The start of a new school year is often filled with great anticipation – for both the students and the teachers. From new school supplies to the new class schedule, there is definitely a feeling of, well, renewal. I have often thought that the making of resolutions was ill-timed in January – it should be in September!

And yet, the start of the new school year is right around the corner, and while we may look back and think that the end of the last year was just a blink away, it’s time to start looking forward towards making preparations (or at least thinking about them!) for the 2004-2005 year.

Here are some questions to ponder before making those preparations:

1. What were some highlights of last year? Would they be appropriate for the new year? Can they be replicated? How?
   
2. What were the most challenging events or issues? Was anything learned from these experiences? If so, what? And, could they have been avoided? How? And, if they occur again, what would be the best way to deal with them?
   
3. Are there any changes that you would like to see happen during the new school year? How would you go about seeing that those changes occur?
   

Getting a sense of who your students are – their personality, their strengths as well as their areas in need of growth – can be a rewarding process, and can ultimately lead to an enhanced learning environment. To facilitate that process, Deborah Bova, a middle school teacher, implemented a homework assignment for parents on the first day of school: www.middleweb.com/ MWLISTCONT/MSLmillionwords.html

“One thing that I would suggest to new and returnee teachers is something I call ‘In a million words or less, tell us about your child.’ I would learn so much from parents and families. I learn about health issues, social upheaval, and other issues that helped me to be a better teacher and to connect with kids and parents.

I send it out on the first day, and the response is wonderful. It just says, ‘In a million words or less, tell us about your child’ on the top, and where to return it. Parents do the rest.”

For health teachers, this assignment can provide an opportunity to guide lessons on issues which may be more relevant to their student population, and for physical education teachers, it can give insight on the activity level of the student, and perhaps the family as well.

Also, Education World (www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson131.shtml), has included a number of first-day-of-school icebreakers on their site to help you get to know your students, and the Center for Family and Adolescent Studies “Teacher Talk” site – from Indiana University’s School of Education (education.indiana.edu/cas/ tt/v1i2/first.html), has a first day of school lesson plan for learning more about your students, and for your students to learn more about you!

For an additional perspective, Harry and Rosemary Wong wrote an article entitled, There is Only One First Day of School (teachers.net/gazette/ AUG00/wong.html), which enumerates seven things that students want to know on the first day of school. From, “Where Am I Supposed To Sit?” to “What Will I Be Doing This Year?” the concerns listed may help teachers to plan ahead in order to anticipate the first day jitters of their students - so that the school year may start off on a positive note for everyone.

Andrea W. Petho
Health & Fitness Section Editor

What are some of your professional goals for the 2004-2005 school year? E-mail me (click on my name: Andrea Wallis Petho, under the “Contribute Your Ideas” column below) and I’ll compile a list to share in my next section.

I hope everyone has a great start to the school year!

Maslow’s Hierarchy notwithstanding, what tangible items do health and physical education teachers need in order to prepare for the start of the school year? Consider the following – do you have all you need? If not, how can you get it? Now’s the time to start brainstorming:

• Curriculum. An up-to-date curriculum is essential in order to meet the needs of the students, and to ultimately fulfill the state/national standards. The development of high quality lesson plans should be aligned with the curriculum and standards.
  
• Facilities. Adequate classroom and physical activity space.
  
• Equipment. Appropriate equipment and supplies to support the curriculum, and to facilitate the documentation and submission of grades, reports, inventories, etc.
  
• Budget. Allocation of funds to support the curriculum, facilities and equipment is needed, as well as for necessary repairs, maintenance and periodic upgrading.
  

Teachers also need to know why health promotion in schools is necessary. Teachers are charged with teaching the curriculum while giving students the information to improve their health and lifestyle choices. To address this issue, teachers may find it helpful to develop a school health plan, or to take a school health plan survey. The Canadian Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CAHPERD) has developed a “Quality School Health” Vision and Checklist in order to assess a school’s health profile (www.cahperd.ca/e/PDFs/ FINALQSHPoster2003.pdf)

The results of this survey may help teachers to prepare their assigned courses and/or lesson plans for the coming school year.

When preparing for the new year, what are your school-related professional and personal goals? Write them down now and check them periodically throughout the year. Here are some of mine:

• Get more sleep. Two cups of coffee every morning doesn’t help.
  
• Drink less caffeine.
  
• Spend more time with students, and less time with paper and the computer.
  
• Listen better.
  
• Exercise on a more consistent basis.
  
• Take time to breathe. 

Preparing for the school year takes time, effort and dedication – but it doesn’t just happen in August and September, it occurs throughout the school year. Ongoing professional development is a key element towards optimal teaching and learning, as well as towards improving student performance.

Take a look now at what your professional goals are for the school year. Do you want to address methods of assessment? Teaching strategies? Student learning styles? Maybe to enhance your repertoire of cooperative learning activities? How about classroom management? Now is the time to think about your goals, and to consider how best to meet them. Professional development workshops are offered by a variety of organizations and associations, locally as well as throughout the U.S.

Here are some sites to check:

• Your state’s AAHPERD (American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance): pelinks4u.jasonbuckboyer.com/links/ahperds.htm
  
• BER (Bureau for Education Research): www.ber.org/
  
• ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development): www.ascd.org/cms/index.cfm? TheViewID=1125
  
• NASPE (National Association for Sport & Physical Education): www.aahperd.org/naspe/template.cfm#
  
• NIFS (National Institute for Fitness and Sport): www.nifs.org/
  

Additionally, there is a plethora of publications out there which can address professional development goals. Among them are two books you might find useful:

Cavigioli, Oliver & Harris, Ian (2003). Thinking Visually: Step-by-Step Exercises that Promote Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic Learning. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.

This book focuses on mapping - a technique to help students think visually and to organize topics for easier understanding. Exercises are included to assist with the learning of this process, and the history and function of maps is covered, which you and your students might find particularly interesting. Using maps to explain concepts, as well to provide the flow of information between teacher and the students is given, and there’s a real emphasis on using maps as a means for active learning.

Marzon, Robert (2003). What Works in Schools: Translating Research into Action. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Curriculum and Development.

The author takes a systematic approach to distilling educational research into guidelines that schools (and teachers) can use towards improving student achievement – and clearly delineating what has shown to work. This includes the categorizing of factors that affect student achievement:

• School Factors (curriculum, effective feedback, community involvement, safe environment, collegiality)
  
• Teacher Factors (instructional strategies, classroom management, classroom curriculum design)
  
• Student Factors (home atmosphere, background knowledge, motivation)

The information provided can be helpful in providing a rationale of why what works actually works.

During the course of the school year it’s very easy to get caught up in the day to day business of the school work. And yet while virtually everyone (regardless of the teaching discipline) wants to know how to make things better, we may often forget to keep track of the steps or nuances of a particularly beneficial teaching strategy, activity, assignment, or discussion. Trying to recreate it later may prove to be less effective – since the passing of time can often change our recollection. So – write it down! Perhaps develop a card or form to keep in your notebook, plan book, grade book (wherever), so that you can remember the specifics of a really great “teachable moment.”

Also, consider asking your students what they thought was a particularly good lesson or activity. Their perceptions can be enlightening!

Finally, think about taking notes on and about the curriculum throughout the course of the year. Curriculums should be a living document – not a static one – and need to be periodically updated to meet the needs of your student population. And, as we all know, it’s easier to write down comments and suggestions right away…