|  I
am sitting in my office, writing the message you’ll be reading
prior to the holiday season, ever aware of the horrible things going
on the world, deeply concerned about this contentious election,
and barely distracted by the Red Sox shaking off the Babe’s
curse. I worry that my efforts to bring good cheer and provide sage
advice about conducting physical education during the holidays when
I am feeling so gloomy will let you down, but I am in for the count
and will try.
To get on message, I started thinking about the aspects of the
season (that I love) - giving, getting, loving, and feasting - and
started wondering where to lead you. Low and behold, despite my
levity, I seem to have a lot to say.
First, let me assure you that if you have a great program you needn’t
do anything special for your classes at holiday time, but if you
wish, here are some things to think about. Since I seem to go on
forever, I have suspended the usual references to research and the
relevant news.
Have a great holiday and a wonderful New Year.
Isobel Kleinman
Secondary Section Editor
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| The first -
GIVING - is something we can have an impact on
in a way that is consistent with our values. We can start with
the idea of doing charity - perhaps a fund raiser involving lots
of physical activity. Here are examples:
#1: Play Night:
Have a play night that involves lots of kids.
We ran a volleyball play night. The kids paid an entrance fee
per team, and made up their own teams with the caveat that it
had 3 guys, 3 girls, and a faculty member.
Then we ran it as a round robin. The kids played through the
evening. The community donated refreshments. If you want to raise
more money, you could have the kids pay for refreshments too.
And while a good time was had by all, win or lose, winners did
win something – T-shirts, a trophy, something. The money
went to a good cause and everyone had a good time.
#2: Dance Marathon:
Run a dance marathon. Have students
pay to enter. Use a dance card. The more dances they have checked
off, the greater their score.
Give an award (even a token would enhance participation) at the
end of the evening for the girls and boys with the most dances,
most different partners, the most energetic ... you name it. Spread
the wealth. Use categories that inspire participation, and good
spirit.
Here too, you can have the community donate refreshments and
sell the refreshments to enhance the fundraising.
#3: A Show:
Put on a show. This requires long term planning.
Once you have it figured out, you could do it annually, sell tickets,
and give the proceeds to charity. You could do this in cooperation
with the music and art departments. If physical educators are
involved, it must require active performances that are worthy
of an audience.
The great side effect is that when kids are in a show, they willingly
work toward excellence. A good objective is to involve as many
kids as possible. We ran a GYMSHOW in the 70’s. Later, when
I changed schools and no longer taught gymnastics, I gave an annual
DANCE CONCERT. Gymnastics and dance lend themselves to performance.
Depending on how you set it up, it is easy to get hundreds of
kids participating.
Of course, it helps if your program encourages kids to make up
their own dance or gymnastic routines. Ours did. Our Educational
Gymnastic unit had kids connecting move, focusing on weight, or
time, or space, or flow, so that they were creating short gymnastic
routines. I posted old pictures
on my website
, on the “Down Memory Lane” page of some of those
shows.
In short, kids created routines of bridging and arching (that
was the first show - during the Vietnam War) which they did, one
couple after another, on the mats. We had twenty couples or more
involved, performing one after the other to Simon and Garfunkle’s
Bridge Over Troubled Waters. The routines ended when the music
did. Once it did, everyone linked together and arched up in one
large peace sign. (Yes, I’ve always been political.)
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 |
| The
second - GETTING.
For years our society has seemed like
a "give me" society. Today our kids seem to think that
gifts (and good grades) are owed to them. Their parents do, too.
No matter how irresponsible a kid is, parents go ahead and give
them what is expected - birthday presents, Christmas gifts, and
even prizes for what is promised, whether or not it is delivered.
Hardly a soul thinks of using gifts as an incentive for getting
kids to be more responsible, especially when it comes to Christmas.
Somewhere in the many pages Too
Dangerous to Teach, I tell a hilarious story about meeting with
a student whose attendance and gym participation was horrendous. He
didn’t seem to mind that he was failing. Anyway, at that meeting
I told him if he didn’t straighten up his act he wouldn't be
getting his Christmas presents.
I still laugh remembering the look on his face. I can admit it here,
but I couldn't then. I never made that deal. As soon as he left my
office I had to scramble to get his folks to go along with me. They
did, and do you know, that boy did a complete turn around?
So, I say, why not? Love does not mean
rewarding kids for behaving in ways parents or teachers don’t
condone. Unfortunately, sometimes teachers not only have the kids
as students, sometimes they have the parents as well.
At any rate, as teachers, we can use
the "getting" to motivate kids to do better. We can set
intermediate targets - targets that they can reach with work. We
can promise that if they do reach them, there will be something
special at the end of the road; a culminating activity they’d
enjoy such as a field trip, party, or prize. In the process, we
can teach, over time, that the ultimate prize is the enhancement
of their self-concept and/or body image.
