PROMOTING YOUR PHYSICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
By: Tom Winiecki

Do you ever feel that you are the "best kept secret" around? What you do and what you can offer is just so important that you find it hard to believe that no one really knows, or understands what you are really all about? If only they would ask.

Well, guess what? Don't wait around for them to ask. Take it upon yourself to tell them what you are. But here's the key: do it in the context of how you fit into what they are trying to do. On the surface, to the "uninformed," you are simply a scheduled break in a classroom teacher's day. Now let me preface this by saying that certainly this is not the case everywhere. There are schools out there that understand the importance of our subject matter and respect its place in the school as a whole. If you are a part of one such building, or district, congratulations! Your hard work spent promoting your program has been successful. Keep up the good work! I hope I can offer you a few more insights into how you can continue to promote your program. For those of us not as fortunate to have reached this point yet, read on. I will try my best to give you some tips in promoting what you do on a daily basis in an effort to gain the respect that you so richly deserve.

Fit into District's Master Plan

Let me begin by saying that we are not an entity to ourselves. We cannot see ourselves as professionals that get our daily classes, teach them to the best of our ability, and then let them go, only to get the next class on our schedule that day. I truly believe that if we choose this path, we are doomed to spin our wheels saying that no one understands what we do and how important we are.

Being physically fit, for fitness sake; or having polished motor skills, just for skill sake is not enough anymore! There has to be a reason beyond this for doing what we do.

With the understanding that we indeed are an integral part of any building's or district's overall success, it's important that we take the steps necessary to show our connections to what our building, or district wants to accomplish. The first step would be to find your district's "mission statement." My guess is that you could easily find this on the district's web site, the district office, or your own building's main office. This, simply stated, will tell you where your district wants to go and how it plans on getting there.

Now all you have to do is plug in what you do to match up to and reinforce the district's goals. Many districts have statements like this that relate to "the learner in the 21st century." They lay out all that they want their students to be able to do to meet the demands of the 21st century. My thinking is that the more that you can match your physical education program's goals and objectives to those of your district, the better chance you have in successfully promoting what you have to offer. You will become more of an accepted contributor to the success of your students.

One example on a district's mission statement could read something like: "All students will meet or exceed the state performance standards in all content areas." Now, all you need to do is add what the physical education performance standards are for your particular state. For me, in New York State, for the commencement level, one goal is to have students achieve competency in six sport/physical activities, and achieve proficiency in three sport/physical activities all in different categories. You would just need to find what this is for your particular state. But why stop there? You can always take it a step farther by adding national (NASPE) goals. You would now be saying that you are holding your program to a higher standard. You not only work to meet your district's goals for your students, but you are also working to meet state and national expectations for your students as well.

While holding yourself to these higher standards, it does put some more pressure on you and your program. You are putting yourself on the line, so to speak, in saying that you will go the extra mile to be "above and beyond" the regular PE program. And there is nothing wrong with this!

Another such "district goal" may read something like, "All students will gain the skills necessary to adapt and thrive as a contributing member of a global community." Here is where you can really make some headway! All that you already do and teach about fitness and its relationship to wellness, health, and learning goes right here! We have a tremendous amount to give to our students, their families and to the community in general. You should envision your entire program embracing current research that says that the better one's fitness level is, the better one's test scores will be. You can also apply the current neurological research that says that once someone reaches a moderate level of sustained physical activity (within a target heart rate range), neurogenesis actually takes place. Brain cells actually multiply, and the synapses between those cells actually both increase in number and efficiency. Sounds like a pretty good deal for all educators, not just us!

While exercise is not a "magic pill" that will automatically make you smarter, it will ready one's brain to assimilate information easier. Show people that your classes are designed to reach this aerobic threshold. Again, you are not just holding your program to the district's standards and expectations; you are basing what you do on current research findings. A pretty good selling point, I would think! Again, you are putting your program in a light that says all that you do (fitness, skill acquisition…) is important not only for the obvious health benefits; but also for putting your students in a better position to succeed academically, once they leave your classroom. Again, you are showing everyone that you are a big part of the big picture!

Envision this as an opportunity to show how you ready one's brain for the rest of the school day. Show how you make the connection between a morning physical education class; and the chance to function at a higher level in academic classes later that morning. Physical education can now be viewed as "Miracle-Gro for the brain!"

I found this information and the quote about "Miracle-Gro" from the book, Spark, The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, by John J. Ratey, M.D. Without giving the books contents to you, it dramatically covers exercise's effects on learning, stress, anxiety, depression, attention deficit and other areas. It begins by describing the physical education program in Naperville Illinois that many of you may already be familiar with, and how they were able to expand the acceptance and importance of their program by making the connection between exercise and learning. It is a must read for any physical educator!

I also have collected links to files explaining this connection in more depth. I have shared many of these with building and district administrators in my district and they were all impressed with these findings. You can find them on our school’s physical education web site at our Mott Road Physical Education site.

