This is how we grade in my district in the elementary school. Many teachers hate it because it takes so flipping long to do report cards. Because of all the standards and behavior categories, we have 43 categories per student on our report cards. Plus comments for each subject. I prefer it to letter/percentage grades, but it emphasizes how much more is piled on teachers.
We do it in elementary and I love it! I would love to see it extended.
-Get rid of regular homework for at least K-5th graders
-Increase teacher pay
-Increase budgets for classroom supplies so teachers aren't buying their own supplies
-Hire a nurse and counselor for every school (as many as needed to meet the needs of the kids at each individual school)
-Teach a second language starting in elementary school
-Have childcare available on site for employees (open 6am-6pm)
-Offer life skills classes at high schools (money management, cooking, CPR etc)
-Serve healthy food kids will eat for lunch
-Lunch time should be an hour*
-More art
*Honestly I've always scarfed my food. It was ingrained in me to eat fast starting in first grade. In grade school there was an hour break for lunch & recess. Eat faster and you get more recess. My high school lunch period was 22 minutes. I always brought lunch from home. My friends that bought lunch ate in 10 minutes by the time they made it to our table.
OMG, yes to a real midday break! In our middle school the 6th-8th graders only get 27 minutes, which is the time to leave their previous class, get to the cafeteria, get food if they’re buying, eat, and be in the next classroom. And their building doesn’t have bells (block schedule, so each grade has a different bell schedule to make it work) so teachers routinely will let the kids out late, shortening an already too short break.
I actually didn’t take a lunch break 3/4 years in high school. I had two periods of drama (magnet program within my zoned HS) and a period of band, and so in order to fit my academics in I had to skip lunch or quit band. I don’t know who considered that an acceptable idea, looking back it was terrible for me. While I got to eat during drama (the teacher was fine with it) it meant no break in my day at all. It set up habits I still have where I feel guilty if I’m unproductive for a few hours in the day (at work or at home).
We moved to an hour lunch / recess in middle school a couple of years ago (followed by community time - advisory, clubs, affinity groups) and it was a game changer. The last period class is no longer useless. Breaks are really important for kids.
We go: 8:00-8:30 - Advisory 8:30-10:00 - Class 10:00-10:30 - Recess 10:30-12:00 - Class 12:00-1:00 - Lunch 1:00-1:30 - Community Time 1:30-3:00 - Class
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
OMG, yes to a real midday break! In our middle school the 6th-8th graders only get 27 minutes, which is the time to leave their previous class, get to the cafeteria, get food if they’re buying, eat, and be in the next classroom. And their building doesn’t have bells (block schedule, so each grade has a different bell schedule to make it work) so teachers routinely will let the kids out late, shortening an already too short break.
I actually didn’t take a lunch break 3/4 years in high school. I had two periods of drama (magnet program within my zoned HS) and a period of band, and so in order to fit my academics in I had to skip lunch or quit band. I don’t know who considered that an acceptable idea, looking back it was terrible for me. While I got to eat during drama (the teacher was fine with it) it meant no break in my day at all. It set up habits I still have where I feel guilty if I’m unproductive for a few hours in the day (at work or at home).
We moved to an hour lunch / recess in middle school a couple of years ago (followed by community time - advisory, clubs, affinity groups) and it was a game changer. The last period class is no longer useless. Breaks are really important for kids.
We go: 8:00-8:30 - Advisory 8:30-10:00 - Class 10:00-10:30 - Recess 10:30-12:00 - Class 12:00-1:00 - Lunch 1:00-1:30 - Community Time 1:30-3:00 - Class
That’s fabulous!!! Our elementary school has an hour break midday (lunch and recess) and it’s good, but I feel like kids that age can use a break between 8 and 12 as well. I remember hearing about an elementary school that had two 15 minute recesses, morning and afternoon, and it led to far better attention and behavior.
