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This month’s article is courtesy
of Stephen
Shoults. He has been teaching Physical
Education since 1993, and presently
teaches at Stonehedge Elementary School
in the West
Genesee School District, located
in Camillus, New York. He is a graduate
of St. Lawrence University, receiving
both his undergraduate and graduate
degree from SLU.
Steve was a presenter at the 2008 NYSAHPERD
annual conference. I have seen him present
the intramural jump rope program he
describes below, and it is amazing what
the students are able to do with practice.
I am happy that he is willing to share
his program with pelinks4u.
The traits developed by his students
are goals we all would like our students
to develop. Enjoy! - Ed
Kupiec, pelinks4u editor
Putting
a Little Jump Into Your Physical Education
Program
Written
by:
Stephen
Shoults
 One
of the best activities I’ve started
at our school is the Jump Rope Team.
For me, moving to the elementary school
initially was difficult because I missed
the relationships I was able to build
with the older students. With older
students you can see the change and
know you are making a difference in
their lives. Plus, the older students
can express themselves better. If you
are important to them, they tell you.
With the younger students, I never knew
if I was making a difference in their
lives. With younger students…I
love them…but until I started
the jump rope team, I only hoped I was
making a difference.
Since 2003, fifth graders have been
coming early to school to participate
in our jump rope intramurals. Twice
a week from November through February,
students are given the opportunity to
attend these intramurals, knowing they
will be representing our school in several
performances.
Any student who signs up and attends
practices on a regular basis is allowed
to perform for our team, regardless
of ability. Performances take place
at our character education assemblies,
high school basketball games, and several
community events. We’ve also been
invited to perform at other schools,
health fairs, and YMCAs. In 2008, several
former students put on a performance
at the New York State Association for
Health, Physical Education, Recreation,
and Dance conference.
 The
hardest part of starting anything new
is taking that leap of faith. I wasn’t
sure how to get it started, nor did
I know how to teach all the tricks.
Yet, I felt like this was an activity
that would go over well in our district
and provide some needed self-growth.
I had heard of a team from Seward Elementary
School in the Auburn
City School District. I talked with
the physical education teachers to see
if they would be willing to put on a
performance at our school, and we were
able to organize the event. It was great,
and not only did they put on a demonstration
for the school, they also came into
our PE classes and worked with our children.
It couldn’t have gone any better.
Our students were excited and kept asking
if we could start our own jump rope
team, and our administrators were now
open to the idea as well; they saw the
value of having our own team because
it provided a challenging, non-competitive
way to help our children grow.
 When
I first got started, approximately 30
students decided to participate. The
past few years there have been between
55 and 75 students each year. I start
with the very basics of jumping rope,
which typically takes the first couple
of days. I teach them how to turn the
ropes and perform basic jumps, such
as a single bounce jump, a double bounce,
and a step over. From that point on,
each time they come, I teach them several
new tricks. Each individual orders a
team jump rope, which allows the children
to practice at home. We also order team
T-shirts so when we perform, we look
like a team. The number of tricks I’ve
taught, as well as the difficulty of
the tricks I’ve taught, have increased
as my knowledge has increased. Through
the years we’ve added moon bouncers,
pogo sticks, partner turns, and Double-Dutch.
Also, in order to have an intramural
program in our district, you have to
design goals that match the district’s
objectives. I remember writing several
goals for the program that included
the students improving in fitness, increasing
self-esteem, and enhancing positive
risk-taking. What I’ve learned
is that the jump rope team does that
and so much more.
 For
the participants, it has taught them
perseverance, humility, commitment,
and teamwork. Students have learned
how to handle failure, and how to handle
success. I want our children to feel
good about themselves, but they need
to remember that they are not better
than anyone else, and that no one is
better than them.
I approach the jump rope team like
I’m coaching one of my athletic
teams. I expect discipline, but I give
them the freedom to experiment too.
Every year someone does something that
I’ve never seen before. You need
discipline to keep the children on task,
but you also need to allow them the
freedom to be creative. I believe this
combination has made the intramural
program meaningful for the children.
The children gain confidence from perfecting
the skills I’ve taught and from
discovering their own new tricks.
I believe the jump rope intramural
program has added to the culture of
our school and has helped foster a positive
image for our Physical Education program.
When the children perform at our school
character education assemblies, the
classroom teachers rave about it. Not
only do they see the typically “good”
students excel, they get to see children
who sometimes struggle academically
beam with excitement and joy. Most classroom
teachers claim that the jump rope performance
is the best assembly of the year. When
we perform in the community, we constantly
get great feedback. It is not uncommon
for people to ask me when we will be
performing at basketball games - they
want to make sure they are there.
 Finally,
I want to share with you something I
have thoroughly enjoyed because of the
jump rope team. Every year I contribute
to the Jimmy
V Foundation. His words “don’t
give up…don’t ever give
up” are easy for us as adults
to understand. We understand the importance
of persevering. But most elementary
children don’t get it yet. The
jump rope team has allowed me to teach
the children this valuable character
trait. Children make mistakes all the
time when jumping rope, and we force
them to not give up.
You know how some students can’t
handle making mistakes? They feel like
they have to be perfect. Being part
of the jump rope team forced them to
not give up! “I can’t do
it” is something we hear quite
a bit. When a student, or adult, says
“I can’t do it,” their
brain shuts down. And they are right,
they can’t do it. What we do is
teach them to ask, “How can I
do it?” This forces them to think
of strategies to be successful. Thus,
keeping them alert and improving confidence
once they figure it out.
If you’re looking for an activity
to get children in better shape, jump
rope in your classes. If you’re
looking for an activity that is more
meaningful and will add to your self-growth,
start a jump rope team.
God bless! I can be reached at sshoults@westgenesee.org
if you ever have any questions or want
any assistance getting started.
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