Society entrusts schools to develop students who are well-rounded, well educated, well prepared, well spoken, and well suited for the demands of adult life; but we cannot achieve these goals without our students first being well. By promoting wellness in our schools, we afford our teachers and our students the opportunities to achieve their potential. …
Continue reading Health Education: The Missing Link For Boosting Academic Achievement
As a newly qualified teacher based in the Midlands of England, I have had the pleasure of teaching PE across every key stage of education. The mental gymnastics of going from planning a lesson on the musculoskeletal system, grounded in retrieval practice, cognitive load theory, and strands of Rosenshine’s Principles, to explicitly teaching the importance …
I recently came across an Instagram post from three content creators who spend a lot of time calling out health and wellness grifters. You know, the kind who sell “biohacks” wrapped in pseudoscience and braggadocio. I'm talking about the influencers who are a little too close to government decision-makers, and seem to be everywhere right …
Continue reading Why Health Class Might Be the Only Longevity Hack You Need
Parent communication from a health education teacher to their student’s parents and/or guardians offers an opportunity to build a valued partnership in how we educate our young people. It also provides crucial support from parents to teachers and can foster intentional communication at home to validate and connect classroom topics with family values and household …
What I Hear: As an itinerant Adapted PE teacher, I travel to 20 schools interacting with 30+ PE teachers. In the conversations that follow I consistently hear frustration about a variety of items ranging from a lack of equipment to scheduling that is not aligned with student needs. While unacceptable these issues are all solvable. …
Continue reading 10 Steps for a Productive Conversation with Administration
In 30 years of teaching across six high schools on two continents, I’ve been fortunate to work in places that value physical education - schools that prioritize it, protect time for it, and employ certified teachers to lead it. I’ve even worked alongside former professional and Olympic athletes. In those moments, it’s clear: many schools …
Okay, I'll be honest — I was going to write something spicy. Something about how the entire Bravo network could be used to add relevance to your skills-based health education curriculum. (Honestly, that idea still has legs, but it would take at least 1,500 words and a lot of Summer House references.) So instead, I …
Continue reading Advocating for Health Education: You Don’t Have to Do It Alone
Kim Morton shares a message that’s hard to ignore: one day, your health may be the only thing on your mind. In this reflection, she challenges us to rethink how we value health now, and reinforces why what we teach in HPE has lasting impact far beyond the classroom.
Last May, as we were wrapping up the Lower School Field Day, a few Upper School students from Grades 6 and 7 approached me and asked, “Miss, why don’t we have a day like this in the Upper School?” A few weeks earlier, I had been told that I would be the Learning Leader for …
Continue reading When Students Ask, We Listen: Creating Our First Upper School Sports Day
You can always spot a teacher at a conference. It's in the vibrant personalities and the unapologetically loud voices echoing through the lobby. It's the armloads of "really important stuff" including laptops, oversized water bottles, a stash of snacks that could last a week, and handfuls of "fabulous freebies." It's the heavy backpacks and the …
Continue reading A View from the Lobby: The Unseen Pulse of Pedagogy
Imagine you get to be the person that helps someone affirm their calling into a particular profession. Imagine that profession has impacts on each and every one of the 50 million students in today's K-12 Schools. Yes, Health Education and Physical Education Teacher Education Faculty have the best jobs in the world, but we are …
I can’t imagine what it must be like. To be a teacher in a school in 2025. As I watch the news each day I am beyond puzzled about the decisions, orders and mandates that are unfolding in our government on a regular basis. Never have we had to be so vigilant when it comes …
In early 2023 our organization was contacted by the Physical Education and Sports Teachers Association of Zambia (PESTAZ) and were asked to help improve the quality of physical education in their country. One of the goals for the project was to provide equipment. This was a huge need for them as many of the schools …
Continue reading Crochet: Using Community Resources for Physical Education Equipment
In my personal opinion, there can sometimes be a disconnect between the health education classroom and the community resources that students truly need. Health, in general, can get a bad rap—but I want health to be celebrated. I want students to be excited about it. That’s how “Health-a-Palooza” was formed. Also keep in mind that …
Preface: Although we write this blog from a Canadian perspective, we know that this topic is relevant within the American landscape as well. We recognize the complexities that currently exist advocating for and implementing inclusive sexual health education. Teacher Educator Perspective (Alexandra Stoddart) While it has many names, sexual health education (also known as sexuality …
As educators of Health, whether you’re a seasoned teacher or just starting out, it’s common to encounter adults in the community who have little understanding of what occurs in a health classroom. For many, their perception of health education is shaped by their own experiences, which may not reflect the Health Skills we teach today. …
Continue reading Why I “Write Home”: Advocating for Health Education
Let’s be honest: You already advocate every day, even if you don’t call it that. Holding firm on physical education minutes? Advocacy. Defending your gym space? Advocacy. Reminding folks that physical education is about the ‘E’ in ‘PE’? Every day, all day? That is advocacy! But here’s the truth: Now, more than ever, is the …
I woke up to what I thought was a normal Tuesday morning in October, only to open my phone to a flurry of texts and DMs. “Watch this vid! Shawn came out last night!”. My heart exploded in my chest. “No f***ing way”, I screamed. My crush. My obsession. The muse for my ‘#ShawnSundays’ IG …
Continue reading What Shawn Mendes Can Teach Us About Sexuality
Have you ever heard of TED? Thyroid Eye Disease. Maybe from the latest commercial about medication for TED? If not, you’re in the right spot. My Mother, 57, lives with TED, a condition that has developed from her Grave’s Disease. This disease went undetected for 52 years, 2 years into being a first time grandmother. …
Whether at home, in healthcare, the classroom, or the workplace the importance of self-advocacy is undeniable. However, even for an adult, self-advocating isn’t always easy. The ability to “speak-up for [ourselves] and the things that are important to [us]” is a necessary life skill. As young people’s trusted adults we can both teach and model …
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