As teachers, we’re constantly balancing our time between students, curriculum, assessment, and our own professional growth. One of the ways we nourish both our practice and our perspective is through intentional reading and I'm always on the lookout for books that make me think differently about learning, equity, connection, and the work we do every …
There are moments in a Physical Education class where the sights and sounds tells you everything you need to know. Laughter between rallies. Music playing while students dance and celebrate points. Teammates congratulating each other, opponents offering high-fives and bodies collapsing into giggles after long exchanges. Over the past few weeks, that has been the …
Continue reading That Was So Much Fun: Meaningful Insights From Students
There's a conversation that's been bubbling under for a few years now regarding “analog” coming back as a cultural and lifestyle trend for 2026, and I'm seeing it across social media, in magazines, and even my parents have asked me about it. This isn’t just a meme or niche idea anymore. This goes beyond the …
Whose responsibility is it? This is a common question that comes up when adults are considering how to disseminate information to kids. Whose responsibility is it to teach kids about their sexual health? Whose responsibility is it to teach kids about drugs and alcohol? People will have a variety of opinions. But let's focus on …
Continue reading Infectious Diseases: Why Skills-Based Health Education Matters
Ever since I watched Dale Sidebottom keynote at the PE Institute in North Carolina I've wanted to weave in some dice-based activities with my classes. I found this great deal online for 100 dice, but they sat in a drawer unaccompanied by an activity, until now. We return from break on a shortened schedule, and …
Continue reading Dicebreaker. The Connection-First Icebreaker
The start of a new year has a funny reputation. It’s supposed to be a reset button. A fresh start. A new era. A moment where you suddenly become more motivated, more organized, more disciplined, and more confident—just because the calendar changed. But most of us know the truth, and the science backs this up, …
Continue reading One Word for 2026: A Different Way to Start the Year
One constant during my 30 years of teaching is that the break from school at the end of the calendar year – winter for me and summer for my Southern Hemisphere friends – comes at just the right time. Leaving for school in the dark, arriving home in the dark, the end of a long …
Continue reading Before the Year Ends: Twelve Months in Reflection
In a recent #Slowchathealth post, Andy Milne, shared a story about a “classroom moment” where his students took control of the learning environment and taught each other. The topic was menstruation and how to be supportive. A young man asked what more could boys do to be supportive, and this is what happened: “As I …
Continue reading Creating Environments for “Classroom Moments”
Every semester, after introducing the content of my sexuality education unit, I conduct an anonymous question activity with my sophomore health class. I ask them to ask questions they have about any of the content, but I also take this a step further. I ask them to suggest content that they think their peers definitely …
As the days get shorter and the air gets cooler, it’s the perfect time to curl up with a good documentary. This fall, I’ve pulled together a list of films and series that caught my eye. Some are brand new, others a few years old, but each one touches on themes of resilience, justice, identity, …
How good does it feel when someone tells you they loved something you created? Maybe it was a teaching idea you shared online, a presentation you gave, or even a simple resource that helped a fellow teacher. Those small words of appreciation can make your whole week. Now imagine all the creators, writers, and podcasters …
Continue reading Five Minutes That Matter: Support the Creators You Love
Every October, educators, health professionals, and communities mark Health Literacy Month which is a time to shine a light on the importance of understanding and using health information to make informed choices. At its core, health literacy is about more than reading a pamphlet or following doctor’s orders. It’s about giving people, including our students, …
Continue reading 5 Ways You Can Bring Health Literacy Month to Life
A recent Instagram post summarizing the 'impact of smartphone use on athletes' sleep and performance' caught my eye and got me wondering about the research that supports my internal suspicion that cell phones are harming the performance of athletes. As a coach and father of athletes, I was motivated to delve deeper into existing research …
Continue reading 5 Ways That Cell Phone Use Negatively Impacts Athletes
When I first wrote about using Hexagonal Thinking to help students explore the 10 Dimensions of Wellness, I shared how powerful it was to see them physically (or digitally) connecting concepts together. The beauty of the hexagon activity lies in the way students can literally move ideas around, discovering new links and debating which connections …
Continue reading Wellness Dominoes: the Ripple Effects of Wellness
Health misinformation is rampant on social media – here’s what it does, why it spreads and what people can do about it Media literacy is more essential than ever. Wanlee Prachyapanaprai/iStock via Getty Images Plus Author: Monica Wang, Boston University The global anti-vaccine movement and vaccine hesitancy that accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic show no signs …
A few years ago, I came across an image that resonated with me. It showed how Gareth Southgate, then the manager of the England men’s soccer team, draws on a network of thinkers to help shape his decisions. Not just football minds, but voices from rugby, cricket, sailing, cycling, even the military. A deliberate mix …
If you're looking to create personalized music playlists that are perfect for your classroom, gym, or workout needs, then this blog post is for you. Regular readers of the site will know that I love music, have written about my love of music, and featured posts on how teachers are using music in their teaching …
The White House has announced the revival of the Presidential Fitness Test (PFT), branding it as part of a renewed effort to promote active lifestyles, nutritious eating, and American sports in schools. Touting "bold and innovative fitness goals for young Americans", the administration claims this proposal will help foster a healthier, more active generation. But …
Continue reading A retrograde move: The ‘Presidential Fitness Test’ returns with a political agenda
This powerful guest post comes from Beatrix Hopkins, a junior student who asked if she could share her Junior Theme writing with me. Beatrix contacted me, saying, "I wrote about the use of deepfake generating technology to create sexually explicit images and videos, and the way that those technologies can be used to perpetuate violence …
It's time for my annual summer reading list, and unlike the the recent AI-generated Chicago Sun-Times list, all of these books actually exist and I have held in my hands! I've had a very full school year and the summer break provides me with a much-needed opportunity to slow down and find time to read. …
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