PELINKS4U - Promoting Active & Healthy Lifestyles

From the Publisher…

GETTING HIGH ON EXERCISE, CONFERENCES, AND THE FUTURE

Heart rate evangelists love to measure it and show you the data. Our hearts beat faster when we exercise. And for most of us increasing our heart rate through regular exercise is a good thing. It improves our long-term health, reduces the risk of debilitating diseases, and makes us feel good about life.

The same is true about spending time around professional colleagues. For me there's an air of excitement, of anticipation that something good is going to happen. Just as with exercise, my heart beats faster and my mind focuses. Worries either evaporate or are at least temporarily shelved. In the words of psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi I become self-absorbed in a state of flow: A pleasurable feeling of engagement and happiness.

I can't really explain it because over the years I’ve been to enough professional meetings to have already seen and heard most of what's being shared. But I always learn. Sometimes its just reinforcement of what I'm already thinking. Because I don't get out into K-12 schools much these days, regular reality checks are good for me. I love to see great teaching. Often I'll go to sessions that I've seen before, or on topics of only marginal interest simply because I know the presenter. And I learn a lot from watching poor teaching too!

Build a Shared Vision for Physical Education in the Year 2020 and Beyond

SHARE YOUR PE VISION HERE

Most often the best part of professional meetings are the conversations in the corridors between sessions. Work and family responsibilities absorb so much of our time that it's a treat to catch up on news with colleagues we see only annually. I can't help but believe that if more physical educators got out of their schools regularly it would help keep our programs and practices updated.

This past weekend was our annual state AHPERD conference. It was a well-organized and informative event. AAHPERD President Vicki Worrell flew in from Kansas. Pediatrician, Dr. Stephen McDonough from the President's Council for Fitness, Sport, and Nutrition joined us. Both delivered insightful keynote addresses. We offered mentoring workshops for teachers interested in supervising student teachers, and a student leadership conference. It was the kind of event that left attendees motivated and reinvigorated to return to their jobs.

But only a little over 10% of the physical and health education teachers in our state attended. I suspect that's a pretty normal statistic around the country. Why more don't attend or become supporting members of our state association continues to puzzle me. Cost at least for professional membership is hardly a factor. Disinterest or apathy is a more compelling explanation. Sadly this attitude explains to me the lack of public support for physical education in our schools and the never-ending efforts to eliminate PE teaching positions.

What is in our professional future? Hope, that we can collectively come up with a strategy to strengthen reasons for keeping physical education in our schools, is what excites me this year about NASPE's PE2020 initiative. Constantly reacting to changes in our world is a dead-end professional strategy. Today, we find ourselves puzzling how to best fit between academic and obesity trends in an environment of shrinking budgets. We need to plan for the future rather than be shaped by what others do. But to do this we need to share ideas and visions.

PE2020 is about taking control of what we - you and I - would like to see physical education become. It's not about outsiders telling us. It's not about university professors, schoolteachers, or students forcing their opinions on us. It's about all of us being willing to collaborate in shaping a vision. PE2020 is futuristic in concept. It challenges all of us to think beyond today's problems and limitations. But PE2020 also has a solid practical purpose.

Thinking ahead several years gives us time to work backwards and plot the practical steps we need to take to achieve our professional goals. If you are not already familiar, you might want to look at the US DHHS proposal for "Developing Healthy People 2020." It extends from the previous 2010-focused plan. Through PE2020 we too have the potential to think collectively and become more coordinated in what we do.

This past month we've seen an upsurge in submissions of PE2020 visions. We are getting close to 500.The numbers are increasing each day (which pleases me since it is my sabbatical project!). But that's not nearly enough. If you have not submitted please start thinking and writing immediately. And get your students to submit. People who have experienced PE are eminently qualified to tell us what they would like it to be like. Get your family and friends to share their views too.

