Tom Winiecki

Wouldn’t it be nice if all we had to do to promote our career was to just show up and teach? How convenient would it be if the program promoted itself and the public simply supported you in all that you do? That would be nice, but it’s not too realistic.

The reality is that while we certainly don’t see our profession as “trivial,” or an “extra,” there are many individuals out there who do. It is our job to convert as many of those people as we possibly can. But how do we go about accomplishing this task? I don’t think there is a bad place to start, but there are some key people to “go after.” Here is my list in no particular order:

• PARENTS: This seems obvious, but don’t overlook it. The easiest way to get to the parents is through their kids. Work to make your program as dynamic as possible. Do things with your students in such a way that they can’t help but go home and talk about what you did in PE class that day. If you know me at all, you have heard me say that my goal is “to be the topic of conversation at dinner somewhere in my district every night.” By approaching your classes this way, your students get excited about what we do. They want to come back again. From parents’ perspectives, if their children are happy, they are happy. If you can create ways for your students to enjoy learning in your gym, it makes your life easier. It also increases the interest level of parents.

  When parents approach you about how their child “loves your class,” you can join in with all that you are teaching and all the skills they are expected to learn. You can make it clear, in a positive way, that you are much more than simply “fun and games.” Also, look to have “fitness nights.” You may not get many participants the first time, but be patient; it will grow. Use your students to promote the program with their parents.

  I saw a great idea related to the “PE Central Challenge.” It was a family fitness night geared to this event. If you are not familiar with this event, it consists of a series of six challenges all based on benchmarks for 4th-5th grade students. The night was titled something along the lines of “Are you as fit as a 5th grader?” The point was that the kids were able to bring their parents into the gym for one night to see if they could complete the same challenges as their 5th grade children. Besides the inherent fun of a night like this, students were able to reinforce their own learning by having to teach their parents how to accomplish each challenge. Needless to say, everyone leaves a night like this with a good feeling about the PE program, and the kids learn more by having to “teach” someone else!

• ADMINISTRATION: Again, another seemingly obvious one. The key is to understand and accept that these people, for the most part, are “big picture” people. In other words, they may only be concerned with your program as it relates to the overall “big picture” of the school environment and curriculum. A building principal may not seem as sympathetic to your scheduling request for more class time per week, because he or she is more concerned with standardized test scores. So, the key in this case would be to show how you and your program can be more of a vital piece to your building’s overall performance. Literacy is always a big push in schools now. Your responsibility is not to avoid this idea because “it doesn’t fit your program.” Rather, find ways to embrace this topic, but do it in such a way that benefits your program first and also helps out with your building’s overarching goals.

  For example, many of us already use word walls. If you don’t, seriously consider doing so. It’s a great visual way to reinforce the vocabulary to which you already hold your kids accountable. Any reading teacher will tell you that the greater someone’s vocabulary, the better he is at learning. By using a word wall, your kids stand a better chance of learning your information; other teachers and principals see that you are willing to embrace building objectives as well.

  There has also been a lot of research conducted recently documenting the connection between exercise and brain functioning. Basically, the more physically fit one is, the better his brain functions when learning. That in itself makes you, a physical education expert, even more invaluable than you already are! A great book to read on this subject is titled Spark, by Dr. John Ratay. It provides numerous examples of ways to use this information to your, and your school’s, advantage. It’s a must read! Now it’s easy for you to make the case that you are not in this only for your PE program. Your PE program now has more to offer the general student population.

• THE PUBLIC: All that this one takes is some work on your part. It’s pretty simple, but a little time consuming (but not too much, because the rewards are far worth your time!). Use every bit of media you can get hold of. If your building has a newsletter, publish in it as often as you can. Use pictures too! They are worth 1,000 words. Contact your local paper as well. If they hesitate to send a reporter out to write a story, submit one yourself! They are usually glad to accept well written pieces about school activities, especially at the elementary level.

  Again, don’t scrimp on the pictures. Kids and parents love to see these types of pictures displayed in the paper. Don’t wait to call a local TV station for a big event your PE program participates in every year. If you and your students take part in A.C.E.S. Day, or the national “Ride Your Bike to School Day,” or the PE Central Challenge, or any event like that, give them a call. A good place to start would be with a station that runs a “healthcast” segment in their news-cast. That may make it easier for them to see where your stories fit into their programming.

Hey, we know how important we are to our students. That’s a given. What is not a given, is how other influential people (parents, administrators, public) regard our program. It is up to us to do our best to ensure that these groups of people fully understand what we are all about. This is an ongoing process. It probably doesn’t ever end, and that’s fine, because we are worth it!

I have touched on a few examples of how to promote a physical education program. Of course, there are many more possibilities still out there. I hope that I got you thinking a little bit. If you have any other questions, or would like to know more about what we do here, just drop me a message at twiniecki@fmschools.org. I would love to hear from you.

- Tom Winiecki

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