Post by sillygoosegirl on Jan 27, 2021 21:13:22 GMT -5
- Much smaller class sizes. - More space for interest-based learning and creativity (with a broader understanding of what creativity means: for some it might mean traditional art or music, but it can also mean computer programming or science experiments... the narrowness by which we define creativity and critical thinking often undermine their teaching: if there is one expected correct outcome, you aren't teaching either, no matter what the heading or subject is). - More space for kids to work at their own pace. - Revamp or eliminate standardized testing. (I would like to see more evidence-based practices in teaching and in teacher training, and I think testing can be an important part of helping people understand what does and doesn't work as changes are made, but the way we do it now, we push schools/teachers to adopt teaching practices that are *known* to inflate short term test scores at the expense of long term learning. Which means we need to either change what/how we are testing, and/or the incentives tied to testing.) - Learning opportunities in the languages represented in the community served by the school, with 2-way immersion being the standard in communities where 2 or more languages are commonly spoken in homes. Testing, if happening, should also available in each student's preferred language. - Evidence-based teaching strategies, and evidence-based education and continuing education for teachers. - Make our schools look, feel, and function in ways that are more inviting and less like prisons. -I'd like to see required hours in school and homework shorted, but available hours of school expanded. Something more like after-hours electives that would be more formal and educational than most clubs or after-care, but also with options for kids to just pay on the playground or in the gym (depending on weather), use the library, use the art lab, office hours if needed, etc. - Life skills should be taught. Some should be required (but also possible to test out of--actually I'd like to see most things possible to test out of), and more should be available as electives. - Middle and high schoolers should still have outdoor spaces that encourage physical activity. As a student I was shocked and disappointed at the lack of a playground in junior high.
Basically, I'd like to combine all the best things that we normally see in colleges and preschools and homeschools, but see not so much of in K-12: lots of free choice/play time, opportunities for in depth structured learning on things you are interested in, socialization in both structured and unstructured times and places, etc.
This is anecdotal, but the only reason the summers work for us is because H and the kids have the same schedule, so he can (pre-covid) keep them busy and bring them to activities. I think more 2 week breaks interspersed vs the 12 week summer break would be ideal for more families.
I had the same experience growing up as penguingrrl , where my brother and I basically watched TV all summer and I had to keep us alive. Lots of pizza rolls and frozen burritos. He was too young to be left alone, so I couldn't go hang out with my friends but my parents (rightfully so) didn't want a bunch of 13 year old's at our house unsupervised.
That was exactly our situation. My friends were hanging out, but I had to stay with my brother (we’re 5.5 years apart) and so we sat and ate Ellios pizzas and frozen burritos and fought with each other. My sister was in and out (she’s a year and a half older than me) but even days she was supposed to be in charge she just left, so I had to stay.
We are 5 years apart! I watched so much MTV. But when it was just music videos
Smaller class sizes Legit support for kids with designations and resource teacher time for kids who just need a little more, but who don’t qualify for an IEP. More PE time and longer unstructured recess. Textbooks that were not published in the 90s, and enough textbooks for each student, and not only for Math. Equitable access. The school I teach at has lots of advantages because of parent fundraising, but that shouldn’t be the case. More time for counsellors to support kids. Daily access to the library, regardless of school size. More resources directed toward psycho-educational testing. It can take years through the district. Training in special needs and adaptive communications for classroom teachers. Better pay for support workers. They work hard, and more money would attract people to the profession.
What’s working where I am: Where I teach, there is a focus on main skills/ideas rather than on standards, which allows for way more choice and flexibility, and we really focus on project-based learning. Our K/primary programme is play-based, and kids aren’t expected to even know all of their letters after K. Our reporting to parents is strength-based and allows for a lot of student voice. We focus on portfolio-building and reflection rather than test scores.
And I'm not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but I'd like to see a greater focus on/inclusion of life skills along the way. "Home Ec" (as they called it when I was in HS) should be broader and not framed as an elective for only those not on the college track. And my school certainly never taught anyone personal finance basics; I think that belongs in the mix, too. More work on study skills, too. I remember a big focus on grades and scores, but less concern for actual learning and success in a less-structured environment.
I totally agree about study skills. I teach grades 6 and 7, and we spend a ton of time on, not only study skills, but on strategies to deal with/manage anxiety. It’s a main focus for us.
