Volunteering….
I have offered to volunteer at my child’s school several times. I’ve yet to be taken up on the offer. His kindergarten teacher did say she might need me yesterday or tomorrow but she has yet to let me know. And, since my mom had a treatment on Monday, I no longer have adequate care for Jace if I were needed tomorrow.
I ran into a fellow classmate who has 2 children in this school. She said she asks her children’s teachers if they need help. If they do not need her help, she just chooses a day or two and shows up. Then, she says, "Anybody need anything?" and she manages to stay busy all day for the most part.
She also indicated how awesome it had made her experience with allowing her children to go into someone else’s care. So, the time now has come for me to figure out a plan. I have to juggle seven blogs, care for a three year old and my own health. Then, I’m going to at least choose one day to go help out.
I also volunteered to help the physical education teachers as they administer the Presidential Physical Fitness Test because obviously someone who knows how it works would be helpful. Anyone can count sit-ups or laps, but if you know the exacts of how it is all suppose to work, plus the record keeping parts of it, then definitely I think they were happy to hear me say I would help. Kindergarten children are not tested but I told them that I didn’t care, I don’t mind helping with any age.
Also, when I taught physical education, it was easier if you asked parents to come run the mile with their child. They could keep up with their own child’s laps and it was easier to time as well. Most parents don’t mind purchasing a 3 dollar stop-watch and then usually if a parent can’t do it, an aunt or someone in the family is willing to do the run. It helps so much. So, that may be my PTO project for this year….getting parents involved in their child’s physical education classes.
Parents are often asked to help in so many areas, but physical education is not necessarily one of them. But, if you’ve never seen 60 six-year-olds running laps and trying to keep their own count and you try to keep their time, all while trying to write down the times as each one finishes….you’ve never witnessed chaos. But, it doesn’t have to be that way, it can be organized chaos and I think parental involvement in our child’s health and fitness levels would be a great place to start.
So, if your child goes to a public school, have you ever been approached in reference to helping with the fitness testing?
If you homeschool your child, how to assure that your child gets enough fitness activities. Not just play time, not just out door time, but true fitness?
If you are a physical education teacher, what are your tips or tricks for making this testing process go easier, faster, smoother?
If you are a physical education teacher, would you welcome parent volunteers like I mentioned?
If you home school or send your child to public or private school, do you talk about fitness in your home? Not just healthy eating habits but true fitness activities?
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August 21st, 2008 at 7:26 am
If you homeschool your child, how to assure that your child gets enough fitness activities. Not just play time, not just out door time, but true fitness?
What is your definition of “true fitness”? Why is being outside in the fresh air, running around not true fitness? I should think staying physically active, whether that be climbing on the jungle gyms, swimming in a creek, ballet, yard work like putting in a garden, soccer, or tag all count as an active physical activity.
“True Fitness” (in my ever so humble opinion) is eating well, sleeping well, taking care of your body and getting out and doing!!!! What that doing is really doesn’t matter. Organized sports and going to the gym are nice I suppose. But they are expensive and really do not give kids the chance to be just kids and socialize (Oh, No! I said the “S” word)
My problem with PE classes is it gives the kids a false idea of what physical activity is. They think, “hey I did my sweating for the day I can go home and play video games now. I am active!” True fitness isn’t a once a day class period or a once a week sport, it is an all the time mind set.
August 21st, 2008 at 8:01 am
I couldn’t agree with you more on the school physical education. That’s why I am part of a council in Alabama that is trying to make it tougher on physical education teachers. Basically what happens is they play a few sports, not getting true physical activity because they wait inline on their turn and some never even get to touch a ball. Then, without warning, they throw in the part where, “Hey, next week we have to do the Presidential Fitness Test which involves running a mile, doing sit-ups, pull-ups and a shuttle run. Now, these children have no more been prepared to run a mile than I am. So, what I and the program I am involved in is attempting to do is force these teachers to follow a curriculum. At the present time, there is no true Course of Study for physical education that prepares children for getting out there one cool day in October and running a mile. I did not say there is not a course of study, what I’m saying is it isn’t adequate.
As a physical education teacher, I know these people had better training in college than to do this to a youngster. Not it isn’t quite as difficult on a child as it would be if I told you and several of your peers as well as several of mine, “hey, you gotta run a mile today in order to keep your job”. Even if your job is parent, and I said, “you have to run a mile in less than 10 minutes or else I take your children away from you”, how many of us would be in serious trouble. However, this is what they are doing to our children. They are failing naturally just because they don’t meant the standards set forth in the Fitness test but they are being forced to run a mile in which they probably have had no training to do so. I am currently looking for my Pres. Fitness Book with the standards in it (we just moved out of our daycare so things are a bit jumbled here) but my goal is to “force” (and I know that is a harsh word) the p.e. teachers to prepare these children for doing 100 sit-ups or the mile. You would be surprised at how many children (mostly girls I might add) can’t do one pull-up. Not one…not one pull-up.
I tried the pull-up when I was teaching and I could do them then. I just tried it again for the sake of finishing this email and I can do one…but that’s it, only one. But, I’m 30 and I haven’t been outdoors running and playing. However, just running and playing doesn’t completely give a child the stamina to run a mile and it certainly doesn’t build any upper body strength for the most part.
*If you are wondering how this 200 pound woman came to find out that right now today that she can do one pull-up and only one, I went outside to my children’s jungle gym and pull my legs up behind me and pulled…and pulled…..and pulled and finally I did one and I will probably have sore arms from that tomorrow.*
Now, take into account how many kids (and again a lot of them are girls) running around with the dreaded “muffin top”. Well, running and playing hasn’t accommodated their abdominal muscles so they end up with that roll around the top of their low cut jeans.
Since you’ve brought this to my attention, I will intensify my search for my book and then I will see if I can help relay the guidelines of our committee that would be put into the course of study for p.e. teachers and the one we are trying to enforce locally before we try to move forward to the state level. Actually, this committee consists of p.e. teachers from 4 counties and 2 PhD folks from The University of Alabama of Birmingham where I graduated.
I think the most important thing I have said here is this……..”Can you believe that there is no true Course of Study for Physical Education in Alabama (but maybe in your state their is) and p.e. teachers basically have few rules to follow?”
And, realize these teachers have to do t his test 2 times a year. Obviously if they do it in the fall and again in the spring as they are instructed and they do not see some serious progress, they have to know they aren’t doing their job.
Ok, off my soap box but I will look for my book and get more information.