What things can we have them work on?
Oh, many things - from the obvious personal achievements like weight
control and cardiovascular fitness, to characteristics that would
help them get along better in the world, getting along well with
others, displaying good sportsmanship, using initiative, taking
responsibility for someone else’s good feelings, taking care
of the environment, fulfilling student responsibility, trying one’s
best, and developing leadership skills.
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| The fourth -
FEASTING.
Somehow, we have got to teach kids to realize the fact of doing
enough with their bodies to burn off the extra calories they consume.
Feasting is all right as long as they make the effort to ensure
that gorging is a one day affair.. Here are some ideas you might
use in the gym as tools to teach kids to burn off what they eat.
Assign groups to figure out the caloric content of typical Christmas
dishes, report on it, and lead the class in activities to happily
burn it off.
Work in conjunction with the Home Ec (if you still have it), health,
and art departments to plan a party with decorations, food, health
knowledge and activities that match up joy with good health principles.
Conduct a mother/daughter, father/son, or parent/kid night that
mixes food, thought, and activity in a celebration of the holidays
and upcoming New Year.
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| If you have ideas, comments,
letters to share, or questions about particular topics, please
email one of the following Secondary Section Editors: |
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|
Too
Dangerous to Teach is a poignant, sometimes funny, often
infuriating story of a physical education
teacher's survival in a National School of Excellence where
politics, unethical business practices and betrayals mark
a veteran teacher too dangerous to teach. |
|
| The third - LOVING
Warmth, vibrant colors, large gatherings of people, smiles, laughter,
sometimes surprises, and joy mark most holidays. How can we emulate
these in our program? Try a surprise. Why not do
something completely different for the holidays, like teach some
dance mixers, which gets everyone dancing with each other.
These following are written as mixers. Of course, you have to do
them to Jingle Bells.
JINGLE BELLS VERSION ONE:
Formation: double circle, partners facing, the
boy's back to the center of the circle.
Position: partners hands are joined.
| Part 1: |
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With
girl's right heel and boy's left heel, do a heel, toe, heel,
toe, and 4 slides CCW. |
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Reverse,
girl's left heel, boy's right heel – heel, toe, heel,
toe and 4 slides CW. (Repeat) |
| Part 2: |
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Clap
own hands 3x, partner's 3x, own hands 4x, partner's once. |
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Join right
elbows and swing partner, skipping 8 skips around, singing. |
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Repeat the
claps, join left elbows and swing, skipping 7 skips. |
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On the 8th, say "Merry Christmas,"
leave partner and go one person to the left. |
JINGLE BELLS VERSION TWO:
Formation: Partners in a single circle, girl to
the right of the boy.
Position: Hands joined, weight is on the right
foot.
| "Dashing through
the snow, in a one horse open sleigh" - 4 walks in, 4 walks
out. |
|
| "or the field we
go, laughing all the way" - 7 ½ slides left (the
half is a walk which frees the right foot). |
| "Bells on bobtails
ring, making spirits rise" - 4 walks in, 4 walks out. |
| "Oh what fun it
is to ride in a one horse open sleigh" - 7 ½ slides
right, ending facing partner. |
| "Jingle bells,
jingle bells, jingle all the way" - clap own hands in front
2x, own hands in back of self 3x, partner's hands 1x. |
| "Oh what fun it
is to ride in a one horse open sleigh" - join hands of
partner, circle left with 8 skips. Release partner, face the
corner. |
| "Jingle bells,
jingle bells, jingle all the way" - repeat clapping pattern
with the corner. |
| "Oh what fun it
is to ride in a one horse open sleigh" - corners join hands
and circle left with 8 skips. Then, continue the dance as started.
The corner becomes the new partner, students join hands in a
single circle with the girls moving to the right of their new
partner and the dance beginning. Walk in 4 steps. |
Gosh, I am wiped out of ideas. Enjoy your holidays. - Isobel Kleinman
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| Exercise:
Staying Healthy in the Winter
"Brrr…It's easy to feel sluggish during the winter months,
especially when it's cold outside. Staying indoors and curling up
with a blanket and a good book may seem more appealing than going
outside and riding your bike, shooting some hoops, or going for
a jog! Here are some cool and fun ways to stay active!"
On
the Teen Scene: Being a Sport with Exercise-Induced Asthma -
by Ruth Papazian
"This article is part of a series with important health information
for teenagers."
10
Tips for Staying Motivated - by Rachel
Keller
"Starting an exercise program is often the easiest part. Adhering
to it is the challenge! If you need some motivation, these 10 tips
may help you."
25
Ways Exercise Benefits You - by Rachel
Keller
"We all know that we should exercise because it is good for
us, but do you know just how good?"
Hydration
in Winter - By Kaj Bune
Frozen water all around and none to drink
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