A post upthread made me remember another one: I'd love an hour lunch. Both for the benefit of the students and the teachers. I know it's hard at HS because we have multiple lunch hours, mainly due to the fact of not having enough room in the cafeteria for one lunch (even with upperclassmen going off campus).
But if we are talking ideal world, we could also make sure each school is properly funded and can update/upgrade things. For instance, I think all schools should have AC (at least ones that get warm/hot in the summer and fall). We get so humid here and many local schools still don't have it and have to take off hot weather days in Aug/Sept. I'd love buildings where every classroom has at least one window. So many teachers teach in windowless rooms.
I know I'm getting off my original point. But not having to scarf food down in what ends up being like 22 minutes is not good for anyone, and it also would be so nice to have some time to actually relax and recharge for both staff and students. Maybe the afternoon classes would be more productive.
Post by Doggy Mommy on Jan 28, 2021 8:20:22 GMT -5
Pretty much ditto what everyone else says... class sizes, teacher pay & professionalism, additional interventions (one of the schools I work at does a really great job with Orton Gillingham for students who need that level of phonics instruction), SEL, shorter more frequent breaks (this can be difficult with child care though), off-campus learning, integrated content.
We have a huge charter problem and are losing a lot of enrollment to charters. I toured some when I worked for the district. The majority of parents seeking charters seem to want 3 things: uniforms, lots of homework, fancier buildings that look less like traditional schools. They seem to love that Facebook post along the lines of “zomg junior got in to the fancy charter school look at his totes adorbs uniform squee”. I don’t know why they want loads of homework. Maybe they think piles of homework at age 5 will get them into an Ivy League college.
A couple charter schools with a specific focus, like stem or arts, did have some great offerings - but I’d say ALL public school students should have access to those opportunities (robotics, video game design, more arts and music offerings etc). Some of the charters were downright awful... at one, kids didn’t seem to be allowed to speak, and at another one classroom had an enormous Don’t Tread on Me flag in the front of the classroom. Some truly just seemed like Republican School.
To everyone saying more PE time, do you mean at all levels, including middle and high school? If so, I’d advocate for choice of PE in terms of dance, yoga, contact sports, general fitness. Give kids some say. Middle and High School PE can such for the smaller, non athletic kids. The arts students hate it. It tends to include a ton of bullying. The stories DS told me were awful. The only reason he wasn’t a target is because one of the very athletic kids in his class happend to be a friend of his from when they were little and made it known in the locker room no one was to bug DS. It’s ... not nice.
formerlyak I agree there are issues. In my mind, I am picturing more choice like you said. Access to choice like walking, yoga, meditation, dance, martial arts?
Middle school gym was awful! Making middle schoolers learn how to square dance, and have to touch each other? Swimming? Yeah I hated that so much. Nothing induced fear like knowing swimming week was coming up. The locker room scene was not good.
In HS I loved gym, but I also played sports so I did fine with it. But there has to be a better way, and I don't know what's happening currently in schools. Seems like my kids PE class is pretty standard where they play games and sports.
I am answering this from the perspective of a preschool teacher. I would like to see quality preschools and daycares well funded and available to all children, especially children at risk and those who have suffered trauma (poverty is considered chronic trauma by early educators). I want preschool teachers to make more money. I love teaching 3 year olds (they are easier to teach than live with, LOL). I am good at it, but I am only able to do it because my husbands salary supports our family. Early education is so important and is seen as a luxury by too many people. Early education in low income communities can be life changing.
Yes to all of this! My entire education & work background is ECE. Various head start teacher/child care provider programs & an inclusive preschool program. I could only work in that field (which I love) because my H made a living wage. My coworkers and I regularly lamented that if we were single parents employed by our program our preschool aged kid(s) would be eligible to be enrolled.
To everyone saying more PE time, do you mean at all levels, including middle and high school? If so, I’d advocate for choice of PE in terms of dance, yoga, contact sports, general fitness. Give kids some say. Middle and High School PE can such for the smaller, non athletic kids. The arts students hate it. It tends to include a ton of bullying. The stories DS told me were awful. The only reason he wasn’t a target is because one of the very athletic kids in his class happend to be a friend of his from when they were little and made it known in the locker room no one was to bug DS. It’s ... not nice.
