Physical Education & Health Philosophy

The physical health of students in the 21st century has decreased drastically
over the years and obesity has been a growing problem all over the United States. This
does not include students who have health issues and are unable to control what their
body does to them. What I am referring to is about the practice of physically moving and
being aware of the healthy options available to them. I understand that not everyone
has access to health and physical education. For this reason I believe it is even more
important for classroom teachers to educate their students on this topic more than ever
before. Not only is it important to do this, but now the state of Oregon decided to start
making a change for our youth beginning in the schools. Oregon is now requiring
elementary schools to have a total of 150 minutes of physical education a week. This is
to include an actual P.E. class which only occurs once or twice a week in most schools
for about 40 minutes. It is up to the classroom teacher to make up the rest of the time.
Teaching students about their health options and teaching them the correct way
to move and eat will benefit them greatly. It is giving access to those who wouldn’t have
it otherwise. It is setting them up for a healthy lifestyle, something that they can take
with them outside of the classroom. Giving students options will benefit them in their
intellectual, physical, and social-emotional development. Not only will it help their
development, but it will also increase their learning opportunities. They will be more
awake, alert, and more likely to be engaged in the classroom.
This does not mean that the classroom teacher has to create a whole P.E. unit
and lesson. It means that the classroom teacher should be integrating P.E. and health
components into the already made classroom lessons. For example, if the lesson
includes putting a thumb up or down, students could instead try sitting up and down. If a
math lesson includes making groups with objects or something similar, students can
stand up and form groups with their actual bodies and move around the classroom.
Instead of having a writing exercise as a warm-up or exit-ticket, students could instead
do a moving activity such as a Total Physical Response (TPR) as a quick check in.
There are many different things that can be tried in the classroom to accumulate the
150 minutes of physical movement in the week, the important thing is that it shouldn’t
be left out.
One important factor that cannot be missed when teaching young impressionable
children about their health is that children are more likely to follow through on something
if they see the adults in their life participating as well. What this means for the classroom
teacher is that they should be leading by example. Children are more likely to remember
and appreciate what they are learning if they aren’t the only ones doing something so
important. As the classroom teacher it is also their responsibility to help guide and give
resources to the families of students. Involving the families makes it an even more
memorable experience for all parties involved.