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.