Did you learn to enjoy physical education as a youngster? Where did you learn that? Out in the yard with the kids? At school? From your parents?<\/p>\n
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Or are you one of those couch potatoes that would rather be inside all the time in the comfort of the air conditioner and nearby the frig?<\/p>\n
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There’s a crazy country song called If Bubba Can Dance<\/em> (I can, too)<\/strong> that made me think of how we learned to love physical activity and movement. The song talks about a man who orders a tape in the mail to learn how to do some pretty popular country dance movements. He doesn’t tell anyone he ordered it. He just practices at home and gets pretty good at it.<\/p>\n \n When he learned well enough how to do it, he takes his new found talent to the local country dancehall and wow’s everyone with his skills – inspiring even the shyest person to get on the floor and try. The song suggests that if he is brave enough to get out there, then others will be as well. He sets a good example without even realizing it.<\/p>\n \n Where do you get your inspiration to exercise? Has it been instilled in your very being or are you one of the many that just has a hard time being motivated.<\/p>\n \n I have to admit that I didn’t feel very good at those exercises when I was younger. The most comfortable place for me to exercise was dancing to American Bandstand<\/em><\/strong> in front of the television. My parents didn’t instill the love of physical activity regularly with me as a family. They were both such hard working individuals that they were active ALL the time. I learned that characteristic from them and it fared me well as I became an adult.<\/p>\n \n It’s little wonder that we have many children today that are overweight. It’s not that the physical education teachers don’t try. They have been for years. They encourage. They motivate. They think of exciting ways to instill the joy of physical education in their children.<\/p>\n \n It’s that we, as parents, are not always encouraging our students to be active. Sometimes, it is easier to just let them watch the television and eat a snack. After all, we want them to be safe and staying with us will keep it that way.<\/p>\n \n One physical education teacher I know in the low country has a “Cowboy Campout<\/em><\/strong>” at his school. The event involves the whole family bringing their tents and camping out overnight…enjoying a number of physical education activities as well as academic ones. I’ve been to this once and am getting ready to go next weekend again. It’s a magnificent event that teaches families the love of physical education including throwing in some fun academic activities like cowboy math, three card count, a cattle drive at dusk (walking around the school while some of the children ride stick horses), animal tracking, cattle branding, lassoing, story telling, panning for gems, and searching for gold. There’s also time for marshmallow roasting and plenty of time for family visits with others around the campfire all night while having storytelling from adults and children…all in good cowboy style fun!<\/p>\n \n Now that’s the kind of physical education teacher I would have liked to have.<\/p>\n \n Recently there has been quite a bit of discussion on how the physical education teachers can “prove” their children are learning certain physical education “skills”. The big boys at the State Department of Education and a local college decided they knew how to make sure<\/strong> that was being done. They told the physical education teachers they had to videotape their students mastering those physical education skills.<\/p>\n \n Now, instead of taking the time to instill the love of physical education to their students, the physical education teachers are spending their time running around with a video camera in their hands taping their students “mastering” the skills they are suppose to be getting in class.<\/p>\n \n What are they thinking?????<\/p>\n \n It’s hard enough to master a class of 50 students or more at a time…but to put a video camera in the teacher’s hand at the same time is ridiculous. Not only does that violate confidentiality of student identity but the videos are sent to the State Department so they can be “viewed” by not only staff at the State Department but students from the college level. My question is, exactly who will be looking at these and what will they be doing with them?<\/p>\n \n Not sure where all this came from, but it does nothing to encourage the love of physical education, and a great deal to undermine it.<\/p>\n \n Parents, be aware of this.<\/strong> Are you thinking your child is learning the love of physical education only to now hear they will be videotaped by their teacher who will then send a video to the State Department with their name on it to “prove” they learned a skill? I am told our Legislators actually voted to do this…but I am also told that some of the things being implemented as part of this “law” are being loosely interpreted by our educational leaders and passed on to us at the local level to implement.<\/p>\n \n Many parents, like me, did not learn from their parents that physical activity is essential from their parents when they were growing up. Many of us, unwittingly, instilled that same philosophy to our children.<\/p>\n \n We do expect, however, that the physical education teachers will give our children some semblance of the love of physical activity. I can’t see videotaping being a part of that.<\/p>\n \n My wish for you today<\/strong> is that you take the time to question this at your school and, if you feel as strongly about this as I, take the time to contact your legislators and Jim Rex at the State Department of Education. Love of physical education is one thing. Videotaping our children and sending those off to be “evaluated” is quite another. Why not just instill the love of physical education so you can one day see your child out there loving some form of healthy physical activity – just like Bubba and his dancing!<\/p>\n \n ~ Joellen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Did you learn to enjoy physical education as a youngster? Where did you learn that? Out in the yard with the kids? At school? From your parents? Or are you one of those couch potatoes that would rather be inside all the time in the comfort of the air conditioner and nearby the frig? 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