As women's sports advocate for greater recognition and support from mainstream media I have recently become more aware of powerful voices from female athletes and their allies than ever before. With the Tokyo Olympics almost upon us, our media feed runs the risk of once again being flooded with the quadrennial acknowledgement of women's sporting …
As P.E. teachers and other K-12 school P.A. leaders head off for a well-deserved summer break and prepare to refresh and restore their craft for the “more normal” school year ahead, there are at least three opportunities for you to have a positive impact on kids in the fall. Some of the best P.E. leaders …
Continue reading 3 Crucial Jobs for P.E. Teachers that Aren’t in the Job Description
https://youtu.be/jMtC_7jkMRc To the Teacher Class of 2020/2021, Through the months of this pandemic, I have seen Health and Physical Education Teachers, Administrators, Association Boards, Lecturers, Professors come together like never before. Perhaps this shared common dilemma of meeting this historical moment with a combined mission of responding to a crises while maintaining a relevant learning …
What does it take to be and stay healthy? This past year has tested us all. It has taken the subject of health and made it a topic of discussion all day, every day.Yet many school districts have not seen health education as a top priority. The importance of Social and Emotional Learning has been …
Continue reading If Health Is a Priority, Then Health Ed Must Be a Priority
April 1, 2021 The Well Family, 333 Panacea Avenue, PANGEA. WLD. 001 Re: Your children- Well, Ness (Grade 10A) and Well, Being (Grade 10B) Dear Well family, I write to advise the conclusion of investigations into the conduct of your children, Ness and Being. As advised in previous communications, these investigations were commenced in response …
Continue reading The Provocative Ponderings of a Perpetual Pessimist
While I sit in my covid bubble reflecting on Shape Up Illinois week 2021 and the ‘state of Physical Education and Health Education’ in the age of a pandemic, I am totally convinced that the time to become a Physical Education and Health Education advocate is now. I would venture to guess that the physical …
“You have changed the way I see Physical Education, “You have inspired my husband and me to play tennis”, “You make health and wellness fun.” These are quotes from my co-workers, by no means am I the best Physical Education teacher in the world or in my department for that matter. However, I have discovered …
https://twitter.com/carmelhealth/status/1377765154260156417?s=12 Health and wellbeing is schools is critical to developing happy and healthy young people. Ultimately, we want our students to be informed and activity citizens of not only their local community but the globe. As a health and physical education teacher and school leader I am acutely aware of the benefits of a strong …
Continue reading Benefits of Health and Wellbeing Programs: A Leaders Perspective
Too often, a young person’s experience of school-based health education is left to chance. By chance, is the young person living in a country in which health education is visible in the national (or regional/territorial) curriculum policy? By chance, does the young person happen to attend a school in which the subject is valued, and …
The recent outcry over the NCAA’s unequal treatment of the men’s and women’s March Madness tournaments did not surprise me in one bit. Female athletes grow up knowing that despite equal amounts of hard work and dedication to their sports, the worth of their performance or level of respect they receive is fair less than …
“What do you mean you’re fasting? You’re going to run the mile!” bellowed my seventh grade physical education teacher. I tried to formulate a response, attempting to squeeze an explanation out of me. My throat felt empty; I couldn’t find my voice. It was like a blow to my chest: I felt betrayed and speechless …
Continue reading No, Not Even Water: Why Non-Muslims Should Learn About Ramadan
We all have sex education stories. Even if that education came from friends, family members, movies/tv, songs, or the internet, instead of school. We might have... Puberty stories. First date stories. Coming out stories. The Talk stories. Me too stories. Identity stories. Sex ed stories are universal - they are the stories of our bodies, …
Advocating for the subject we love, in the face of challenges from those around us, is as important now as it has always been. When Matthew Bassett, SHAPE America's Elementary Physical Education teacher of the year, shared his passionate plea in support of physical education and health with parents and educators it was well received. …
Bringing our standards-based health curriculum to life is important if we want students to make connections between the classroom and the world in which they live. We need to find ways in which students can promote healthy norms and healthy behaviors and we have to provide students with the opportunity to amplify their health-enhancing messages …
Continue reading Breathing Life into Health Skill 8: A Twist on the Traditional Field Day
I am delighted that this week's blog post comes from a passionate health educator who has spent many years advocating for, and understanding the role of, health education within a wider context. Although written from a New Zealand perspective Rachael Dixon's writing will speak to a global audience of health educators. Tena koutou, tena koutou, …
Continue reading The Curious Case of Senior Secondary Health Education in Aotearoa New Zealand.
On my return flight from Tampa for the 2019 SHAPE America National Convention in April 2019, I was suddenly awakened from a nap and my first thought was “redefine our community”. This statement etched in my mind as I projected on the upcoming year ahead and the opportunity for transformation for our health and physical …
Continue reading COVID19: A Promising Future for Health Ed and Equity?
Cheerleader. Champion. Supporter. Advocate. I want to invite you -- yes, you -- to put one of these words next to your name, like this: “ __________ (your name) is a champion.” Feels good, right? Now imagine if it said “__________ (your name) is a champion for comprehensive sexuality education.” How does that feel? Is …
When people donate to homeless shelters they often donate food and clothes. Honestly, they mostly need money but that’s for another blog. I am the advisor for a high school community service club, This Club Saves Lives, at Carmel High School in Carmel, California. Every year we perform local and global actions based on the …
My name is Sophie Draluck, I’m a senior at Highland Park High School, and I’d love to introduce you and hopefully your students to the topics of period poverty and menstrual equity, and suggest ways for all of us to become part of the solution. I took on period poverty in 2017, after reading an article …
Two years ago, I accepted an opportunity to support 14 girl-identified youth who wanted to address sexual harassment in our school community and provide a safe space for their peers to learn, grow and excel in leadership, communication and self-empowerment. An exciting endeavor, but (*gulp*) what large goals. How would I support my enthusiastic students’ …