Here are just a few excerpts from some PE2020 submissions to get you thinking and responding:

George (Pennsylvania) writes, "High school physical education programs continue to face reductions and elimination. And they should! Far too many of them are taught by physical educators who have not kept up to date, are lazy and/or are more concerned with their athletic teams."
Kayla (Texas) believes, "the number one goal for physical education teachers should be to make the activities enjoyable for everyone. If physical education teachers can make the activities fun for all ages and backgrounds, the children will be less likely to grow up with a negative view of exercise, and more likely to be able to continue their active lifestyles after they move on from elementary school."
In the year 2020, Derek (Washington) predicts, "a new groundbreaking national curriculum is being developed to raise the level of health and fitness and improve upon the learning experience for all of our nation's youth. The National Curriculum is entitled the "Comprehensive and Healthy Academic Movement in Physical Education and Sports," or for short "CHAMPS."
Lynn (New York) suggests we need to "find ways to make movement meaningful for every individual. Without personal meaning, physical activity or exercise is at risk of being considered just another form of work - another task to add onto a day that is already full of demands."

What's your vision? Should we get rid of high school PE? Focus on fun? Create a national curriculum? Make movement meaningful? Submit your thoughts to the PE2020 web site and help us create a new tomorrow for physical education.

Steve Jefferies, publisher
pelinks4u

1.	TEACHING HUMAN KINDNESS - TEACHING TIPS
2.	SHAPING ATHLETIC TEAM CAPTAINS WITH TRAINING
3.	ENVIRONMENTAL AND GENETIC INFLUENCES ON OBESITY
4.	THE LONG LONG ROAD THAT IS TEACHING
5.	FALL ACTIVITIES
6.	FUTURE SPORT, EXERCISE, AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS' PERCEPTIONS


	TEACHING HUMAN KINDNESS - TEACHING TIPS Author Laura deGhetaldi reports that physical education teacher Rudy Benton believes it is more important to teach support and respect to his students than motor skills. Ms. deGhetaldi, who has worked extensively in the area of conflict resolution, this month explains specific techniques that teachers can use to help teach students to be nicer to each other. She writes that despite time shortages "As teachers, we can empower children with kindness and peacemaking skills."
	SHAPING ATHLETIC TEAM CAPTAINS WITH TRAINING This month, Deborah Cadorette shares information about a program that Diane Shuck, the Athletic Director at Air Academy High School in Colorado, started for her team captains. Called the "Captain's Council" Diane’s program focuses on developing leadership skills. She met weekly with her elected team captains, provided them with reading materials, and had them discuss topics such as sportsmanship, conflict resolution, leadership styles, and more. Learn more as Deborah describes the Captain's Council program.
	ENVIRONMENTAL AND GENETIC INFLUENCES ON OBESITY How much control do we really have over obesity? Is it simply the result of overeating and inactivity, or is there a genetic influence? pelinks4u editorial assistant Tiffany Quilter shares some of the research she's found on this topic. She observes that some of us may be genetically predisposed to becoming obese, while others find themselves in environments that foster inactivity and over-reaching. In all cases physical and health educators can do much to promote healthier and more active lifestyles.
	THE LONG LONG ROAD THAT IS TEACHING Ted Scheck has been teaching physical education for 14 years. For the past three years he's taught gifted and talented students. Ted shares a personal essay of the journey of self-discovery he's made. He reminds us of those early teaching years when we expect students to do exactly what we say and get annoyed when they don't. When we come to realize that kids truly are special, and not simply miniature adults, life gets less stressful and teaching becomes more fun.
	FALL ACTIVITIES Regular pelinks4u contributor Gerry Cernicky shares ideas this month for getting students outside. Gerry's ideas remind us that what our students do when they are not with us is probably more important than the time they spend in class (at least in terms of being physically active). Gerry writes about special locations to visit, but perhaps most importantly about the kinds of physical activities that can be done outdoors. As physical educators we have an opportunity to prepare our students with the skills and knowledge needed to safely and enjoyably participate in outdoor activities.
	FUTURE SPORT, EXERCISE AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS' PERCEPTIONS Worsening obesity is a worldwide problem. This month authors, Derek Peters and Ruan Jones share the results of a study they completed examining how others view overweight and obese students. In previous research it was revealed that some health care practitioners display negative and discriminatory attitudes towards this population. Researchers feared that as a result overweight and obese individuals might be less motivated to make behavioral changes that could improve their health. Replicating this line of research with students training to become physical education and exercise professionals Peters and Jones discovered similar biases. They suggest that this topic should be included in discussions about diversity, and in intervention programs focused on changing attitudes.


		November 2010 Vol. 12 No. 9