Hi everyone,
School is back in session! It was a great week of smiles, new sneakers, and excitement! I hope you enjoy the Best Parts of My Week!
Since it is the beginning of the school year, I would like to remind everyone of the origins of this blog. This blog was created as a way to celebrate those wonderful moments that happen every week in my school. The name came from an experience with my principal when she first began her career at my school. As we were getting to know each other in that first year, she would frequently ask me (and others) "What was the best part of your day?" That question helped me to recall the very best parts of each day. It is so easy to dwell on what goes wrong each day or what part of each day is less than perfect. However, if I have learned anything during my lifetime, it is that every day is truly a gift and if we take the time to think about it, every day has at least one (usually more) beautiful moment. This blog is my attempt to remember, communicate, and celebrate those moments......
.....Each year before the students arrive, our district holds a Superintendent's Conference Day during which we prepare for the upcoming year. It is always fun to see friends and colleagues and share the excitement of the new school year!
.....The first day of school with students is always exciting! I had the opportunity to greet students as they arrived while I was taking pictures for our school website. It was a very rainy day, but despite the rain, students were happy to begin the new year and many greeted me with a hug! One student even shared with me how she exercised during the summer!
.....I was greeted one morning by a colleague who presented me with a "Savannah" bear! She and her family spent time in Savannah. Georgia this summer and thought Fitness Frankie would like a friend! I was touched by her thoughtfulness!
.....For some reason the yellow jackets in our area have been particularly aggressive this year and we have had a problem with them in my gymnasium. As a result, I had to take my students outside for PE at the end of the week. Since we are just getting started, I took some kindergarten students out to the playground and we reviewed the rules before they played on the equipment. One particular student was apprehensive to use the "twisty" slide. This is a tubular slide that twists as it descends. I asked her why she was afraid and she responded that the slide was fast and dark. I told her that she could use her feet as brakes and that I would be at the bottom of the slide for her if she wanted to try it. She agreed and, after making sure that I was indeed at the bottom of the slide, she came down the slide with a huge smile and laugh! She continued using the slide for the rest of the period, and thanked me at the end of the class for helping her!
.....A first grade student using the playground during that same day told me that he was proud of himself for being able to use a particular piece of the equipment that required a significant amount of upper body strength. He said "I just had to believe in myself!" Don't we all?????
.....I would be remiss if I did not share these last experiences as some of the best parts of my week. I am honored to have recently been named the 2011 NYS Elementary PE Teacher of the Year by NYS AHPERD. I am humbled by this award and have a difficult time sharing the news myself, but my principal was kind enough to share that news with our faculty during our opening day. I was overwhelmed by their kind words and congratulatory hugs. One of our teachers decided to share this news with her class and they responded enthusiastically! As her students arrived to PE this week I received a round of applause and some wonderful cards! One of the cards said: "I always knew you could do it!"; and another said: "I am so lucky to have you as my PE teacher!" This brought tears of happiness to my eyes.........It does not get any better than that! I am truly grateful! I am looking forward to a wonderful year!
I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week!"
Please visit the North Park PE Website for more information about my program.
