Chapter 1:Quality versus Quantity. Why not Both?

After reading chapter one and going overall the things PE should be doing and incorporating i reviewed my PE program in my head and lets just say its not up to par. We had PE every other day so one week was 3 and the other was 2, that is not enough activity. Our budget was low and the program wasn't creative i honestly didn't learn any new skills after the 7th grade or earlier. We played mostly team sports and once we tested on them once we never practiced them again. Life time sports were near non existence. The point is my  school failed horribly like most schools do. They do not full fill the goals and standards of a Physical Educator. The chapter shows the many dimensions of what we as future Physical Educators need to do and a low budget cant get in the way of teaching kids to be healthy. We need PE at least 4 times a week ,it should be everyday, and we need to take the concepts we know from the book and put them into a great program that shows PE is integral to life.

PE Hall of Shame: Not so much the game themselves rather how they are taught.

The hall of Shame Games are very infamous indeed. For all the good movers and physically active kids these games were fine but for those who were on the fence about PE these games were a bad memory. If you take the old games at face value and how they used to be played a lot of them shout be forgotten however, some of the games can be modified to fit the standards of PE. Games like Tag, dodge ball and kickball were some of the best games we played at a younger age and made me look forward to recess and activity. Taking those games is not the answer all they need to be is modified. For example dodge ball instead of having the students throw at each other have them throw at a target in the back or if you get out have easy ways of students to get back in or remain active. Also use smaller and safer balls. Also tag can be modified in a multitude of ways. Such as movement patterns,area, number of taggers etc. A lot of these games aren't bad just their original forms and could be incorporated into a PE program.

Young Kids and Stick Sports. A problem?

As i was searching the web for any information i could about young children playing stick sports, such as hockey or baseball, i came across an interesting article. The article talks about organized team sports for young kids and how they are becoming somewhat boring and non-educational for the kids playing them. How does that have to do with kids using sticks and i think they tie together nicely. What im trying to convey is that i believe that young kids from the ages of 4 or 5 to 6 or 7 should participate in sports like hockey and baseball but, in a different way .Introducing these sports at a young age can be both good and bad depending on how they are carried out. For example if a 5 year old is playing hockey s/he will have an extremely low level of skill at the game so running a practice or program like you would for middle school age kids will have a negative affect on the lowest skill level players. As the article says they would get very little puck time so to speak and would be bored and be less inclined to play the sport later on. I think this is more prevalent in baseball because while one kid is at the plate having a hard time hitting the ball if ever out fielders and the other players will be bored and not getting any exercise which is the key. We want the kids to keep moving. The Motor Development text book shows that around the age of 5 is when all the motor skills are becoming accurate so kids should start using them at that age.

So basically what  i think is that kids should play stick sports because it will get them using these motor skills and improving them however, i believe they should be non-traditional versions of the games or having kids in much smaller groups not teams per say. Having these smaller games where everyone is active and participating, instead of sitting around and waiting, they will be more inclined to keep coming back to play  and it sets up a good foundation for the rest of their lives. Also they all will have plenty of puck time or throws or swings so everyone is improving.

First Day of St Mary's

Monday was my first day of working with the kids at St Mary's and it was a blast. Working with them really brings to light my passion for what i am doing and reassures me of my choice to work in this field. We ran around playing tag, shooting hoops and various other activities (such as dancing shown above). One student in particular i worked with was shooting  a basketball on a regulation hoop. He was really just chucking the ball as hard as he could to reach the height because he wasn't strong enough to reach it shooting with proper form. The kids were full of energy and responded well to us for the most part. Next lab when we actually go and run our own games and activities it will be an experience.

Lab Write Up

geting my move on

I am really starting to get into my classes now and get a broad sense of what it will be like here at SUNY Cortland. The teaching atmosphere is great and i always envision myself teaching what i am learning to the students of my future.I cant wait to have a job of my own teaching my curriculum. past all the student teaching and all the other trials i have toget past to get to the real work, teaching the young how to live fuller, longer and more productive lives while having fun.