Physical Education- Tell me about YOUR experience!

Jamazurunner

Hi all!

I'm going to be teaching my first year of elementary PE and I am just beginning to create my curriculum. I am very interested in hearing your experiences about your time in PE class! What did you like about PE? What didn't you like? What do you think needs to be changed in terms of how PE is taught?

I'm really focusing on teaching lifelong fitness habits rather than just sports. I think its time for our kiddos to learn how to be physically active for life by teaching them about the things we are all doing now in our 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond. I especially would like to target working with the students who are not superstar athletes, the ones who hate PE and the ones who have yet to find physical activity as enjoyable.

So tell me! If you were in charge, what would YOU do??

Thanks in advance!

mallorybriann

Picking teams was always sad
No one wants to be picked last!

I loved the team sports (kickball, field day etc).

HATED those tests we had to do I could never do a pull up or sit and reach far enough

ronda_gettinghealthy

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE dont ever "choose" up sides-- I was often the last to get picked--hated hated hated PE. Hated the ugly gym suits- the stupid calisthenics and the nasty community shower.

WOW can you tell PE traumatized me????


Good Luck in your endeavors to make Phys Ed as we called it- a pleasant enjoyable experience for all.

iamkelskels

my favorite part about the ONE semester of high school pys ed that the school required (not nearly enough) was the teacher bringing in several different kinds of fitness instructers to teach us for the day. we did pilates, yoga, kick boxing, zumba, cardio dance.. all sorts of different fun workout classes. it probably wouldn't be too hard to adjust this elementry age kids.
we also did our own evaluations of our physical fitness at the beginning and end of the semester to gauge our progress.
my favorite part of gym class in elementary school was playing games. we rarely worked on actual sports, but played made up games like "Sharks and minnows" which was a cross between freeze tag and had us running back and forth across the gym all day, and played on obstacle courses set up using mats in the gym. the obstacle course wasn't even elaborate, just like "10 jumping jacks, run across the gym, hula hoop for a minute, then crab walk to the jump rope and jump rope 30 times.." etc.


good luck!

kennie2

dont do the boring "working on sports skills thing" i do not want to be a profecional tennis/football/any other sport player! people just wanna play around and have fun! not learn things. i think thats when people really start to hate PE

vintagefool

PE was awfully boring for me all throughout elementary school. Most of the time, the teachers were just preparing us for the physical tests (I forget what they're called) towards the end of the year, so we'd just do endless jumping jacks, sit-ups and push-ups. It was not fun whatsoever. My favorite parts were when we got to play games - volleyball was my favorite, but we also did basketball, softball, tennis, jump roping, some dancing, etc. Sadly this was maybe once a month.

Long story short, more fun stuff less boring sit-ups and push-ups

Jamazurunner

Picking teams was always sad
No one wants to be picked last!

I loved the team sports (kickball, field day etc).

HATED those tests we had to do I could never do a pull up or sit and reach far enough

Thank you so much for sharing! I will never, EVER make students pick and choose team mates. I think it does some serious damage to ones self esteem if a kiddo is chosen last for a game. I encourage that students work in groups with ALL of their peers, I don't do that "clique" thing! I figure, we all work with diverse people in the real world, and we may not always get along with them. Having this element in PE I think is essential, because it prepares those kids for the real world!

Thanks for the team sport suggestion, I'm big on team sports/cooperative sports, can you tell?

I also hate those fitness tests, I think in some schools they are required to get the BMI of students for data collection. Can you imagine being in elementary school and having to step onto a scale?

Thank you again! Feel free to list any more ideas

Sunshine_Girlie

In elementary school, I was the chubby kid. I had a male p.e. coach who made me run extra laps. I didn't think anything about it, but I then realized he made fun of me. He made me do more stuff than the other kids. When we did gymnastics during the winter months, I was petrified doing the parallel bars. I hated doing flips. I loved doing somersaults and the balance beam and even had fun doing the vault, but I cried doing the bars. He made me spend more time on that than anything else. He called me out to do the toe touching while others were only putting their arms behind their backs.