I think there absolutely needs to be choice. Gym was one of the biggest sources of stress to me growing up. From a young age I was mocked and ridiculed during gym class because I’m not coordinated at all. As a HS student I basically convinced the teacher to let me walk the track (we had both indoor and outdoor tracks) for the entire period. As long as I kept moving he let me. That was the best thing for me. I walked reasonably fast but wasn’t embarrassed about my lack of ability in anything else active. I honestly have no clue what sports other kids did during gym.
But I do think that kids spend too much time in school being sedentary and that has impacts on behavior, on physical health, on emotional well being. My midday walking was actually great, and I still walk or run as my main form of exercise.
To everyone saying more PE time, do you mean at all levels, including middle and high school? If so, I’d advocate for choice of PE in terms of dance, yoga, contact sports, general fitness. Give kids some say. Middle and High School PE can such for the smaller, non athletic kids. The arts students hate it. It tends to include a ton of bullying. The stories DS told me were awful. The only reason he wasn’t a target is because one of the very athletic kids in his class happend to be a friend of his from when they were little and made it known in the locker room no one was to bug DS. It’s ... not nice.
Oh middle school PE was awful. You have ugly uniforms, have to change in front of everyone, and it’s just bad. The whole experience needs to be changed for sure. I would offer more choice. And do away with the awful uniforms. Even in junior high kids need to move around more but surely PE can be done better.
High school was much better because things like dance and band counted towards your PE credit. I did drill team to fulfill my requirements and it was great.
To everyone saying more PE time, do you mean at all levels, including middle and high school? If so, I’d advocate for choice of PE in terms of dance, yoga, contact sports, general fitness. Give kids some say. Middle and High School PE can such for the smaller, non athletic kids. The arts students hate it. It tends to include a ton of bullying. The stories DS told me were awful. The only reason he wasn’t a target is because one of the very athletic kids in his class happend to be a friend of his from when they were little and made it known in the locker room no one was to bug DS. It’s ... not nice.
Oh middle school PE was awful. You have ugly uniforms, have to change in front of everyone, and it’s just bad. The whole experience needs to be changed for sure. I would offer more choice. And do away with the awful uniforms. Even in junior high kids need to move around more but surely PE can be done better.
High school was much better because things like dance and band counted towards your PE credit. I did drill team to fulfill my requirements and it was great.
We did not have uniforms in PE. That sounds terrible!
I agree that PE can be a huge problem for a lot of kids and should be replaced with choice of activities for healthy movement.
To everyone saying more PE time, do you mean at all levels, including middle and high school? If so, I’d advocate for choice of PE in terms of dance, yoga, contact sports, general fitness. Give kids some say. Middle and High School PE can such for the smaller, non athletic kids. The arts students hate it. It tends to include a ton of bullying. The stories DS told me were awful. The only reason he wasn’t a target is because one of the very athletic kids in his class happend to be a friend of his from when they were little and made it known in the locker room no one was to bug DS. It’s ... not nice.
I think there absolutely needs to be choice. Gym was one of the biggest sources of stress to me growing up. From a young age I was mocked and ridiculed during gym class because I’m not coordinated at all. As a HS student I basically convinced the teacher to let me walk the track (we had both indoor and outdoor tracks) for the entire period. As long as I kept moving he let me. That was the best thing for me. I walked reasonably fast but wasn’t embarrassed about my lack of ability in anything else active. I honestly have no clue what sports other kids did during gym.
But I do think that kids spend too much time in school being sedentary and that has impacts on behavior, on physical health, on emotional well being. My midday walking was actually great, and I still walk or run as my main form of exercise.
I used to feel physically ill before the 1 mile run we had to do for the physical fitness test. Gym is done 100% incorrectly in this country. You expect a kid who doesn’t practice running to just be able to run a mile? It’s not reasonable. You train for this shit. You don’t just say “oh—our square dancing unit is over. Time for the physical fitness test. 4 laps around the track. Go!”
And then when I couldn’t do it once in like 3rd grade they had a 5th grader redo it with me so they could pace me. It was humiliating.
