Hi everyone,
It was such a fantastic week on so many levels! In fact, this entry might be a bit
longer than usual so I hope you have a few extra reading minutes……
…..As I watched my fifth grade students completed the PACER
challenge this week I was struck by the maturity and improvement that students
showed from just two years ago when they first learned to do the
challenge. They approached the
PACER with a resolve to do their best and they demonstrated that they
definitely know how to pace themselves!
If you have third graders do this challenge you know that it is
sometimes hard to convince students to slow down and pace instead of racing. As a result, their efforts paid off and
they truly did their best!
…..One of my fifth graders told me that he practiced the PACER
with his brother who is in third grade.
What a great big brother!
…..A second grader was having so much fun during a balance
challenge that he told me he couldn’t keep his laughter in or he’d probably
hurt something!
…..I take pictures often and I was letting a kindergarten
student how well he was balancing by showing him a picture of himself on a
balance board. He smiled wide and
said: “Oh my goodness!” He was so proud!
…..I use a “conflict corner” which is a technique I learned
from Ben Landers - The PE Specialist - on Twitter (@thepespecialist). My students use this strategy when they are having a problem
during PE class. Students go to
the corner with another student and work out the problem using the steps
outlined on the “Conflict Corner” card.
I was watching a few students who were in the “Conflict Corner” and it
was so great to see them taking responsibility for their actions and working
things out!
…..I watched a student achieve a goal this week and saw the excitement on her face when she was
able to complete a “double-under” jump rope trick! She never gave up and showed perseverance!
…..When students are given the time and opportunity they can be
incredibly creative. Students were
working on building a balance walk using large blocks and one of my first
graders told me he was going to build a freight train. He explained every part and then
proudly walked across it!
…...Our gymnasium has undergone a transformation this
year. I am so grateful for the
support and effort of my principal who spearheaded the campaign to renovate and
improve the gymnasium. While it
has been planned for a few years, this year everything came together and this
week it was finally finished. In
August our gymnasium was painted, in December the floor was refinished with
newly painted lines that I designed, and this week all of the wall mats were
replaced. Each time a section of
the project was finished we all "oohed" and "aahed" but this week it all came together. Mere words cannot express how I
feel but I am truly grateful for a beautiful teaching space. The changes have not gone unnoticed by
our students of course and one student remarked that the wall mats made
everything come together and a kindergarten student decided that the gym is now
“bluelicious”! (The wall mats are navy blue and a section of the wall paint is
light blue…..) While that may not
be a real word, it is a very real description!
…..Family Fitness Night was scheduled for Thursday and while
this event takes much work to plan and the actual event passes by in the blink
of an eye, it is worth every second!
We had wonderful parent volunteers, a delicious healthy snack made by a
volunteer family, fantastic family participants, and so much fun! The intent of this evening is to
provide a variety of fun activities for students and families to exercise and
play together. There were so many
families that were doing yoga, Go Noodle, racket activities, exercises, and
playing a PE trivia game together that I just had to take a step back and
watch. I commented to one of the
families about how great it was that they were really enjoying the evening
together and they said that they were having a great time! Fitness Frankie had a great time
too! I also set a one day record
on my Fitbit that day - just over 36,000 steps!
…..Friday was a Teacher Training Day and I had the opportunity
to do some training in the morning and then provide a professional development
session on Technology to some PE professionals in a nearby district. I had such a great time meeting a group
of K-12 PE professionals who were eager to learn something new! They participated
enthusiastically in the activities, had thoughtful questions, and listened
intently to the presentation. It
was an absolute pleasure and fun too!
I always enjoy sharing ideas because I know that we can only make our
profession stronger when we share!
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.
Follow me on Twitter! @mrobPE
