When I was an undergrad, we were instructed to make friends with the school custodians and secretaries, because they are the ones who really make a school tick. I would like to add one more person to the list - the Occupational Therapist. I am blessed that my best friend, Deb, is a pediatric Occupational …
When my students enter our classroom on the first day of the nutrition unit, they immediately see two tables covered in cookbooks. Lots and lots of cookbooks. Tap here to access an interactive version Sarah's Cook Book List We usually start class with a conversation starter. My students sit in groups of three, and their triangle …
According to the National Association for Children of Alcoholics, “one in four children lives in a family impacted by parental addiction.” Hidden from most people is the chaos and uncertainty these children go through on a daily basis. When I think of alcoholism I often think of the common portrayals in movies of a physically …
Have you ever looked back on your journey to and through your teaching career and realized that there were some moments you almost missed “it?” “It” being the pivotal moments that pulled you closer to being where you are today in your teaching career. A magnetic moment in which if you would have given up …
Ever find yourself having to go to sleep because your eyes hurt so bad from staring at a screen? Or maybe you have been playing video games for countless hours and your back is hurting. Well, turns out video games can have quite a negative health effect on individuals who play too much! One study …
Throughout my childhood, I was constantly busy trying to balance my schoolwork, softball practices, and my social life. When I had the odd day off though, I savored being able to just sit in front of my PlayStation 2 for the day playing various video games. In my own experience, I was never questioned by …
Continue reading The Line Between Esports and Gaming Addiction
I have almost completed my second year back in the district from which I graduated (7th year in total). A little over a year ago, in my first group of students at my current school I had a student ask “Mrs. McGee, do you teach any other health classes? I’ve really enjoyed having you as …
“Self-indulgent slump”. That is what I would always call it when I just couldn’t do it anymore. I would skip practice or exercise for weeks. I would ignore the assignments piling up. I would turn down invites from friends. The length would vary from one to six weeks. Generally they were shorter when I was …
“Is it a boy or a girl? Do you know, yet?” When I was expecting each of my children, this was generally the first question I was asked by anyone who could see I was pregnant. And then as people learnt the biological sex of my now-arrived child, they would comment on what they are …
Changing the game in physical education is a commitment to upgrading the experiences we offer students in Physical Education. All kids deserve to be physically educated in an environment that promotes physical, psychological, social, and cognitive growth and safety. I want to live in a world where every child feels empowered to move, has a …
Continue reading Change the Game: Learner-Centered Approaches to Teaching PE
Here we are nearing the conclusion of another school year. Even as a veteran teacher this year has been exhausting, and like any year it has been a year of growth. Yes, saying I’ve grown is the positive spin of saying there have been challenges, however, what I realize more than ever is the need …
Food is FUN. Food is LOVE. Food is JOY. When I began teaching nutrition over a decade ago, the program I taught incorporated cooking in the classroom with each nutrition lesson. At the end of each lesson, students would get to prepare a dish and eat together. This was where I saw magic happen. I …
As we know, all too well, the last few years have been incredibly disruptive. However, I think there were several positives that can be taken away from teaching during this era. I empathise with beginning teachers and how incredibly hard establishing oneself must have been / continue to be. But, I do hope some of …
In these interesting times in education, we are often faced with challenges (substitute coverage, school testing, lack of funding, overworked, undervalued, and often times just plain old-- burned out). When these struggles hit hard, I often think of my why. Did I do this for the fame and money- of course not. I became a …
ok, first curriculum reminder: feel yourself breathing. Let your shoulders drop. and just. Be. no to-do lists, productivity hacks or getting anywhere necessary. (lesson objective: pause - remember this moment is your life) next, please give up ardently striving to be Someone because you’re conditioned to believe that love is not free. remember that love …
You may find yourself in the words that follow, or you may not. I am about to share with you things that were shared with me and things I have learned along the way. #microblog from @pe_cheseldine
My favorite part about being a #HealthEd Teacher is that almost everything can be considered "health related". My least favorite part about being a #HealthEd Teacher is that almost everything can be considered "health related". This gives me an opportunity to discuss such a wide variety of topics with my students, but it also applies …
In the first week of my teacher training, I was shown Rita Pierson’s ‘Every kid needs a champion’ TED talk. I’m not someone who feels that teaching is my vocation or calling, for me it is a profession. But it’s a profession where we are in a privileged position to work with future generations, and …
Over the last few years of teaching I have worked to be intentional with teaching practices when it comes to amplifying student voice and choice in the classroom. This shift in my teaching has really changed the learning experience for my students. I hope to share why this is so important to do in a …
Continue reading Increasing Student Voice and Choice in the Health Classroom
Flashback to August 2020. My husband and I are both teachers, on the way out of town on a road trip listening to the governor speak about what school would look like in high covid times. It was hard to find good things in the world and hard to find joy. In the same month, …
Continue reading Lessons from Ted Lasso: 5 Lasso-isms We Can Practice in Relationship Building
#slowchathealth 