Fuck gym in this country. (I’m assuming it’s still done this way, but I actually don’t know for sure).
I ran a half marathon later in life no thanks to my elementary school gym class. 😂
To everyone saying more PE time, do you mean at all levels, including middle and high school? If so, I’d advocate for choice of PE in terms of dance, yoga, contact sports, general fitness. Give kids some say. Middle and High School PE can such for the smaller, non athletic kids. The arts students hate it. It tends to include a ton of bullying. The stories DS told me were awful. The only reason he wasn’t a target is because one of the very athletic kids in his class happend to be a friend of his from when they were little and made it known in the locker room no one was to bug DS. It’s ... not nice.
Gym at my school has shifted to a wellness focus in high school. Yoga, mediation, weight lifting, a much more individual focus. I love it. In middle, they’ve shifted everything to offer a competitive and non-competitive track for every day - kids can opt in to which one they want. It’s not perfect, but it’s made a huge difference both for kids who are competitive (less frustration) and not (more fun)
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
I think there absolutely needs to be choice. Gym was one of the biggest sources of stress to me growing up. From a young age I was mocked and ridiculed during gym class because I’m not coordinated at all. As a HS student I basically convinced the teacher to let me walk the track (we had both indoor and outdoor tracks) for the entire period. As long as I kept moving he let me. That was the best thing for me. I walked reasonably fast but wasn’t embarrassed about my lack of ability in anything else active. I honestly have no clue what sports other kids did during gym.
But I do think that kids spend too much time in school being sedentary and that has impacts on behavior, on physical health, on emotional well being. My midday walking was actually great, and I still walk or run as my main form of exercise.
I used to feel physically ill before the 1 mile run we had to do for the physical fitness test. Gym is done 100% incorrectly in this country. You expect a kid who doesn’t practice running to just be able to run a mile? It’s not reasonable. You train for this shit. You don’t just say “oh—our square dancing unit is over. Time for the physical fitness test. 4 laps around the track. Go!”
And then when I couldn’t do it once in like 3rd grade they had a 5th grader redo it with me so they could pace me. It was humiliating.
Fuck gym in this country. (I’m assuming it’s still done this way, but I actually don’t know for sure).
I ran a half marathon later in life no thanks to my elementary school gym class. 😂
I figured out early that if I let the front of the pack lap me, my gym teacher often “lost” me and didn’t realize I had only gone around 2 or 3 times.
My best gym experience was when I was in “girls” gym in high school. By that time, gym was tracked and the school athletes could take strength and conditioning and everyone else could do girls, boys or co-ed gym. I have no idea how the division is handled now - hopefully in a way that people outside of the binary can make the best decision for themselves and where they’ll feel comfortable being physical.
The instructor was very good and was all-in on improvement and getting out of your comfort zone. I got to try so many different things that I never would have been brave enough to try in a traditional environment with the hyper-athletic students who could like...I dunno run and stuff, lol.
So while I do think activity choice would be nice, I also appreciate the nature of PE units. I would not choose to play tennis, but it was one of the best experiences I had in gym, because my teacher said, “Hey for the next 4 weeks, we’re going to learn how to play tennis.”
She also helped me do a real push-up! The only time I ever had the outside support to stick with training was when I was 15 😂
I used to feel physically ill before the 1 mile run we had to do for the physical fitness test. Gym is done 100% incorrectly in this country. You expect a kid who doesn’t practice running to just be able to run a mile? It’s not reasonable. You train for this shit. You don’t just say “oh—our square dancing unit is over. Time for the physical fitness test. 4 laps around the track. Go!”
And then when I couldn’t do it once in like 3rd grade they had a 5th grader redo it with me so they could pace me. It was humiliating.
Fuck gym in this country. (I’m assuming it’s still done this way, but I actually don’t know for sure).
I ran a half marathon later in life no thanks to my elementary school gym class. 😂
I figured out early that if I let the front of the pack lap me, my gym teacher often “lost” me and didn’t realize I had only gone around 2 or 3 times.
