Middle School PE: Unleashing the Fun and Building Champions

Middle school throws a curveball at everyone. But a well-designed physical education (PE) program can be a game-changer, fostering not just fitness but also social connection, a love for movement, and a sense of ownership. Here's how to create a winning experience for your students: Building a Team: Relationships are the foundation. Learn your students' …

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Creating a Student Care Cart within the Classroom

As educators, we know that our students cannot be the most successful version of themselves if their basic needs are not being met. As health educators specifically, I’m sure we are often asked by our students if we have different hygiene-related items that they can have, whether it be lotion, band-aids, hair ties, deodorant, pads, …

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Teacher Appreciation Week 2024

Teacher Appreciation Week at my school is quite the affair. Our Student Council provides us with breakfast on Monday, laptop stickers and lanyards on Tuesday, trail mix on Wednesday, distributes appreciation notes from students on Thursday, and pulls teacher names from a hat to win prizes on Friday.Last year I received an appreciation note from …

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Considering Gender Combined Sex Education

For many students, their first experience with school-based sex education happens in fourth or fifth grade with a lesson(s) about puberty. While not widespread, some schools include age – appropriate sex education beginning in kindergarten. My first career was in early childhood education and I found it was common to have daily interactions with the …

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Sweatbands to Neckties…Moving away from PE

Swapping your sweatbands for a suit and tie, your whistle for a pen, and your dodgeball for seating plans? I hadn't considered the transition away from full-time PE teaching until it happened!  First, let's address the elephant in the sports hall: saying goodbye to those iconic PE teacher outfits. No more rockin' your polo shirt …

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Writing the Perfect Teacher Appreciation Thank You

Expressing gratitude will make you happy. Don't believe me? Check out this short video from Soul Pancake and their 'Experiment in Gratitude.' According to Greater Good, based at UC Berkeley, "Researchers studying gratitude have found that being thankful and expressing it to others is good for our health and happiness. Not only does it feel good, but it also …

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A Culturally Responsive Checklist for Health Education

Teaching health education is and should be 100% relevant to students’ lives, and when health education is delivered in a thoughtful manner, the information and skills students gain will probably be used every day. Moreover, the mode, tone, inflection, and environment delivered by the health educator is just as important!  Imagine being a middle school …

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