It is through our names that we first place ourselves in the world. Our names, being the gift of others, must be made our own. Ralph Ellison I never teach the same lesson twice, and that's because every cohort of students that I meet brings unique backgrounds, hidden stories, and personal histories that shape who …
Continue reading Why Classroom Community Starts with Our Names
When we talk to teens about health, sleep often gets treated as an afterthought - or worse, a luxury you sacrifice to get ahead. But if you ask the world’s greatest athletes, they’ll tell you the exact opposite: sleep isn't something you do when your day is over, it's the foundation of how you perform …
Continue reading What the World’s Best Athletes Teach Us About Rest, Recovery, and Performance
As excited as I am to start the new school year with a new cohort of students, I have to remind myself to slow down before diving into content so that I can get to know who I'm dealing with. While teachers are learning names, asking about interests, and understanding the personalities in front of …
Let's get over the awkwardness straight away. If what brought you to this blog post was disappointment at not making the team that you really hoped you would make, I'm sorry. Regardless of the situation, that's not a nice feeling, and I know it hurts. I've been there, as a player and a coach. Being …
Happy summer y'all. It's time for my annual #summerreads blog post in which I bravely foolishly list the 9 books that I plan to read during the months ahead, while also watching the soccer World Cup (This is a phenomenal World Cup book!)and the tennis at Wimbledon. Podcasts are my go-to during the school year, …
Teachers, the end of the school year is here. You survived the endless month of May (which felt like it was 9 weeks long), and you've patiently endured the typical June shenanigans. And if you were to be honest, I wonder if you'll agree that this year hit different, particularly if you are a veteran …
Every athlete dreams of the perfect team: a group where everyone has each other’s back, communication is excellent, and the result always positive. But the reality of competitive sports is that you aren’t in this alone, and sometimes, the biggest opponent isn’t your opponent but the person standing next to you. Toxic teammates are unfortunately …
Continue reading How Toxic Teammates Hurt Performance – and What to Do About It
Having just got back from the awesome SHAPE America National Convention, it’s time to reflect on the hours spent in outstanding sessions, reconnecting with educators, experiencing a vibrant city, and soaking in a couple of impactful keynotes. There’s something about Kansas City - the energy, the conversations, the BBQ-fueled networking - that made this one …
Kansas City, often called the “City of Fountains” (The city has more than 200 fountains, which is often said to be second only to Rome in the number of fountains in a city) is a place I’ve passed through before, but this spring it becomes the gathering point for thousands of health and physical education …
Continue reading Level Up Your Conference Game: #SHAPEKansasCity Edition
There’s something powerful about writing things down by hand. In a world of shared Google Docs, AI summaries, and conference slide decks that land in our inbox before the keynote even ends, it might seem unnecessary. But research, and my own experience, tell a different story. When we write by hand, with pen and paper, …
Continue reading Why Handwritten Notes Still Matter (And Why I Created a Notebook for Educators)
I once wrote a blog post about the value of revisiting saved social media posts and screenshots because sometimes "the best inspiration is already in your pocket—literally." Like many teachers, I’m a collector of great ideas. I hit save on Instagram posts that inspire me. I pin classroom strategies and eye-catching infographics to Pinterest boards I haven’t visited in months. I bookmark tweets that I know …
Continue reading Why Patintero Belongs in Your PE Curriculum
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 …
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
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
#slowchathealth 