I think that there should be more activities where EVERYONE is involved. I loved four square and freeze tag and oh, I loved the hula hooping. I learned to play basketball, so that was fun. And I especially think that no one should be treated like the odd ball. If if you're concerned with someone, encourage the child to move more. Don't pick on them. :-/ I hated p.e. every since. Well, I take that back. I loved the square dancing we did in middle school.

mallorybriann

Made me relive my fat childhood days at PE :sad: :sad:
lol

Picking teams was always sad
No one wants to be picked last!

I loved the team sports (kickball, field day etc).

HATED those tests we had to do I could never do a pull up or sit and reach far enough

Thank you so much for sharing! I will never, EVER make students pick and choose team mates. I think it does some serious damage to ones self esteem if a kiddo is chosen last for a game. I encourage that students work in groups with ALL of their peers, I don't do that "clique" thing! I figure, we all work with diverse people in the real world, and we may not always get along with them. Having this element in PE I think is essential, because it prepares those kids for the real world!

Thanks for the team sport suggestion, I'm big on team sports/cooperative sports, can you tell?

I also hate those fitness tests, I think in some schools they are required to get the BMI of students for data collection. Can you imagine being in elementary school and having to step onto a scale?

Thank you again! Feel free to list any more ideas

juliapurpletoes

seems that back in my elementary school days it was all about teams (think kickball, volleyball,etc. ) and competetion. as the shy girl, I was of course always last for the pick.

I loved the days when I got to just play hopscotch.

So my thoughts are to eliminate competetive sports and just make it about active fun, teaching kindness and respect in all aspects of school life.

Challenges like can you do more hula hoops than last week are good but not comparing one child to another.

When both my kids went through kindergarten I volunteered by teaching dance. Yes it was very simple dance, but it was exercise none the less.

Good luck, I wish you every success in your career - you'll be one of the great teachers no doubt!

Jamazurunner

Eep! I didn't mean to make you think about your PE days!!

I find it fascinating that most of the folks who have commented on here disliked PE for various reasons. I do agree that many PE teachers focus on either fitness tests or sport related skills. While I do think that both are very important, I think its just as important to help empower students through physical activity while also helping them find a fun way to be active. My role as a physical educator should be to help them fall in love with being active, not becoming an athlete or performing well on the fitness tests.

To those of you who had terrible experiences, I apologize on behalf of all PE teachers. In no way do I think your teachers meant to embarrass or humiliate you. I find it sick that your teachers pointed out your flaws in front of the class or forced you to exercise more merely as a punishment. The times are changing, and the world of PE is changing as well.

Will continue to click the refresh button this message board- I truly appreciate all your thoughts!

Smittyinthesun2

I wasn't one of the cool kids that usually got pick first but I was a Jock strap. I played Varsity Football for 3 years and Wrestled on the varsity for 4, and I had a hell of a headlock if anyone got out of line I'd just put them in a headlock and squeeze !


I was always active but it took a few years for the cool kids to see that Smitty could ball and be useful to them, especially knocking people down in football and I was a great goalie in Hockey, I threw the Shot put and Discus but not a great runner in the short or long races. I was pretty good at the low hurdes, I just had the right skill set to go over them, the high ones not so much. I was good ay Volleyball, tennis, and not so much at golf, baseball or soccer, but I tried. Believe it or not I was pretty good at gymnastics except for the rings.

I tried to look out or protect the smaller kids or the uncoordinated kids who couldn't play, we had quite a few so they came up with Gym for Fat kids in our school, they called it modified. It was a sight to see let me tell you, some kids were just chunky and lazy some had no athletic ability at all, or for the potheads who were to stoned to do anything !

I'm sure we laughed at them a few timesI kids can be cruel. I 'd say pick teams in the beginning of the year and stick with them for all the sports, that way nobody feels left out. an gets picked last. And dont play shirts and skins too embarrassing for the kids.

I wish PE teachers would teach health and wellness for life, not just for gym class, we didn't have treadmills, or bikes or elipticals, for many people once they leave high school they have exercised for the last time. To many times adults just pork up after getting married, kids etc. They need to teach kids how to eat, what a portion size is, and what health for life is !

I basically knew that I could eat anything I wanted , because I would burn it off the next day in practice,it wasn't an issue, but when sports and gym classes ended, then I started gaining weight. All schools including Colleges should require a health and wellness classes and exercise class as well to graduate.


