PE was exciting today. I even have the minimally skinned knees to prove it. I am looking forward to using the same game in my own PE class one day.

I hope to make all games inclusive for the learners in my classes. In order to facilitate this there are a few things we as teachers must do. We must create a safe environment where students can safely take risks. Game instructions must be clear to all. Explaining verbally, modeling the game and giving game time to explore can help to achieve clarity. Today our teachers allowed us to try the game in small groups before playing competitively and it really helped ensure we were comfortable with the concept of the game. Games must be able to be modified to meet the needs of all students. Games must not eliminate students who are less skilled. Nobody can gain all the skills they need while sitting on the sidelines. I am not sure if students will ever think that the teams we create are “fair.” Nevertheless we must attempt to make teams or groups as equal as possible. I am sure there are plenty of things that are needed for an inclusive atmosphere that I am not aware of yet. I look forward to exploring more and hearing from the rest of the class.

Teaching PE was quite fun. It made me a lot less nervous about teaching PE to real elementary students. Teaching PE made me take note of a few of my bad habits that I will work on before teaching. I realized that I have a tendency to hurry as I worry too much about time limits. I now see that clarity (ex. boundaries) is just as important as time to play the game. I also realized how often I use non-gender neutral terms, specifically “you guys.” I am glad that I have time to shift my word use to more inclusive terms. Preparing for the PE lesson was a great learning experience. It was wonderful seeing all the resources and pre-made games that are easily available. As someone that is more drawn to bottom-up teaching for games, I was happy to see there were plenty of resources.

We were fortunate to have such a wonderful group of “students.” I am looking forward to seeing what teaching PE to real elementary students will be like.

I had so much fun playing vollycrosse. Using a lacrosse stick isn’t something I have done for over ten years. It felt good to build up the skills in my physical literacy tool belt before I begin to teach others. This summer I had some training on physical literacy, but one very important point was left out. They forgot to mention that physically literacy is something you are constantly developing. To me this is one of the most important things about physical literacy. I don’t feel as if my physical literacy is something that is strong. It is great to know that this year (and until I die) I will continue to develop my physical literacy. I am looking forward to creating an environment where I will attempt to meet all the students needs. There are a few things I think are important to be able to do this. First is that the environment has to be safe and feel safe. It needs to be somewhere that each student knows that taking risks and making mistakes is okay. It is also important that we are assessing students on their literacy journey every moment we can and making adaptations to activities when needed. It may be an arduous task to make sure all students’ needs are met, but it will be worth it. I am looking forward to learning more ways that I can create an environment where all students feel they are heard and are challenged in an appropriate way.

Physical Education is fun; at the very least, it was fun until I entered high school. The supportive, fun and compassionate community of elementary PE had morphed into an uncomfortable and rigid environment. I came to dread PE as our daily routine of running laps and playing sports was not something I found enjoyable. My teachers failed to address that many students lacked the compassion necessary to encourage less skilled students to learn and excel. Once in PE I was unable to catch a lacrosse ball and was ignored by my teammates for the remainder of the day. Thankfully outside of high school PE teachers and coaches had helped me develop an understanding the importance of being active. I was happy that the text reinforced the idea that PE should encourage students to be compassionate, thoughtful and supportive in and out of the classroom. If students are successful in doing this we can create a safe environment where learning to love physical activity is central.