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 far 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’ …
Knowing your 'why' is a powerful concept, and in this weeks post, Kathy Brophy shares her story of raising awareness of domestic violence, inspired by the death of a former student. The post, written as a reflection following recognition for her work, includes links to some great resources and I urge you to share her …
Advocating for the subject that we love, is an important role that we can all play and I am delighted that this week's blog post is written by an educator and passionate advocate for whom I have nothing but the utmost respect. Read about Jamie Spark's journey from the classroom to roles at a state …
Running alongside my #healthed curriculum is a long term project. For the past few semesters the theme has been advocacy as students attend to YRBS data, identify the health behaviors most concerning our school population, and undertake some awesome project based learning. Student feedback following this project is always positive and over 9 weeks I …
When looking for a ‘hook’ to get students engaged in health class I have found that using Youth Risk Behavior Survey data one of the most effective ways to engage students. When discussing sensitive topics such as relationship safety, bullying, stress & anxiety, depression & suicide, substance use and sexual activity, the ability to provide …
#slowchathealth 