That would be something !

jezzi4ever

Parachute!! I have lots more to add, will do so via message later-- but there are lots of cooperative, active and fun activities you can do with parachute.

veggie_1200

I used to hate PE but I really started loving it sophomore year of high school when I had a teacher who praised her students for trying hard, not for being skilled at a certain sport. I think that helped us all a lot.

snkeller24

Ok, I saw someone said Parachute - and you'd play pop corn or cat and mouse with it. 4 square ... kickball ... dodgeball ... bombardment with the foam balls. Those lil scooter things/relay races, that you'd totally run over your hand. Shuttle races.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED PE ... and took it every year in highschool ... I think it's a good learning place for kids to learn about team sports ... because it furthers their interest to ask their parents to enroll them into club teams.

I remember some of my teachers doing 1,2,1,2, etc so that teams were divided up instead of picking teams. In middleschool we had advance and beginner for the team sports/skills.

I'm sure I could ramble on forever but I have to do useful life saving skills.

MrsMills712

When I think about elementary PE I always think of the parachute first! I LOVED doing that!!

We also did races and people got ribbons for completing it. You would have thought the ribbons were made of candy the way the kids got competitive about them.

That's about all I can remember. I was more excited about middle school PE because then came the beloved dodgeball!!

Jamazurunner

When I think about elementary PE I always think of the parachute first! I LOVED doing that!!

We also did races and people got ribbons for completing it. You would have thought the ribbons were made of candy the way the kids got competitive about them.

That's about all I can remember. I was more excited about middle school PE because then came the beloved dodgeball!!

YES to the parachute! Thanks to everyone who reminded me of that one!

Oh dodgeball.... I feel like that's a whole 'nother message topic...

Thanks everyone!

wenlot7

Picking teams was always sad
No one wants to be picked last!

I loved the team sports (kickball, field day etc).

HATED those tests we had to do I could never do a pull up or sit and reach far enough

Thank you so much for sharing! I will never, EVER make students pick and choose team mates. I think it does some serious damage to ones self esteem if a kiddo is chosen last for a game. I encourage that students work in groups with ALL of their peers, I don't do that "clique" thing! I figure, we all work with diverse people in the real world, and we may not always get along with them. Having this element in PE I think is essential, because it prepares those kids for the real world!

Thanks for the team sport suggestion, I'm big on team sports/cooperative sports, can you tell?

I also hate those fitness tests, I think in some schools they are required to get the BMI of students for data collection. Can you imagine being in elementary school and having to step onto a scale?

Thank you again! Feel free to list any more ideas

SO TRUE.

They used to have us do physical fitness tests in elementary school. And the problem was...I was fat, not fit, not prepared to be tested, and I simply did not want to do any of those tests. Especially when the fit, skinny kid was doing 12 pull ups and I did a total of..oh I don't know...zero. I felt terrible about myself and it did not entice me at all to exercise. That's when I just gave up exercising. That was, until high school. As a freshman in high school, I wanted to be on the wrestling team. Most importantly to lose weight. But all throughout high school, I ate as terrible as I did as a kid and did not see any real progress toward weight loss. I continued to work out and strength train, but did no cardio and had no real diet plan in place. That brings me to today, as a member of MFP and I am seeing the progress already. MFP is one place where I am not judged for how much I weigh, but I am continually motivated to continue my weight loss journey.

MisterDubs303

Jr. High phys. ed. ruined me. Not the sports, but the lack of locker room supervision.

avenathus

I DESPISED team sports. There were always the kids who took it SOOOO seriously (really? it's gym class, not the Olympics!) and would just totally tear down and demean the kids (such as myself) who didn't do such a good job with soccer and volleyball and all that. I only started liking PE once my school got a bunch of fitness equipment like treadmills, bikes, and weight machines, so that I could work out independently and at my own pace.

chezmama

I don't know what to tell you to do but I can tell you what I learned in PE. I learned to HATE exercise even to this day. Certainly being picked last was one thing. I was never good at sports and that singled me out for ridicule by other students. I wish they could have had a class just for girls like me where it wasn't about competition (cause girls like me lost every time....it did nothing but crush my confidence). In my dream class we could learn things like yoga, pilates...maybe even Zumba. It would be about fun ways to get our exercise and not sports or games where we were sure to be reminded how physically inept we were,