Plan Plan Plan

          Today, May 23rd, I completed the appendix of our "notebook" that involves attending an extracurricular activity. This activity can not be an athletic practice, which makes sense because it forces us to learn about another department of the school, while also giving us an opportunity to see the forces behind these before and after school activities.
          When you do your job for a while you kind of get the feeling of what you expect from which class or which extracurricular activity you're doing. I was trying to attend an activity that involved the schools choir unfortunately it didn't work out this way. Instead I was able to stay after school for a day of intramural's. There were only a few other students who showed up today though so their was some improvising, as always. The kids decided they wanted to play Kan-Jam since there weren't enough players to play Ultimate Frisbee. This new game seems to be a hit with every age! From middle school to college students. Even if their not getting their heart rate up, at least the students are getting sunlight and little exercise, both important to having a good day, what happens when you have seven good days in a row? That's a good week. Keep going and see what you end up with!
          It's always interesting to see the behavioral problems that occur during the school day. A teacher can almost be in eight different moods a day based on the class he/she just had. Each class is treated differently based on how they've acted throughout the week, for example; whether you've covered the same material as the last class. The time a student gets to do an actual activity depends on so many things that are out of a teachers control. A student walking out of the door as the bus is driving away, two students tipping the canoe just a little too far three minutes before the bus leaves. Some things you just don't know will happen and you handle them as they come. But as teachers we are always prepared for the worst and ready to jump into action, getting the students to do a self rescue and get to shore in a timely manner all of a sudden was our top objective. And it's always nice to say we still made it back before the late bell rang!

Bouncing Fish

Well yesterday I started observing at the high-school and what a difference it is! The activities we are doing are for the 11th and 12th graders mostly, while only working with the freshmen and sophomore's for one period a day. The juniors and seniors get the option to do a fishing and kayaking unit or a field games unit (kan-jam, bocce, washers, ladder toss). My host teacher is doing the fishing and kayaking unit this week along with track and field. It's unbelievable the resources the high-school has. They may not have a pool but they get permission from the Village to use a pond about a mile from the school. This was no easy thing to accomplish either, my host teacher, his colleague and myself got to school thirty minutes earlier than usual to get the kayaks and canoes where they needed to go. My host teacher has a great way of controlling his students, they knew exactly what was expected of them before we got to the boats, they were prepared for anything, as it should be when you have a risky unit like this one. A shout out to SUNY Delhi for having a great Outdoor Adventure Rec class and teaching me to kayak down the good ol' Delaware River. Its nice to say during this experience I've had a no problem having an ample amount of useful information and tips to provide for the students.

              A couple of the periods we were fishing on the same pond, although I haven't taken a fishing course in college it's something I know how to do from being addicted to fishing for a couple of summers during high-school. And I know how difficult it could be to be patient while fishing, having problems with so much waiting myself I decided to make it interesting, each student that caught a fish got a bouncy ball! I thought it might give them incentive to get there a little quicker the next class and try to catch something. Unfortunately towards the end of the day I ran out of bouncy balls! Still, it's great to see a Physical Education class doing these activities that can be done for the rest of their lives. Now when the students of this class have kids of their own they can teach them how to fish properly, and all of this is because of important teachers like the one I am trying to be. Time is the only thing I am waiting on.

WHAT A JOB!

The few, The proud, The Physical Educator. What a crazy day/week. All week kids in different grades have been participating in the IOWA's, not to mention the students who have to make up certain activities for the fitnessgram. Planning and coordinating times is a part of the behind the scenes work. Whereas dealing with the kids who need a lot of running around to do is on the front lines. During the 8th grade class I completed a SOFIT form. This form is a written representation of; what the class is doing, what the teachers are doing/presenting and what the student is doing. This was very interesting to do, partly because it made me feel like an administrator! The students were again in stations today, Bocce ball, Disc Golf and Kan Jam. Three activities we never did at my school which was awesome to see. The students switch every day, so in theory they usually get one day at each station (weather permitting and length of unit). I also did an interview with an English as a Second Language student today. Imagine your parents couldn't help you with any homework that you brought home. Seems like a tough road, fortunately we all know a teacher is always available for extra help. 

Tomorrow we are doing things in the Track and Field Unit. Students get to try and beat school records in the High Jump, 400, 200, 100 and 50 meter races.This is a lot of fun for the students and you are always hearing them talk about it after class about who might break Bobby Jones' 200 record of 33 seconds from 2002! It's a great thing to see when students are getting excited for Phys Ed and want to participate in the activities they can be doing forever, hopefully they will!

Observing Homer

Well the week started off with a bang!  I arrived at Homer Junior High School  right around 7:30. It was damp from the rain the night before and their was an overcast in the sky. Not typically a great day for physical educators doing a track and field unit. However my host teacher, and his co-worker had great plans to keep the kids interested in the class and have some fun. When I walked into the office to sign in my host teacher (HT) happened to also be there, and we made our way to the gym. In the gym 4 or 5 Kan-Jam stations were set up with 3 ping pong tables and a fooseball table. This already had my attention! The monday students had exhausted their indoor days for the Track and Field unit and my HT thought it'd be better to give the 7th grade students an idea on what they'd be learning next year. As eighth graders do Disc Golf, Kan-Jam and Bocce Ball unlike their younger peers. The kids were split into 3 stations, Kan-Jam, Table Tennis/fooseball and Reviewing for the cognitive test they have coming up on Friday. The stations rotated depending on how many students were in the class. The sixth Graders however didn't have an exam on friday, so when they were at the review station they were just sitting out. Although Kan-Jam and Ping Pong are some of the greatest games ever invented, there is not a lot of movement going on. So while the sixth graders were sitting out I walked over to them and taught them how to play Full Body Rock Paper Scissors. The students were fully engaged and really were intrigued by this new game they had learned. Some, however didn't want to do it which is okay, because 95% of the students really enjoyed what we were doing. I felt good about the situation because now probably 30 more kids can go home and be jumping around all day playing Rock Paper Scissors. So to me, I did my job.

Fit For Life

This is my bulletin board for my 255 class. It is located in park center around the corner from the main doors. I had a pull tab information sheet that would direct students to the cdc website. Where they can find facts about obesity and diabetes or and disease in their county state or country. Students should be informed about the problems in America and how to be healthy forever. Included on the board are fact or fiction questions on fitness related topics. On the right side of the board you see ways to stay active and live a healthier life style.