EDITORIAL

Tis the Season: Support Your Hurricane Sandy Struck Teaching Colleagues

As we all know, the devastation on October 29th caused by Superstorm Sandy was horrific. Within a few, mostly nighttime, never-to-be forgotten terrifying hours, thousands of East Coast residents lost their homes, businesses, and personal property. More than 100 lost their lives.

Not surprisingly, many physical education teachers and their families were personally affected by the storm. According to Colleen Corsi, Executive Director of New York AHPERD, among the casualties were physical education teachers who lost everything in their homes, and physical education majors whose personal possessions were swept away in the floods.

New Jersey AHPERD Executive Director Jackie Malaska reports that storm damage to schools was especially traumatic for physical education programs. Following the storm, hundreds of schools in New York and New Jersey were closed with damage that will likely keep many closed for quite some time. Physical education teachers returned to ruined teaching facilities, and lost or unusable equipment. Because it was the result of floods, much of the damage was not covered by insurance.

In response, both the NY and NJ AHPERDs are trying to help their physical education teaching colleagues. At the recent state conference, NY AHPERD members held a raffle extravaganza to fundraise. In NJ, in an effort to help school physical education programs recover, FlagHouse is discounting equipment purchases.

pelinks4u would like to support recovery efforts, and invites you to be a part of the solution. December, and the start of the holiday season, is an especially good time to consider making a donation of any amount to support your teaching colleagues. Please send your donations to either of the following addresses and make your checks payable to the "Disaster Relief Effort" (NY) or "Hurricane Relief" (NJ):

All donations will be used specifically to aid recovery for physical education teachers and programs. To encourage giving, pelinks4u will match donations up to a total of $500. Please talk to your teaching colleagues, share information about the fundraiser with others, and encourage donations to this worthy cause.

This catastrophic event should remind all of us, left untouched, of our good fortune. Next time it could easily be us. Let's all do what we can to help our colleagues in need. Thank you and best wishes for the holiday season.

Steve Jefferies, publisher pelinks4u

Metrics and PE Working Together
Once again, elementary school physical educator Kim Nygaard shares one of the amazing and creative ways she integrates physical education with academic content. Each year her school celebrates Metrics Week (the second week in October) with a theme. This year's theme was "London 2012 Olympic Games."

While participating in Olympic themed physical activities, students practiced their understanding of the metric system. In this article Kim shares previously held events, including some great informational handouts you will want to download. Share these ideas with your colleagues or PETE majors! (read)

Athletes and the Holidays: A Great Time for Some Much Needed "R and R"
Ed Fry, an instructor in Athletic Leadership at Clemson University and basketball coach, writes this month about the importance of giving athletes sufficient recovery time when training. He reminds us of what happens to the body in response to overload.

Overtraining, which can rapidly lead to injury, is especially prevalent in the weight room. Ed writes, "It is our responsibility as coaches to teach our players that their muscles do not grow while they are lifting weights." Learn about some of the things that Ed incorporates into his coaching to ensure his athletes get enough recovery time. (read)

Coaches & Athletes Who Give
In celebration of the season of "giving" Deborah Cadorette highlights athletes who have contributed to those in need. Read about "ESPN's Top 10" list of college and professional athletes who have devoted their time, energy, and often finances to support others.

Deborah then describes the many community service projects that student–athletes at Orrville High School in Ohio have dedicated time to supporting in recent years. She notes that Kent Smith, the school's athletic director, believes that community service is a character trait that can be developed through participation in interscholastic athletic programs.

Finally, Deboraha shares a story recently reported on ESPN in which players on a high school football team came to the rescue of a student being bullied. If YOU have or know of any athletic programs that have performed service for others, Deborah invites you to let her know (djcat@clemson.edu). (read)

Did You Say Homework? In PE?
Tom Winiecki writes, "No matter what age your kids are in school, they all have homework in some form." He believes that the primary purpose of homework should be to assess student learning, and help teachers adjust their instruction.

For physical educators, Tom suggests that student understanding of many of the concepts we teach is best assessed by having students complete written assignments. He emphasizes that assessment does not have to detract from time in class.

As an example, for several years he's given his elementary students a booklet entitled "The 10 Days of Fitness" to complete over the Christmas break. It's been a way to encourage physical activity and also to illustrate what they've learned in class. It's also helped to stimulate discussion and highlight topics worth addressing. Download and use this resource with your own students. (read)

Giving, Getting, Fun and Feasting During the Holidays
Isobel Kleinman believes that our educational goals should embrace the Greek ideal of developing a sound mind/body relationship. To this she suggests we should add some social issues, such as addressing the emotional needs of our students. The holidays, she writes, are a perfect time for encouraging our students to think about others as well as themselves.

Isobel gives examples of physical education-related fundraisers well-suited to holiday giving. She also suggests that getting gifts provides a good incentive for achieving goals. The holidays are of course a great time to enjoy physical activity and to share tip for avoiding over-eating. Read Isobel's holiday suggestions. (read)

Coach/Athlete Relationships
In this article, Pete Van Mullem explores the personal connections that some coaches are able to make with their athletes. He shares the story of Alan Exley, recently inducted into the Humboldt State University Athletics Hall of Fame, whose exemplary coaching career spanned four decades.

PETE notes that coaches-at-work are often expected to control their emotions, and in the media emotional outbursts are frequently portrayed negatively. And yet, we learn that many coaches combine their passion for sports with an equally strong concern about the welfare of their athletes.

It's not just game results that are important to these coaches, but the impact they can have on the future lives of the young people who participate in their programs. (read)

Quad Rugby
Contrary to what many people think, people with disabilities that confine them to wheelchairs are capable of participating in a wide variety of sports. Jamie Doone informs us that in order to be eligible to play quad rugby, people must have both upper and lower body impairment. In fact, the majority of quad rugby players have some form of quadriplegia that results in paralysis of all four limbs or paralysis from the neck down.

Quad rugby evolved from wheelchair basketball and wheelchair ice hockey. Today, Quad rugby is the fastest growing wheelchair sport. Learn more about the way in which quad rugby is played, and the ways in which opportunities for participation in sports are increasing for people with disabilities. (read)