My best gym experience was when I was in “girls” gym in high school. By that time, gym was tracked and the school athletes could take strength and conditioning and everyone else could do girls, boys or co-ed gym. I have no idea how the division is handled now - hopefully in a way that people outside of the binary can make the best decision for themselves and where they’ll feel comfortable being physical.
The instructor was very good and was all-in on improvement and getting out of your comfort zone. I got to try so many different things that I never would have been brave enough to try in a traditional environment with the hyper-athletic students who could like...I dunno run and stuff, lol.
So while I do think activity choice would be nice, I also appreciate the nature of PE units. I would not choose to play tennis, but it was one of the best experiences I had in gym, because my teacher said, “Hey for the next 4 weeks, we’re going to learn how to play tennis.”
She also helped me do a real push-up! The only time I ever had the outside support to stick with training was when I was 15 😂
In my HS kids who played for a school team or an out of school activity with the same requirements (they practiced for 3 hours, 5 days a week, plus games on the weekend) were excused from gym class for the season their sport(s) was in season. Instead they were given study hall with the feeling that their exercise was clearly happening but time for studies might be curtailed by training. I always thought that was excellent in terms of learning healthy time management.
My gym class never did anything as fancy as tennis. I’m also shocked at mention of luxuries like uniforms and pools (neither of which I would have wanted but they’re pricey!). We had badminton once in a while...
Post by sunnysally on Jan 30, 2021 23:55:23 GMT -5
I agree with a lot of the ideas posted and I would also like to see students involved in the upkeep of the school. In Japan, students help clean classrooms and help with landscaping. I think this teaches a lot of respect and increases personal responsibility.
I think there absolutely needs to be choice. Gym was one of the biggest sources of stress to me growing up. From a young age I was mocked and ridiculed during gym class because I’m not coordinated at all. As a HS student I basically convinced the teacher to let me walk the track (we had both indoor and outdoor tracks) for the entire period. As long as I kept moving he let me. That was the best thing for me. I walked reasonably fast but wasn’t embarrassed about my lack of ability in anything else active. I honestly have no clue what sports other kids did during gym.
But I do think that kids spend too much time in school being sedentary and that has impacts on behavior, on physical health, on emotional well being. My midday walking was actually great, and I still walk or run as my main form of exercise.
I used to feel physically ill before the 1 mile run we had to do for the physical fitness test. Gym is done 100% incorrectly in this country. You expect a kid who doesn’t practice running to just be able to run a mile? It’s not reasonable. You train for this shit. You don’t just say “oh—our square dancing unit is over. Time for the physical fitness test. 4 laps around the track. Go!”
And then when I couldn’t do it once in like 3rd grade they had a 5th grader redo it with me so they could pace me. It was humiliating.
Fuck gym in this country. (I’m assuming it’s still done this way, but I actually don’t know for sure).
I ran a half marathon later in life no thanks to my elementary school gym class. 😂
This reminds me of my grade 4 Canada fitness programme experience. For those of you who don’t know, the Canada fitness programme was a ranked, standards-based athletic competition with a variety of strength, endurance, and agility activities. You got one of 5 levels- excellence, gold, silver, bronze, and participation. We did this from grade 1 or 2 up through grade 7. When I was in grade 4, I had fractured my wrist/arm in 4 places and had a cast up to just under my shoulder. They made me do the whole thing, except for the bent-arm hang. A kid in my class teased me for coming in last in the endurance run, and I clocked him in the head with my cast.
Oh PE at my school was awful. We had uniforms and had to get weighed and have our “body fat” measured by being pinched by skin calipers. I have so many issues with that. The girls’ gym teacher was super strict and you could honestly get like a “D” in PE if you couldn’t do the sports we “learned” well. I put that in quotes because 2 or 3 Gym classes is not going to make me able to kick a field goal in football.
I’m honestly not sure how the HS I work at does gym. I know in non Covid times there are uniforms. It is co-Ed. I think they mainly do things like play kickball, run, and do stretches from what I’ve heard.
Post by fancynewbeesly on Jan 31, 2021 7:26:59 GMT -5
Definitely class sizes.
In our district in elementary 1st-5th tends to be 25-30 kids.
