Throughout elementary school –\u00a0as I mentioned in my previous post – PE felt like a class where the athletes got to show off their skills.\u00a0 Even though participation was encouraged, this was rarely implemented.\u00a0 The past two weeks in ECDP320 showed me that Physical Education CAN be fun, if the right goals are emphasized.\u00a0 The concept of physical literacy, which was new to me until this week, is very attractive.\u00a0 Even though it is still being slowly introduced into school curriculums today, I think the idea of learning how to be “active for life” is fantastic.\u00a0 I mean, in reality, how many people end up playing varsity sports?<\/p>\n
My boyfriend, who used to play competitive baseball, was skeptical about this idea when I proudly presented it to him last week.\u00a0 If PE is made to be “fun” and “inclusive”, how would we be\u00a0able to determine who excels at a certain sport, and can potentially build a career on it?\u00a0\u00a0For those who can’t afford to pay for extracurricular\u00a0sports, how else would they discover and hone their talents?\u00a0 When he asked me all of these questions,\u00a0I did not yet\u00a0know how to answer them, and became worried myself.\u00a0 As an elementary school teacher we are expected to be generalists.\u00a0 Is it possible that we become “too general”\u00a0in our journey to produce a “complete child” that we forgo more specific talents?<\/p>\n
When Steve discussed Long Term Athlete Development today, I had a mini “aha!” moment.\u00a0 By specializing at too young an age, we risk the loss of a broader knowledge.\u00a0 An 80-year-old retired boxer probably won’t be boxing much to keep fit.\u00a0 If at an early age this retired boxer learned how to be physically literate, they may then look to activities such as hiking or golf (not trying to be stereotypical here) to stay active.<\/p>\n
Being “active for life” should be the goal for everyone, whether they decide to become a professional athlete, or prefer to go on leisurely hikes every weekend.\u00a0 By encouraging the development of a diversity of\u00a0skills, we are providing students with a better understanding of their body and what they are capable of achieving,\u00a0and preparing them\u00a0for\u00a0a\u00a0happier and healthier future. : )<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Throughout elementary school –\u00a0as I mentioned in my previous post – PE felt like a class where the athletes got to show off their skills.\u00a0 Even though participation was encouraged, this was rarely implemented.\u00a0 The past two weeks in ECDP320 showed me that Physical Education CAN be fun, if the right goals are emphasized.\u00a0 The … Continue reading Tiffany’s Movement Journal _ Week 3 (September 23)<\/span>