September 16th Movement Journal- Emily

Looking back at my P.E. timeline I can say that I was lucky enough to have had positive experiences from start to finish. I had great teachers and enjoyed playing sports outside of school myself so enjoyed my time spent in P.E., but I can definitely understand why it was some student’s least favourite part of the day. I want to do my part as a future teacher to show my students the benefits of P.E. that exist besides just learning physical skills, as there is so much more to be gained from the subject. Learning how to work together as a team and being educated about proper health and nutrition for a balanced life are so important for all students. I think the key for us as future teachers will be to put ourselves in the shoes of a student who’s interests don’t lie in athletics and try to think of how to make each and every class fun for him or her. The P.E. classes I remember the most were when we participated as a class in exciting and different units such as dance, which I enjoyed even though I was not a natural dancer. These classes were similar to our flashmob in that no one cared how silly they looked during line-dance day in gym, all that mattered was that everyone was having fun and being active. I want to be able to foster this kind of positive energy in my classes to help all students enjoy the time they have to be active at school 🙂

One thought on “September 16th Movement Journal- Emily”

  1. Emily,

    I think you make a really good point about the most memorable and enjoyable PE classes were the ones that were more carefree and silly with your classmates. It makes me think of us as a cohort in a way, how we all come from different backgrounds and how we all bring something to the table, but we’re slowly, but surely becoming more comfortable with each other. It just reminds me of the importance of the environment in which we conduct our classes, whether it is PE or Language Arts. Students need to feel safe in their classrooms and at ease with one another before we can expect them to fully engage and participate in class.

    The flash mob was such a great experience for us as a cohort to build a connection with each other. I believe setting up your classroom for success needs to include establishing bonds early on amongst your students, so group ice breakers are something to think about! I know I was personally stepping waaaay out of my comfort zone, but not knowing everybody (yet) made it easier for me to dance my heart out. I’m sure everybody felt a little out of their skin during the flash mob, but we were doing it and we were doing it together 🙂

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