Sunday, December 6, 2015

The Best Parts of My Week! - 11/30/15--12/4/15

Hi everyone,
      When I look back at this week one word comes to mind - pride.  I am so proud of my students and what they strive to accomplish each day and I am so proud of the hard working professionals that I call my friends and colleagues!  

.....Several times this week I witnessed the kindness of my students.  We are traveling down "Kindness Way" as part of our Healthy Highway program.  We are encouraging our students to find ways - big and small - that they can show kindness.  Many of my students showed kindness by including others in their groups, making sure that their friends were safe, and sharing turns and equipment by putting others first!

.....We continued to climb on our traverse rock wall this week and the excitement in the air was amazing!  I am so thankful for this beautiful rock wall and my students showed their gratitude as well!  I asked students to be safe and observant and one student noticed a hand hold that needed tightening.  He was observant and helpful!  When another hold needed tightening another student said:  "I love allen wrenches!"  He commented about how allen wrenches are so useful!  

.....Our PE Password last week was Hamstrings.  I was demonstrating a stretch to improve the flexibility of our Hamstrings and I asked students to count along with me.  One of my students asked if we could count in French because that is the native language of one of our new students!  I was so proud of this student's empathy and kindness.  We indeed counted in French and our new friend smiled all the way!  During our stretching time in another class a student asked why stretching one leg felt different than the other.  It was such a thoughtful question and when I answered the question he appreciated my response.  It was such a teachable moment!  

.....One of our fourth grade classes earned a reward and as a result they were allowed to bring their favorite stuffed animal to school for the day.  They brought their animal friends to PE and put them on the side so that they could watch our class.  One of the students suggested that I get Fitness Frankie so that he could have his picture taken with the group!  It was so cute!  

.....In the middle of the week I had the honor of attending and presiding over my first meeting as the president of the Southeastern Zone of NYS AHPERD.  Being president of the zone was something I never thought I would ever have the opportunity to do.  The SEZ is the most amazing group of professionals that I have ever had the good fortune to know and I am so proud and honored to have the opportunity to lead and be a part of this incredible team.........

.....During a third grade class my students were working hard to climb our rock wall and many were tired at the end of class.  Not all of the students had the same opinion however because one of my students commented about not being tired after climbing the rock wall.  She said:  "My muscles are never tired.  I am literally a ball of energy!"

.....During one of my classes this week a good friend who is a teaching assistant in our school stopped by when she noticed that students were climbing the rock wall.  I invited her to climb because I know that she loves to move and would enjoy the opportunity.  The students were so excited to have her be a part of our class and many volunteered to be her spotter to keep her safe!  It was so much fun to have other adults enjoy the activities in our PE program!

.....At the end of the week I was so proud of a fourth grade class as they finished our unit on cooperative activities.  They were so mature as they approached the lesson, included others, showed kindness, appreciated the equipment and opportunity, played fair and safe, and learned so much along the way!  In many ways it was a moment in time that I wanted to freeze because it was everything I hoped a lesson could be and more......

I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week"!  Visit my website:  North Park Physical Education to find out more about our Physical Education program.  


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