One constant during my 28 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 From Challenges to Triumphs: 10 Year-End Reflection Prompts
The holiday season is just around the corner, and that means my social media feed is inundated with gift guides! Tired of the same old teacher-themed trinkets and generic coffee mugs, here’s my attempt at what a #slowchathealth gift guide might look like. If you’re following me on social media you’ll know that I coordinate …
Continue reading Share the Joy: A #slowchathealth Teacher’s Gift Guide
Scavenger hunts are an exciting and interactive way to engage your students while reinforcing recently covered class content. In this blog post, I will guide you through the steps I use to create a captivating scavenger hunt using Google Forms and QR codes. This engaging activity makes learning fun and helps students solidify their knowledge. …
Continue reading Creating a Scavenger Hunt with Google Forms and QR Codes
There are so many great ideas out there that it's impossible to action each one of them immediately, and as such, hiding away at the back of my brain is a vast collection of pedagogical curiosities waiting to be rediscovered. Like the clutter on my desk, I know where each item is and know I'll …
Continue reading From Pedagogical Curiosity to Classroom Reality: How I Embraced Hexagonal Thinking
As educators, we constantly seek ways to make learning engaging and impactful. One tool I plan on using to enhance the learning experience in my physical education classes is "back pocket questions." These are concise, thought-provoking prompts designed to spark reflection and discussion, readily available to use during class. Much like a trusted resource in …
Continue reading Back Pocket Questions: Your Secret Weapon for a More Meaningful PE Class
Last Friday, my physical education class overran...and my students didn't notice! This HAS happened before, but it's typically a rare occurrence and one that I hope to achieve more often. I think the reason for the lesson going well has something to do with the new lens through which I'm seeing a subject that I …
Continue reading Teaching Physical Education with Purpose: Embracing the Meaningful PE Approach
"If not now, when?" This question urged me to step up and apply for a role on the Board of Directors with SHAPE America. After a pandemic-imposed change in focus and a few years of concentrating on those closest to me - family and my students- it was time to return to serving my profession …
Continue reading Answering the Call: Elevate Your Career with These Volunteer Leadership Roles
In the rapidly evolving landscape of education, change is the only constant. From updates to curriculums and advancements in technology to shifts in teaching methodologies, educators are constantly faced with high levels of stress and anxiety as they navigate these transformative times. While change can be daunting, it also presents opportunities for growth and innovation. …
Continue reading 3 Wellness Tips for Educators Navigating a Season of Change
School initiatives come and go as communities seek to address the needs of their students both now and in the future. Recently, my school launched an initiative that, along with implementing restorative practices, will foster a sense of school community and ensure that all students are supported. The initiative will help our students become better …
At the heart of every conference lies an opportunity to share knowledge and ideas and foster a sense of unity and connection among diverse individuals. When we step into these spaces to exchange insights and experiences, we have the opportunity to recognize the historical context in which these gatherings occur. One powerful way to achieve …
Continue reading From Inspiration to Action: Writing My First Land Acknowledgment as an Educator
This week's blog post comes from Kate Macmorn, the Communications Director for the American Medical Resource Institute (AMRI) where they’ve trained over a million healthcare professionals to study for, earn and maintain life support certifications that allow them to better respond to cardiac emergencies. Have you ever been in a situation where someone suddenly collapsed …
Continue reading CPR Training: Why You and Your Teenage Students Need It
Now that Summer gets its own branding each year - Barefoot-Boy Summer? Side Chick Summer? - may I suggest that this Summer is coined "Our Summer," a chance for each of us to personalize the next few months. A chance for us to give our bodies exactly what WE need to get the most from …
Food can be a tricky subject. I will not claim to be a nutrition expert. Of course, I want my students to eat fruits and vegetables. At the same time, I don't want them to feel like terrible people just because they eat chips or cookies. Nor do I want them to judge someone based …
At the SHAPE America national convention in Seattle, I finally had the opportunity to meet, and participate in a session with Dr. Brian Culp. Alongside John Strong and Dr. Brandy Lynch, their presentation titled 'Keys to Unlocking a Diverse and Socially Just HPE Space' shared resources, provided space for deep self-reflection, and reminded attendees that …
Continue reading Physical Literacy, Inclusiveness, and The Spatial Imaginary: A Summer Challenge
I quit…. being the positive encourager. I quit being the positive encourager. I have chosen to go to the dark side. I will allow my critical nature to fully take hold and spend my career calling out malpractice and positioning myself to take down every teacher employed to teach who fails to meet the basic …
Bringing the school year, and our #Microblog event to a close, I'm delighted that the effervescent educator who is Chris Walker, AKA, @CoachWalk has recorded a personalized message for us. Chris shares his #teachingreflection videos regularly on social media, and I always look forward to these upbeat and insightful recordings. Chris' reflections are full of …
From all of us @meaningfulpe In our most recent work around Meaningful PE, we have tried to focus our attention on pedagogies that teachers can use to support them in prioritizing the meaningfulness that students experience in their physical education classes. The two sets we have identified are democratic and reflective pedagogies, as these often …
When I ask my middle school students to think about what they want to do, be, see and achieve throughout their lives, athletics are often a large part of their goals for the immediate future. But at this age, many tweens and teens also see athletics (especially professional sport and extreme sports) as a career …
In recent years, school communities across the country have taken a considerable interest in the whole lives of their students. While we truly believe that educators have always considered the lived experiences of their students outside of their 4-walls of higher learning, heightened circumstances have increased the stress of students and the educators who pour …
“What curriculum do you use for [fill in the blank]?” is a question you’ll regularly see posted by health educators on twitter and facebook.The general consensus (as judged by the comments) is that a “home-grown” curriculum is best and while I don’t completely disagree; I’m pretty confident it’s not the answer people are looking for. …
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