In kindergarten they cap it at 24, mostly because per state regulations for kindergarten if it is 25 kids at up they require an aide in the classroom. So, our district tries to keep it between 20-24.
Ideally I think the "sweet spot" number is 15-20 kids in elementary school. Less kids just equals more attention to them.
Our district (in elem. school) has a 35 minute lunch (well non pandemic years)--20 minutes for lunch and 15 for recess. Plus gym once a week. I definitely think that needs to be changed. Either 15 minute recess twice a day (morning and afternoon) or a longer lunch break or gym more than once a week. These kids definitely need to move more. Run around.
No homework in lower elementary school. Very little in 4th or 5th grade. (That is the BEST thing to come out of the pandemic, there is no homework for the kids)--just to complete their work for the day.
Truthfully, our district is in desperate need of redistricting but parents would be up in arms. Some schools barely have kids (due to just migration of certain areas) and others are bursting at the seams.
Oh PE at my school was awful. We had uniforms and had to get weighed and have our “body fat” measured by being pinched by skin calipers. I have so many issues with that. The girls’ gym teacher was super strict and you could honestly get like a “D” in PE if you couldn’t do the sports we “learned” well. I put that in quotes because 2 or 3 Gym classes is not going to make me able to kick a field goal in football.
I’m honestly not sure how the HS I work at does gym. I know in non Covid times there are uniforms. It is co-Ed. I think they mainly do things like play kickball, run, and do stretches from what I’ve heard.
Oh my gosh. Our junior high did this, too! I had completely forgotten about the calipers until now. I had totally blocked that out of my head. I don't think they do it do it anymore which is good because I would raise holy hell. Junior high is hard enough. We are one year away and I am DREADING it.
PE in elementary is pretty great. They do play some actual sports like soccer and volleyball but mostly it's just a quick warm up on the track, stretching, and then fun games the PE teachers made up. They also get to go three days a week and while I would love more I am happy with it. The only thing they do every year that kind of makes me roll my eyes a bit is the turkey trot. This is where you have to run 2 miles in 20 minutes to get the certificate of completion. DD is very reward motivated and WANTS that certificate every year but she has short legs and is a slow runner. It's super hard for her and she has only done it once. This year she got in 13 laps (needed 14), just missed out on the certificate, and came home and threw up. Nice, lol. The kids can walk if they choose so really this is all pressure DD puts on herself.
Post by SusanBAnthony on Jan 31, 2021 8:31:16 GMT -5
I've been advocating that our school offer a "competitive PE" and a "I hate PE" option for middle school. They have two gym teachers so they always have two classes anyway. Let he kids self select whether they want to do SPORTSING or just walk around the track. For some kids the competitive and intense aspect is great and a big source of joy about school. Super! You do you! And then let the other kids be. Win win.
I remember being thrilled the year I had foot surgery and got out of the mile run. It felt like winning the lottery. No gym class should make a kid feel that way.
I probably need a whole thread just for how PE in this country is a disappointment. And I know funding is a big part of it. But it’s not the only issue.
Post by klassygoosey on Jan 31, 2021 10:05:03 GMT -5
Working heat No leaking roofs Supplies provided by district not teacher Enough parking spaces for all staff Lower class sizes Tracking More planning time No PD Classrooms cleaned by someone not the teacher Working copiers Additional staff bathrooms Student accountability Technology classes for students Asynchronous pacing/virtual for interested or gifted students Performing arts are part of the school day Lab sections for classes and supplies for each student Admin handles parents and paperwork etc not evals Teachers have a voice in district/building Longer hours, shorter weeks or year No advisory. Replace with in school office hours
The podcast, You’re Wrong about did a great episode on the presidential physical fitness test, and how stupid it is.
OMG, that thing is such bullshit! When I was 17 I did the sit and stretch thing. My stomach was flat on the floor in a very yoga move and my arms didn’t reach the requisite number of inches for my age. I’m 5’1” with long legs and short arms, no amount of stretching was getting me to a number designed based on age not size. My gym teacher laughed as he said I couldn’t get more flexible, but he had to fail me based on that.