Author: Tracy Krause

50 Million Strong by 2029: Top Recommendations for SHAPE America

(Publisher’s Note: This article is based on a review of feedback submitted by participants of the 50 Million Strong by 2029 Forum held at the 2017 SHAPE America National Convention in Boston. The information in the article has not been previously published but was shared with SHAPE America staff and the BOD soon after the forum.)

During the 2017 SHAPE America 50 Million Strong (50MS) by 2029 Forum, attendees were asked, “What should SHAPE America do to support and accelerate the progress of the 50MS vision?” Following the forum, the suggestions were collected, sorted, and prioritized based on the discussion notes compiled from 27 volunteer note-takers. Presented below are the top categorized recommendations. The forum organizers provided all 10-pages of suggestions to the national SHAPE America organization and its Board of Directors for their consideration and possible action.

 

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My Father the Craftsman

Editor’s Note: Tracy wrote this essay back in spring 2014. We sought an opportune time to share it with pelinks4u readers. As we start out 2015 and soon many of us will come together at the national SHAPE America convention in Seattle, Tracy’s message is an inspirational reminder of a way all of us can help to move the profession forward.

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I make a conscious effort to stay positive. This attitude, I believe, gives me the power to overcome the obstacles I face and leads to success. However, I have to admit, the last couple of months of school were more demanding this year than I can remember. The kids were a little tougher. The adults were a little grumpier. For the first time I was looking forward to summer a little more than I feel I should. I even thought about going into administration. How dreadful. What’s worse is that I can’t point to one specific cause. When I reflect on these last two months my mind moves quickly between HSPE testing, AP testing, EOC testing, finals testing, school culture, staff culture, department culture, course proposals, course offerings, scheduling, staffing, meetings, influence, lack of influence, administrative decisions, (some good, some not as good), TPEP, CCSS, NGSS and a long list of other mind numbing acronyms. It goes on and on. It has been a draining end of the year. Am I ever thankful for the summer and a chance to energize myself as an educator!

These challenges continued to dominate my thoughts as I boarded my flight to St. Louis yesterday where I have the opportunity to meet with leaders in our field over the next few days and listen in as they discuss the future of physical education. I brought with me for the flight a book by Jon Gordon called The Carpenter. The publisher bills the book as “A story about the greatest success strategies of all.” I was drawn to Gordon’s writing because the strategies I have been using over the past twenty plus years to further our field are producing diminishing returns. It’s time to progress. Time to challenge myself. This book seemed like a good starting point.

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Fired Up and Ready to Go

I looked down at the black fitbit on my wrist yesterday around noon, reluctantly tapped the face twice, and waited impatiently for it to respond. Soon the monitor revealed one full bar and a second slowly blinking back at me. Sitting all day is tough. I must have had an unsatisfied look on my face as I did the math…less than 1500 steps. I was frustratingly short of my 10,000 step daily goal. Last week while escorting my students up Mt. Si, a 4-mile hike outside Seattle with 4000 feet of elevation gain I had hit 10,000 steps before 8am. Sitting all day is tough. I had good reason to be sitting but I function much better when I’m moving.

I spent the past three days representing SHAPE Washington in St. Louis at the Leadership Development Conference (LDC). Aside from the inevitable seat time there were some obvious highlights. I met some impressive educators in our field from all over the country and used the many meaningful conversations to refuel my professional energy (it had taken a big hit over the last couple of months of school this year). I listened intently as some of the most respected leaders in physical education shared their collective vision for SHAPE America our newly structured national organization. I had the opportunity to sit in on a session by Dr. John Ratey, from Harvard University, as he discussed the abundance of research connecting moderate to vigorous physical activity to an increase in brain function. What he calls “miracle grow for the brain” could go a long way to making physical education a priority in our schools. It was an inspirational message.

However, what continues to rattle around in my brain today, as I fly to meet my family in California for what I think is a well deserved visit to Disneyland, is what our current SHAPE America president, Dolly Lambdin, challenged us within the first hour of the conference. After a painfully slow period of change within our professional organization (from AAHPERD to SHAPE America) that’s been at times both confusing and promising, our leaders have emerged from the experience with a visionary perspective. With CEO Paul Roetert, past-president Gale Wiedow, and president-elect Steve Jefferies providing their support, Dolly challenged us to consider an audacious national goal: All students in the United States will be physically active and healthy by 2025.

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