In a recent #Slowchathealth post, Andy Milne, shared a story about a “classroom moment” where his students took control of the learning environment and taught each other. The topic was menstruation and how to be supportive. A young man asked what more could boys do to be supportive, and this is what happened: “As I …
Continue reading Creating Environments for “Classroom Moments”
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 …
Every October, educators, health professionals, and communities mark Health Literacy Month which is a time to shine a light on the importance of understanding and using health information to make informed choices. At its core, health literacy is about more than reading a pamphlet or following doctor’s orders. It’s about giving people, including our students, …
Continue reading 5 Ways You Can Bring Health Literacy Month to Life
When I first wrote about using Hexagonal Thinking to help students explore the 10 Dimensions of Wellness, I shared how powerful it was to see them physically (or digitally) connecting concepts together. The beauty of the hexagon activity lies in the way students can literally move ideas around, discovering new links and debating which connections …
Continue reading Wellness Dominoes: the Ripple Effects of Wellness
Ask a physical education teacher if they “teach gym.” You will often find an abrupt response, clarifying that they teach in the gym but they teach physical education. I mention this to get quickly to my point which is simply that words matter. In particular, vocabulary words matter. They do not matter as a random …
Continue reading What’s the Word? Vocabulary and Its Role in Your Classroom
Hey there! As a health teacher at Chestnut Hill Middle School, I’ve had the chance to work with some amazing students and watch them grow, learn, and figure out the many things that make up their health—both social, mental and physical. It’s a fun, but sometimes tricky time in their lives, right? With everything going …
With the SHAPE America National Convention almost upon us, I am launching a social media initiative that offers numerous advantages for both convention attendees and those engaging virtually on social platforms. The Inspiration Recently, on Instagram, I saw a series of posts from Adam Walker in which he asked attendees at his Podfest Expo session to record a short …
Continue reading Name It, Frame It, Claim It at #SHAPEBaltimore
Baltimore, nicknamed 'Charm City' in the 70s, is a city I've visited many times, and even plays a minor role in my relocation to America. So you can guess that I'm obviously thrilled to return in a few weeks for the 2025 SHAPE America National Convention and Expo. Running from April 1st to 5th, it's …
Continue reading Conference Like A Pro: Essential Tips For #SHAPEBaltimore
Recently, Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver AJ Brown was caught doing something unexpected during a football game: reading a book on the sidelines. The moment went viral, and so did the book he was reading, Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy. The book, which focuses on clearing your mind to perform under pressure, quickly shot to …
It’s that time of year again, a time with so much promise as people look forward to a fresh start and new beginnings. The start of a new year is a natural time to reflect on the past and plan for the future, and many people see the new year as a chance to start …
Continue reading The Power of One Word: A Simpler Way to Start the Year
Drum roll, please! It’s that time of year again when we reflect on the highlights from the blog. As always, these posts resonated with readers for a variety of reasons—some were the most-read, others sparked thoughtful conversations, and a few are timeless classics that just keep inspiring. Whether you’re revisiting old favorites or discovering them …
Continue reading Top 5 Blog Posts of 2024: A Recap of the Year’s Best Reads
As educators, our journeys are defined by growth, reflection, and transformation, and each stage of our career tells its own story. In my NYSAHPERD keynote speech, I explored six stages of teaching, drawing on my personal experiences and insights from nearly three decades in education. I labeled the first stage, “Aspiration and Entry,” which will …
Continue reading Where It All Began: Navigating the Early Stage of Teaching – A Keynote Excerpt
Have you ever cooked a meal that was fine but lacked that spark? It got the job done but wasn’t exciting or memorable. Teaching can feel the same way. Sure, you can throw together a lesson on the fly, and it might cover the basics. But if you really want to engage your students, you’ve …
Continue reading Spice Up Your Lessons: How Meaningful PE Ingredients Transform Teaching
What if I told you that I taught an entire PE lesson without telling my students what to do? Inspired by a conference session from Lisa Smith and Sarah Gietschier-Hartman entitled Reinventing HPE Teaching, that asked attendees to 'grow with our students' and DiSrUPt our teaching practices, I was determined to try something new with …
Continue reading Empowering Students: How I Led a PE Class Without Giving Instructions
It's another summer of sport, filled with athletes performing to their potential. European soccer teams are in town for their preseason tours, NFL athletes are at training camp, and NBA preseason dates were just released. As summer winds down and the new school year looms, teachers, like athletes, can benefit from a well-structured preseason routine. …
Continue reading Ready to Teach? Your Preseason Training Guide
School's out for summer and my summer bucket list needs filling. Among the list of achievements I hope to check off is my annual summer goal of reading 9 books. My annual #summerreads list is something that I look forward to, and I have shared it via the blog since 2018. I will read some …
About five years ago my health began to decline due to a genetic condition called Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome (EDS). It is a fairly unknown condition, even within the medical community. In short, people with EDS have defective collagen (our connective tissue is described as “chewed up bubble gum” instead of a healthy “rubber band”). There …
This summer, I'm inviting teachers to embark on a journey through the pages of some incredible books—all for less than $12 each. While you’ve been inspiring minds and preparing lesson plans, I've curated a list of budget-friendly reads perfect for your summer break. Nearly all of these books have previously selected as a #slowchathealth Book …
The early educator experience can be a tangle of novelty, excitement, fear, hope, support, and if you’re lucky, naysayers. Let me explain. At 23 years old, after sixteen seasons as a football player, I was ready to shift my attention to coaching. I was thrilled for the opportunity. The football field was an environment I …
Continue reading Early Educator Leadership: Navigating Crabs in a Bucket
I became a Health and Physical Educator to help make a difference for everyone I come into contact with. There are times when you do not think you are making a positive impact on your students; however that is far from the case. You get to serve so many roles with your students, from teacher, …
#slowchathealth 