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What We "Really" Mean to Our Students
Tom Winiecki
Mott Road Elementary school
Fayetteville, NY
As physical education teachers, we deal with a lot of things. We all have a full schedule and our classes demand our utmost attention. We deal with a "wide" variety of students ("wide" is probable not the right word, but there is probably never an uninteresting day all year). When we get past all of these things, and all of the others we deal with daily, it all comes down to the kids and what we can mean to them.
Have we ever really thought about what our kids think of us? Especially at the elementary level? I don't mean whether we are their friend or not. I don't think we should ever try to be their "friend." We should strive to be respected and always approachable with our students. But have you ever sat down to think what we mean to them?
All that being said, I think if we really knew what our elementary students thought of us we would be blown away! Let's face it, we teach the most popular class in the world to those kids. If we say "jump," they ask "how high!" Now, there are always exceptions to that rule. That's what makes our days "interesting."
I have been teaching physical education at the elementary level since 1981. I always thought that I was an important part of my students' education. It took me going to a small get together with some friends to really make me realize that I do, in fact have the potential to really make an impact on my students! While at this cook out, there were other couples there. They all had kids in elementary school. Some of them were my students. After the kids got over the fact that I was a real person and didn't live at school, they all settled down to have a fun afternoon playing in the sun.
While all of the adults relaxed and shared stories, one of the people there (who's kids I had at school) made a comment about their child and "the amazing Mr. Winiecki." Now don't get me wrong, I am not here to blow my own horn at all. But that comment from that parent could, and probably is being made about all of us at some point. The kids really do look up to us. Because of that, what we can teach them goes well beyond the scope of our curriculum.
It's easy to use their excitement to get our daily lessons across to them effectively. That's a given. The special part comes in the other things we can teach them. Something as simple as fair play and respect for others can easily be modeled and reinforced for them. The kids will do it, too! Partly because they look up to us, and eventually, because they will realize that it is more fun to do it that way anyway. Other character attributes such as honesty, decisiveness and compassion can easily be modeled and taught, both in and out of the gym.
Being a part of the community (outside of school) can also be a plus. I know that there are times when all of us need to get away from school and the kids. That is valuable time, too! But I am talking about being seen at the grocery store, drug store, or ice cream shop. When the kids get a chance to see you as a "real" person, that's a good thing. It lets them realize that you are someone, just like their parents, or other adults that have families and lives of your own.
When back at school, throwing in information about other subjects is also easy to do. Whether it is in the form of a question to them as they wait for their teacher to pick them up, or whether it is included in your lesson that day doesn't really matter at all. The fact is that you took advantage of your stature with the kids to make them more well rounded. I just love it when a teacher comes to me and says that she was introducing a new topic to their class and the kids told her that they already did that in PE!
So as you take the summer to unwind and relax, keep in mind that the kids really both look up to you and look to you for information. They trust you. Take advantage of that! Make physical education something that extends beyond the four walls of your gym.