PHE America Repeats
10 previously published articles in 10 days that we think you will enjoy
Reprint 7 of 10
(Originally published – February 1, 2015)
A few months ago I was invited to help review a middle school PE program. It wasn’t what I expected. I soon learned that some of America’s richest and best-known families pay a hefty sum to send their kids to this private school. I was intrigued to understand why. And it soon became apparent. The culture of the school was not what I expected.
(2 Minute Read)
The moment came,
As it comes to all
When I had to answer nature’s call.
~ Talking Vietnam Potluck Blues by Tom Paxton, 1970
Legendary folk singer Tom Paxton wasn’t thinking retirement when he penned these words, but he could have been. All of us at some time will retire. The problem is deciding when. And if you’re like many physical educators, health educators or coaches who love their jobs, that’s often a huge dilemma.
Last month the world of physical and health education lost one of its most imaginative and inspirational leaders. Dr. Earle Zeigler passed away, aged 99.
I first became acquainted with Earle early on in my own professional career. Earle distinguished himself for at least two noteworthy reasons. First, because of his unexpectedly diverse educational background (read below), he brought an incomparable breadth and depth of knowledge to discussions and debate about physical and health education and sport issues. Second, at professional meetings Earle was instantly recognizable among his suited peers as the man in the cap and vividly decorated wool sweater. Earle Zeigler through his writings, leadership, and unique dress sense always stood out from the crowd!
Regrettably, over the years I didn’t get to know Earle well, but did connect with him via email a few years ago. I asked him if he’d like to share something with PHE America readers. Almost instantly, he responded (he was 96 at the time!), with an essay entitled, “Creating Positive Values Through the Promotion of Physical Activity Education.” He also proceeded to send me links to electronic copies of several of his books. Then just over a year ago I reconnected, this time with a request for him to share thoughts about where the professions should be headed in the future. Again, he was quickly back in touch with an essay entitled, “What Should the Field of Physical Activity Education Promote in the 21st Century?”
(Update: Don passed way peacefully on June 6th, 2018. Please see the personal comments many people have already added below this essay. If you knew Don, listened to him present, or used his materials and ideas, you are invited to share your own thoughts. His innovative thinking, passion, and friendship will be missed.)
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Many people know Don Hellison a heck of a lot better than me. But over the years our paths did cross a few times. And so, when I recently heard that Don, now aged 79, had suffered a stroke with some serious complications it got me thinking about him and the way he changed how physical education is taught today.
I admit it. I’m disappointed, confused, and more than a little bit frustrated. It’s now two-plus years since SHAPE America announced 50 Million Strong by 2029 (50MS) and some people still say they don’t know what 50MS is. Well, okay, “some people” (as in, those outside our profession) I can understand. But physical education and health education professionals, really? I don’t get it. So, let me give it another try with a teaching example:
In your mind, think about a school location you are familiar with. You are the elementary physical education teacher and teach 400 different students annually. Now imagine a world in which each and every one of your students is regularly physically active and doing their best to make healthy lifestyle choices. What are your students doing to live this lifestyle? What does the school day look like that supports this vision? What are you doing in your classes and outside of your classes to help your students succeed? What are your students choosing to do before and after school that keeps them physically active and healthy? What is happening in their homes, with their families, on weekends, and during holidays that supports this vision? Close your eyes and take a moment to visualize what this new and very different world looks like.
Welcome to the world of 50 Million Strong. It’s not hard to imagine. It’s not hard to understand. And it’s not hard to commit oneself to creating a classroom, a school, a state, and a country in which all school-aged students are choosing and doing their very best to live physically active and healthy lives. And isn’t this new world precisely what most physical educators and health educators would agree is the best measure of teaching success? Why else do we do what we do? If getting our students to be active and healthy is not our purpose what is? Surely this is our reason for being?
For New England-headed SHAPE America convention participants, it was almost unbelievable to learn that five years after a power outage cancelled the last Boston convention, a major snowstorm threatened to derail this one. Sadly, weather-related flight cancellations messed up the travel plans of some people, but for those able to get to Boston it turned out to be a hugely successful convention.
Tuesday’s high-energy 50 Million Strong by 2029 forum included more than 30 presentations, four hours of opinion and idea sharing, and lots of notetaking. If you couldn’t attend maybe you saw some of the Facebook Live streaming? Participants discussed topics such as “What does 50 Million Strong look like in practice?” “How can research support 50 Million Strong?” “How can we prepare future teachers to succeed with 50 Million Strong?” “How is teacher leadership vital to the success of 50 Million Strong?” “How will embracing diversity advance 50 Million Strong?” and “How can we measure and assess 50 Million Strong?”
Because the presentations were very brief, supporting materials were put online. I encourage you to download them and share them with your colleagues or future teachers. You can find out more through the SHAPE America 50 Million Strong webpage or using this link. Information collected from forum discussions will be shared shortly. In the meantime, I’d encourage you to keep sharing ideas and asking questions via the SHAPE America member blog Exchange.
It’s been almost two years since SHAPE America announced its commitment to changing the way health and physical educators do business. It might not have sounded much at the time but on closer examination it was a seismic shift in thinking. For years, those of us serious about being “good” teachers had done our best. We thought a lot about our instruction, kept up with new ideas, let national standards guide us, labored over designing quality lessons, sought to adopt best teaching practices, and embraced the need for better assessments. We were serious about our profession and critical of those throw-out-the-ball colleagues whose don’t-much-care attitudes were cringe-worthy. Given the many limitations we faced – the lack of resources, space, and support – what more could be expected from us? We already worked countless often unappreciated hours. Frankly, our cup was full. Surely enough’s enough! Quit asking us to do more!
But that’s exactly what SHAPE America was doing. At the 2015 Seattle convention, on behalf of SHAPE America, President Dolly Lambdin challenged us to rethink, retool, and reimagine how and what we did in our health education and physical education classes. And WHY? She wasn’t suggesting that we weren’t trying. No one doubted that most of us were trying as hard as we could. The problem was that our efforts weren’t getting the outcomes we wanted. Simply stated, to just teach well was good, but not good enough. Trying hard maybe counted for something, but the profession wasn’t getting the results it needed to thrive. Just as dieting means little if you don’t lose weight, teaching well isn’t so praiseworthy if student behaviors don’t change. And in most places, they weren’t.
The data was clear. Three decades of worsening childhood obesity. Kids moving less and eating more. Now no one’s suggesting that it’s our fault alone. But clearly as teachers, we’ve failed to successfully motivate America’s youth to become and stay physically active and to make healthy lifestyle choices. It just hasn’t happened despite the devastating and very predictable social, emotional, and financial consequences if these trends continue.
