Author: Tom Winiecki

What Keeps You Coming Back?

Recently, I was getting ready for the start of another school year. We all go through the same basic checklist: lesson plans ready for the first week, storeroom all set to get the equipment out, office put back together, and new supplies put away and ready to use. You may have even purchased a new pair of sneakers to start the year!

But let’s get to the deeper question. What motivates us to prepare every fall to begin a new school year? Why do we keep coming back year after year? Whether you are a rookie just starting out or a “seasoned veteran” who over the years has seen things come and go in education, why do you keep coming back? Why don’t you take a better paying job somewhere doing something else? Why don’t you retire the minute you are able to?

My guess is that we all got into teaching for very similar reasons. We wanted to help kids. We all liked being active in some ways ourselves and wanted to use that love of movement to teach kids the same appreciation.

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This is Why I Teach!

Physical educators love their jobs. There isn’t anything that we would rather be doing. You’ll have to excuse my Buffalo Bills’ reference here, but as Marv Levy has said, “Where else would you rather be than right here, right now?” Of course there are always days when things don’t all go accordingly to plan, or someone or something gets in the way of you excelling at your job. But for the most part, physical educators have the best job in the world! We have a chance every day to shape young minds and bodies toward a healthy life.

 

As someone who has taught for more than 30 years, there have been a few “aha” moments that have made me say, “that’s why I teach!” I’d like to share some with you. I’m hoping that reading my list will help you through those tough times when a person or thing gets in your way and remind you why you chose this great profession. After reading through my list, I’m certain that you could easily come up with a unique list for yourself. Enjoy!

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Promote Physical Education By Making Connections

As a public school physical educator do you ever feel that you are the “best kept secret” around? Because what you do and what you offer children is so vitally important, do you find it hard to believe that no one really knows, or understands what you are really all about? Do you sometimes think to yourself, “If only they knew!”

Well, what are you waiting for? Why not let others know the importance of your physical education program? In fact if you want others to support your program and appreciate your teaching it’s vital to make time to become a PE promoter. But here’s the key: you need to do it in the context of how you fit into what others are trying to do, whether they be kids, staff, parents, or school board members.

Too often, physical education is viewed as simply a scheduled break in a classroom teacher’s day. Of course this is not the case everywhere. Thankfully there are people who understand the importance of PE and respect its place in the school’s curriculum. If you are already a part of one such building or district, congratulations! Your hard work promoting your program has been successful. Keep up the good work! Hopefully, this article will give you more ideas you can use to continue your PE promotion efforts.

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NFL Network Physical Education Teacher of the Year

I was fortunate enough to have been named the 2013 NFL Network Physical Education Teacher of the Year. The whole experience was something I will never forget! From filling out initial paperwork, to participating in a phone interview, to actually getting the phone call saying that I had been selected, was a memorable process.

It all started with writing some essays describing my teaching. Writing can be a bit of a hassle, especially in our profession. We don’t often think that there is a place for writing in our work. We are, after all, in the business of creating people that learn to enjoy how to move in ways that benefit them. We strive to teach in a way so that things can make more sense to our students. Just like any other subject, the more you understand the more you learn to enjoy it. By seeing the connections between activities clearly you develop a better understanding! On the surface, writing in class would seem to take away from our primary mission of teaching students to enjoy moving. But there may be a place for it.

One side note on writing. Our district has decided that writing is so important that it should be included in every subject. They describe it as “talking out of the tip of a pen.” To their credit, they did not dictate to us how often and how much writing each subject should include. They basically left it up to us. All they asked is that we look for the best place to include it. Where did it make the most sense to include writing? We were allowed to come up with those answers.

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