Education is under attack. Across the country there is a political movement to censor what we are teaching in our classrooms. Dedicated and qualified teachers are being questioned for providing guidance on how students navigate all they are exposed to through social media, the internet and in the real world. Students crave facts and credible …
I have always struggled most with teaching my English Language Learners (ELLs). Through degrees in health, PE and literacy I did not have any classes that addressed the specific needs of ELLs. We face some particular challenges as health educators with ELLs. In most classes, students have a teacher certified in TESOL to support their …
Continue reading hELLth- Supporting English language learners in General Health Education Classes
If there is one lesson I've learned as an Adapted Physical Education (APE) teacher, it is that Physical Education (P.E.) is one of the most powerful and essential tools for ALL kids to connect, belong and be brave. When I first started my career as an APE teacher, I, along with my colleagues who teach …
There are people that leave an indelible mark on the trajectory of our lives. The lessons they impart may vary, but they all help shape who we become. This story is about one such man and how he made his athletes a family. I lost my childhood coach and mentor suddenly and it gave me …
Continue reading The Ties That Bind – the Influence of Our Coaches
Part One: The Injury On July 6, 2020, I went on a jog that changed my life. It was a 90-degree day. Hot and humid. I’d put on a few pounds during quarantine, weighed myself down even further that 4th of July with a weekend full of burgers and hotdogs. I decided that the healthy …
Technology, Entertainment, Design. With over 50,000 given at 10,000+ events since the program launched in 2009, there are many great TED talks you can weave into your #HealthEd class. TED talks allow me to bring diverse voices into the classroom, with speakers sharing stories of experiences that I will never have. You can use these …
Growing up, I was taught that any benefits or consequences that I would reap from my health would be due to my own efforts and decisions. It turns out that was a lie. Listen, I'm not saying that our choices as individuals do not affect our wellness; I'm just saying that it's not the whole …
Continue reading The Whole Picture: The Importance Of Teaching The Social Determinants of Health
Perhaps. Many Health Educators promote the benefits of meditation on mental health and share the practice with their students. With resources that offer free subscriptions for educators like Calm, Headspace and Downdog, it is quite easy to engage students in mindfulness during a class. Probably the most interesting benefit of a particular type of meditation, …
I began using a “Mindful Minute” one day a week in my health classroom to give students a chance to “arrive” and provide them with another tool to use for their mental emotional health. As an introduction to mindfulness, I asked the students if they had ever used mindfulness and then shared this video Mindful …
May is Mental HEALTH Awareness month and a great time to reflect on our work as HEALTH educators. When New York State passed legislation mandating the inclusion of mental health in our programs, my first thought was, “No worries, I already do this.” And it’s true. I help kids understand the similarities between the symptoms …
Continue reading Putting HEALTH Into Our Mental Health Lessons
Growing up with TV cop shows like CHiPs, TJ Hooker, and Rescue 9-1-1, I wanted nothing more than to be a police officer. I can remember my fleet of matchbox police cars and putting a fake red light on my bike, always wanting to play cops. However, as focused as I seemed on that career …
I thought it would be way down the road. I have always had the dream of having a sign on my office door that reads “Dr.” in front of my name at a university someday. It was during my undergraduate experience, during those debriefing sessions after peer teachings freshman year, I knew I wanted to …
A few years ago, I was teaching my favorite reproduction activity to a class of middle school students. We walked through a “normal” 28 day menstrual cycle, showed ovulation happening around day 14 or 15, and talked about what might happen if sperm were present in the fallopian tubes at the same time as an …
Last week, two of my high school seniors approached me. The Supreme Court draft opinion that portended the overturn of Roe v. Wade - the landmark ruling which had made abortion a constitutional right in 1973 - had just been leaked, and they wanted to discuss what this meant. I teach comprehensive sex education and …
Continue reading Addressing the Future of Abortion With Students
Yard duty in the courtyard, ahhhhhhh. What a drag. I have a full timetable today, meetings before school and at recess and now yard duty for all of lunch in the courtyard. There is no time to rest, no time to eat, no down time and of all places in the school to do yard …
I do not watch much television. By the time I reach the end of the day and the dishes are done, the dog walked, and laundry folded, my bed is a more favorable option than trying to stay awake for a program. My television habits took an unexpected turn several years ago, when looking for …
One of the most common pieces of advice that is given to parents, guardians, teachers, grandparents, and others alike is to be an “askable adult”. Quite simply: An adult that young people see as approachable, and they feel comfortable asking any question. When kids are young, the “askable adult” role is easy! “Why is the …
I was a weird kid. Not like, put spaghetti on my head during dinner just to get a laugh weird; more like asking my mom random questions that she didn’t see coming weird. Take for example, the time I asked her what semen was. My poor parents. Cornered by a child who wouldn’t stop asking questions. I asked my mom questions about pubic …
Understanding of adolescent decision making has moved beyond simple “age differences in risk perception and reasoning” to include relevant social and emotional factors that directly inform when and how adolescents make decisions about everything from substance use to condom use.[i] Adolescence is defined as the period between which “physiologically normal puberty” initiates and adulthood begins.[ii] Though …
Continue reading Just Because They Can, Doesn’t Mean They Do
The key to having a good day, one where you hit (most) of your goals and are at your best for yourself and others is having an effective morning routine. While I envy those who exercise first thing in the morning, journal in a coffee shop, and make bullet-lists of things to achieve, I think …
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