Celebrating PE
& Sport
by Laura
Zavatto, Stagecoach Elementary School, Middle Country
Central SD
 May
is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month and May 1-7
celebrates National Physical Education and Sport Week. My
feelings are many on celebrating PE and sports. After nearly
twenty-five years of teaching and coaching, my emotions have
run the gamut from excited to disheartened, energized to deflated,
motivated to total despair. I've worked for administrators
who knew the value and importance of physical health and wellness
as well as those who looked upon "gym" as the irksome and
intrusive mandated break in between "real" teaching blocks.
I wish I had a quarter for every time a classroom teacher
or administrator has said on a bright sunny day, "Why aren't
you outside? It's so beautiful out! Just take them out and
run them!" - I'd be a zillionaire, and probably very tanned!
The reality is, it can be very hard to celebrate PE and sports
when you don't feel you have the support or positive attitudes
necessary to feel relevant and appreciated. For me, it's the
students that keep me going, the occasional parent who lets
me know how much I've made a difference in her child's life,
the student teacher who tells me that the many other programs
that he or she has observed don't offer what I do, or the
colleague who once gave me a backhanded compliment by saying,
"You work too hard and do too much."
How To Celebrate
I celebrate physical education and sport by being involved
with my professional organizations - not because I have to,
but because I WANT to. Membership makes us strong and I marvel
at how few of my colleagues are members of their state AHPERD
let alone our national organization (SHAPE America, the Society
of Health And Physical Educators formerly AAHPERD). Out of
about 12,000 potential members here in New York, roughly 3,100
are members of the state association. Why? The reasons vary.
Some say it's too expensive (yet they can buy a $3-4 cup
of coffee every day - do the math on that one!). Others don't
see the value ("What do I get?" is often asked). Many can't
attend their annual professional conference so they say 'why
bother?'. And then there are those who simply do a seven-hour
day and move on to other things in their spare time without
a single thought to the profession or the job at hand. What
they don't see is that by joining and supporting their professional
organizations they are celebrating what they do for a living,
and acknowledging that it is important.
Other ways I celebrate physical education and sports are
to post photos of my students on my district EBoard. I admit,
I'm not real great at keeping up with it but the moment I
hear a student has looked at it, that's all the motivation
I need to update and keep it current. Staying current with
all the new technology has been a daunting task for me but
I do try. I wish I could tell you that I used Facebook and
Twitter but currently I don't.
Posting articles and photos in our school newsletter is where
I'm at right now. I was better at keeping up with the newsletters
when it was a hard copy issue but since it's gone digital
I've slacked off. We old timers like those hard copies and
today it's so easy for people to hit the delete button with
electronic communications. But no matter what communication
means you prefer, giving your students the public recognition
they deserve is a terrific way to celebrate their accomplishments
and the great things you do in your program.
Posters are a big hit with my students. I've created many,
which I hang all around the gym and in the hallways. I take
photos during units, paste them onto poster board, and laminate
them for long lasting results. Alumni who come back to help
for various events love to see their pictures still on the
walls as do the parents who are captivated seeing their child
frozen in action performing a skill or being involved in a
school activity. Students who have accomplished amazing tasks
or who have set school records get their names or photos put
on the wall throughout the gym. I try to celebrate every move
they make and they love the recognition.
My local Zone (part of the NY state professional association),
of which I am an active Board member, has created several
venues for celebrating our physical education programs and
student accomplishments. On Project ACES Day (the first Wednesday
in May), we sponsor the Elementary/Middle School Physical
Education Leadership Awards. One graduating boy and girl (including
those with special needs) from both elementary and middle
schools are selected to receive the honor, which is presented
at an evening event.
The students, along with their Physical Education teachers,
parents, and administrators are treated to an evening of entertainment
and celebration of their accomplishments in physical education.
Each student receives a specially designed t-shirt and a certificate.
In addition, we also host an Outstanding Senior Physical Education
Awards event for a graduating boy and girl from each high
school in our county. This event is a more formal awards dinner
yet carries the same message of the importance of physical
activity, well-being, and overall good character and leadership
qualities. We have roughly sixty-four school districts that
regularly participate in these events. That's thousands of
students getting recognition and celebrating what health and
physical educators do!
Professional awards are yet another way we celebrate exemplary
programs and colleagues in our profession who are doing amazing
work. Do you know someone who is an outstanding physical education,
health, or coaching professional? Take the time to nominate
them for the recognition they deserve! We need to celebrate
our accomplishments and those of our colleagues. Even if it's
a simple letter to your own district administrator or superintendent,
the word needs to be spread that there are some awesome programs
out there with truly dedicated teachers and professionals.
The New York AHPERD created a "Get Moving NY" campaign to
encourage children and their families to get out and get moving
which ties in with the national "Let's Move. Active Schools"
campaign initiated by Michelle Obama. Check in with your state
association to see what they're doing or how you can start
your own event. The Suffolk Zone, my local Zone, held a contest
asking for schools to submit poems, drawings, photos, or video
of how they get students moving and staying active. Prize
money allocated for PE equipment through Flaghouse was awarded
to the top three contestants. Voting took place on-line on
our NYAHPERD website which helped to highlight our organization,
who we are, and what our mission is.
Other ways to celebrate and advocate for our profession are:
Conclusion
Finding ways to celebrate what we do is important, not only
for ourselves to keep us motivated as professionals but also
for those around us to truly see why high quality physical
and health education as well as organized sport programs are
so effective in generating the positive well-being of everyone
within the community. Being an advocate can seem like a constant
battle, but even with the highs and lows it truly is worth
the effort no matter how small. To coin a phrase, be the voice
you want to hear. Speak up and celebrate what you and those
around you do! Have a great month.
Biography: Laura Zavatto has been teaching physical education
(K-12 & Adapted PE) for over 25 years, for the last 17
years at Stagecoach Elementary School in Middle Country Central
SD. She is a graduate of Adelphi and Columbia Universities
and an avid blue-water sailor who from 1989-1995 logged over
32,000 sea miles and visited 34 countries with her husband
onboard their 42' sailboat "PAL." Laura enjoys photography,
tennis, kayaking, cooking (vegetarian meals in particular),
gardening (particularly growing her own heirlooms started
from seed), writing, reading the classics, traveling, spending
quality time with family and friends and making unique crafts
from a variety of mediums.
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