHERD Conference

The conference was such an amazing experience. Right when we arrived and checked in we started to hit presentations. It was great to sit in on the workshops and get a chance to mingle with professionals. Once again I felt a part of something much, much larger than me. It was a spiritual feeling being part of such a positive movement and being surrounded by such awesome people. I found myself drawn to a lot of health orientated presentations. The first one was called Drug… Wise….. Er….. It really caught my attention because drugs are prevalent in the secondary school setting to a profound extent. The presenter, Lori Reichel, was full of energy and very articulate. Another presentation I attended was finding your inner self and doing what you love. Chris Xaver, who is a local at TC3, did a great job describing the passion needed to really love ones job. She also talked about being responsible and empowering oneself. By the first night I was exhausted from the little sleep I had been getting in order to meet deadlines for my classes. It was even rough getting started the next day but once I started to hit more workshops I felt uplifted and energized. There was a social before the award ceremony were I was really able to pick some Cortland alumni’s brains and probe them alittle to understand more about the profession. The award ceremony was very elegant and emotional. I got a chance to meet some more really awesome people who I really look up to. To see people winning awards, making a difference in people’s lives, and giving inspiring speeches was something I am very grateful to witness. After the ceremony ended we went to a social that amazed me. There was professionals, future professionals, and professors all dancing, drinking, and having a good time. I really got loose on the dance floor and was able to let it all out and have fun. The next morning we packed it up and went home.

Pre-K play!

Wow did the pre-k get me fired up. The innocence the youngsters possess is beautiful. They are truly precious. It was great how well they responded and how easy they were to enthrall and motivate. At first we went outside on the playground. Most of the time we played tag and they ran around chasing me. It is amazing how such a simple activity can really hold their attention for such a long length of time. It was a lot of fun and very physically exhausting. We really nailed the naspe standards that emphasize participating in fitness enhancing physical activities. All of our heart rates were up. I felt like Barry Sanders juking them out so they couldn’t catch me. It was great because it got them used to changing direction quickly. After we went inside and me and my classmate read books to them. I have never done that before and it was a great experience. To really captivate them and make the book come to life was a lot of fun. After we set up an activity that was hooked in to the story line of a book we read about Clifford (the big red dog). The task was to crawl through a tunnel, hop and jump on pull spots, pick up fake food, and then put it in Clifford’s bowl. The kids ate the activity up. If we didn’t stop them they would have done it all day.

The circus came to St.Mary’s? Noo couldn't of ???

Ya, You bet it was physical education circus style at St. Mary’s Wednesday. We may have looked like clowns but we were not clowining around when it came down to manipulative motor skills like throwing and catching. The task was if the students could make enough of an impression on us to convince us of letting them join are circus. Did they succeed? Does dumbo fly? There were some techniques we helped them tweak but for the most part they performed the tasks well. I lead the first set of activities which involved throwing the ball against the wall and catching it. The students resembled the different stages ranging all the way from initial to mature but mostly they were performing at the elementary level. One of the bigger symbols of elementary status was bringing the ball behind their head when throwing. I though the students did great with staying focused and putting forth strong amounts of effort. I did a good job at captivating their attention and instructing the activity with enthusiasm. As we played the other throwing activity we were able to individually go into greater detail with breaking down the mechanics. I emphasized principles of keeping their eye on the target, trying to use their whole body especially their legs and core, following through, and pointing to the target with the opposite throwing hand. Some of the student implemented the suggested cues. I was surprised at some of the student’s accuracy while throwing. After, we went downstairs to the cafeteria. We got out the Legos and employed our creativity to build whatever structures came to mind. Then after going back up to the gym we played some roundball and to cap the day off we did the chicken dance. St. Mary’s has a way of making you feel like a kid again. Good times

PE Ninja

My spirits were flagging as I arrived to St. Mary’s. I was tired and did not know if I had enough energy to carry on through the day. Upon arrival we got right to work with organizing the equipment room. As we began to tackle the task at hand I started to feel more optimistic. I felt that we bonded as a group and it gave us a chance to collaborate closely and practice cooperation, communication, and teamwork. We were able to clean the whole closet out, take an inventory on all the equipment we had and then restock the closet in a more easily accessible and organized way. After, we all enjoyed the feeling that we had accomplished something. At first it seemed like too tall of a task to carry out but it actually was not so bad. I also got exposure to all kinds of cool equipment. From giant Q-tip looking things, to different shaped elastic paddles. The possibilities seemed endless of games that could be implemented using the variety of equipment that was present. After we finished with the equipment we got a chance to interact with the kids during some of the activities. I was a little taken back with the skill level some of the students have pertaining to knockout. There was a time I was actually trying and I lost. But it is always a fun game to play at St. Mary’s. I also played knee basketball with another group of younger kids. It was exciting to play on our knees well the children played standing up. At first I was a little annoyed with some of the students determination not to pass. I found ways to help motivate them to pass by verbally encouraging them, sheildingg them toward an open teamate, and stealing it or swatting it when they continuosly fail to pass. I was able to better facilitate teamwork and cooperation. Me and my classmate were able to implement sliding on defense and leaping on offense. At the end of the day I got dressed up in my Halloween costume and helped attempt to facilitate the “Thriller” song as a ninja. One of the kids responded strongly to me being in character. He was way more attentive and motivated to participate. I was able to do the dance with him and it was a blast. I left the school knowing that I contributed to the schools physical education. I had another great experience at St. Mary’s.