Today in our PE classes our students are running the 'dreaded' mile. Each student attempts to reach the Presidential times for their age, while they huff and puff through their four laps around the track. As students, give it their all I can't help but think, have I as a teacher helped encourage them to exercise or given them the idea that it is a chore or a punishment? I am hoping it is the former, but I have a feeling it is the later. During the course of the academic year, I teach them about the importance of cardiovascular exercise and how they need to incorporate this into their daily schedules. As the end of the year approaches, I often feel I have been able to "reach" many students. Students tell me how they have incorporated exercise into their lives.
As the school year comes to a close, the 'dreaded' mile has to be run and recorded again. No matter how much all of my students have learned, they still dislike this timed event. Although, as each of them crosses the finish line, I see their sense of accomplishment and relief that they have completed this physical challenge, and this makes me smile.
1 comment:
I just came across this post while checking my RSS feeds (a bit late like usual!).
My suggestion is to run a practice mile every other week throughout the year to keep the kids minds off the 'year-end mile' run. The key is every other week while they participate in running the mile, put them into groups and have stations at various points of the track. I like to split the track into quarters, and at every turn, I put a station. Each station is different (jumping rope, hula-hooping, playing catch, passing a ball, hopskotch, two-square, whatever you want!). To start, have each group begin at a different station. Blow your whistle so they can jog one lap and end up back at their station where they then participate in that station's task until you blow the whistle (for some predetermined time to give them enough rest). They then run their next lap and move on to the following station (they actually run 1 and 1/4 lap to get there). The process repeats until they end up at their last station. When I incorporated this activity, the kids really bought into it. As the year progresses, make different groups, shorten the rest period (the participation time at each station), have the kids design the stations, or anything else you can think of!
Have fun with it, after each class, you'll be amazed at how most of the attitudes have changed towards running that mile (which isn't that bad!).
Jarrett
j_dooley44@yahoo.com
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