Am I sweating? My thoughts are unclear as I walk into the gym. I cannot fathom whether it’s from walking all the way from Scarfe building, or whether the word ‘P.E.’ and the associations with it, make me shiver and feel angsty. I am not one to be proud of my failing memory, but if I recall, there seems to be an invisible target on me that invites flying objects my way. And to add the cherry on top, my face seems to be the sweet spot. Also, I admit I have observed and experienced inclusion and exclusion before, so the inkling feeling of P.E. being fun does not come to mind.

As I walk into the gym, a basketball flies towards me. The angst comes back. I lift my arm to shield my face from the impact. Scared, I wait. Yet, I feel nothing! I look up, and notice the ball lands three feet away from me. With a sigh of relief, it is safe to say I can restart my P.E. experience on a good note. We start the day with free play by choosing props that I have not seen for ages, such as the parachute, skipping ropes, and tennis balls; we also play a game of Mission Impossible and Chuck the Chicken – both highly entertaining.

By the end of the day, I feel a sense of relief and joy. The activities we played, reminds me of how fun P.E. was and still is! It just proves to show that I need to face my fears (of getting hit by the ball) so I will not miss the good things in life (like having fun in P.E.). However, I look forward to learning about strategies from the curriculum on how to avoid exclusion, and refresh my memory on past activities, and learn some new games.

Last Friday’s EDPC physical eduction class was a refreshing experience after a week of lectures and readings. Upon entering the gym, the free time and access to equipment got me so excited for the term and to participate in this course. As a child, I always had a good experience in PE, other than when I’d get hit in the face, but that happens. I can understand that it can be an intimidating space for students who aren’t as athletically inclined. I think it’s important to reduce the stigma and create a safe space for learners to try new things and develop their physical literacy. Steve seems like and awesome instructor who has a good attitude about shifting the way physical education is taught. He believes in inclusive and creative games, and feels there’s no need for shameful games. I very much enjoyed playing games like Mission Impossible and Chuck the Chicken. Reviewing the video and photos from the first class you could tell that everyone was excited to be part of the group and participate in an alternative course. I am so relieved that we have the opportunity to participate in a course focused on physical education and that we get a chance to let off some steam, run and play together.

I was already  looking forward to P.E. class before going last Friday, but my excitement grew when I arrived at the door and saw that everyone was shooting hoops, kicking a soccer ball, running around with foam and ribbons and things that I was not even sure the name of. I was excited to jump right in. I always looked forward to P.E. growing up because I loved being active for one, but it was also so enjoyable to me to just get out of the classroom and move! I would say from that, that my experiences of P.E. were primarily positive. I do know however, that this is not the case for everyone and often P.E. is thought to be only for “athletic” children. I think in the past, that P.E. class was tailored towards children with a natural athletic ability and therefore provided a negative experience to others. In talking to each other and learning about our own experiences of P.E., I think we can better understand how to avoid these negative experiences in the future. In my opinion, the purpose of P.E. should be to promote a healthy active lifestyle in everyone.  As such it should incorporate a diversity of activities that would cater to a wide range of abilities and, just like in the classroom, take into account a variety of learning styles. I am looking forward to learning what the P.E. curriculum looks like now, and how it has changed and evolved since I was in elementary school.

Our first Physical Education class sparked good memories and some not so great memories for me. Growing up as a child I was always the shortest in my class; which, increased my competitive nature to be the best in my class no matter my height. The majority of my peers enjoyed playing competitive sports such as soccer, football, and red rover (best and worst game ever). Competition in my school was normal, even encouraged.

Most of my great memories centering around PE are being picked first for a sports team or scoring the winning goal. Where as, some of my not so great memories are centred around aspects of bullying. As a young child I would witness other girls not being invited to play sports, such as soccer, being teased, due to their lack of ability at that particular sport, and treated poorly in general. My hopes for this PE class is to learn how to be inclusive in every sport, to learn how to manage situations of bullying, and how to be a positive role model for my future students.