We, as physical educators are not a separate entity. Rather we are another vital part of our students' education. We provide them the opportunity to increase their own levels of fitness and skill, as well as a way to increase their appreciation for and love of physical activity. I see us as physical education faculties, stressing to our students the fact that fitness is individual. The fastest runner is not always working at an optimum level to improve fitness. "No pain, no gain" is no longer the goal. Many of us do this already. This is no time to stop! Continue this emphasis on the individual and their improvement. Those kids that buy into this (and don't worry, if you keep at this approach, they will love it!) will be the ones that will be a direct extension of your public relations efforts. They will be able to speak positively to what you do in classes each day. This kind of positive message from a student will go a long way in presenting your program as a vital, positive part of your school.

Through using heart rate monitors, we can show our students that a target range of heart rate (beats/minute), not speed of movement is the key to developing fitness. As we said before, by reaching this level of exertion, you also provide the opportunity to improve academically. Where else can people possibly get such a package? And from a district's standpoint, you can do this with the help of technology. They are always looking for ways to integrate technology into instruction; especially if one of their missions is to prepare learners for the 21st century.

Where to Begin?
My goal is to be the topic of conversation at the dinner table somewhere in my district EVERY NIGHT! I want someone so excited about my class that they can't wait to share with others about what they did. You see we don't have to settle for just "being a break." For those of you out there who have been blessed with children of your own, do you remember what you wished for your unborn child? It probably wasn't an Ivy League education, or a well-paying career. My guess is that it was simply to have them be healthy. Anything else was a distant second. I know this, because it was exactly what I wished for my own children.

Open Houses
The question now becomes: "how do I get this message out?" We have all done open houses for years. Open houses are a great way to expose parents to what you are doing. The problem is that they happen only once a year. The other problem with open houses is that they usually involve the entire building. This often is too many people to meet, resulting in too little time to interact with each. It's either - student: "Hi, Mr. Winiecki, these are my parents." You: "Hi, it is very nice to meet you." Parent: "We have heard so much about you. Our daughter just loves gym." Or, it is a situation where you never even get to talk to most of the people that attend. Sound familiar?

Special Nights
So, find a way to increase your odds beyond the traditional Open House. First, take stock of what you do. What activity is a huge hit with your kids? What can't your kids get enough of? No matter what the grade level, I'm sure that there are activities that fit the bill. Now, make a night of it. Set up a night where you only bring in one grade level. But don't just send home a flier advertising it. Phrase it in a way to make it more exciting. Say something like: "You are invited to our special night. But, you will need a ticket to get into the gym. That ticket is your parents! And when you do come, you can't exercise unless your parents exercise with you." This sets the tone, showing it won't be a night where the kids run free and the parents stand on the side and talk to each other.

The theme of these nights is really secondary. What is really important is that you create a chance to tell parents what you are all about. They may come in with the mindset that they want to "play" with their kids. Or they may want to stand on the side and just watch, because it is only 'gym.' Here's your chance to change some minds. Make the point of telling all involved about the fitness the kids are gaining and how it will help them, both physically and academically! Or better yet, create situations where the kids do the talking for you. It will mean more coming from them. Also, don’t forget to make the point that by joining in with their own children, the parents can reap those same benefits as well! They will sleep sounder, wake up more refreshed, have more energy for the day, and be able to concentrate better at work. Exercise is not just for the kids anymore!

Why Stop There?
Your district's support for your program is important. Your students' parents support is equally important. You may ask, "Why bother with anyone else?" Here's why:

If the community in general does not fully understand what you are up to, you will be limited in what your program can do to grow. True, the parents of your students are a small part of this general community. They are your spokes-persons when conversations happen "over the backyard fence." Word of mouth is a powerful thing, but why stop there? My guess is your building and district has its own newsletters. Make it your priority to have something in that newsletter every issue! Don't forget the pictures, too. Everyone wants to see their kids in the paper, so take advantage of this opportunity. Don't stop there either. If your town has a local newspaper, submit something at least once a month. Again, making the point of how your program is important on its own, as well as how it is important to the academic success of your students, will make your articles more acceptable to the paper.

Community Promotions
Part of our struggle is teaching our kids what they can do outside of school to carry-over our lessons. Telling them what they can do is not the hard part. The hard part is following up to make sure they really did it. There may be a way to accomplish both, at least on a limited basis, while promoting your program at the same time.

Most areas around the country have organizations that sponsor road races. Some of these events also include "fun runs." If you are fortunate enough to find these events, get involved! Put fliers in the school's newsletter and send fliers home with the kids. Talk about the event almost every day. Once at the event, take tons of pictures and put them in your newsletter, web site, and the local paper. An event like this can soon become a bit of a tradition in your program. Make sure that you participate as well. You certainly don’t have to be a big time runner, and your kids will know that. What they will see is another adult taking the time to do something that is important to them. Basically you are saying to "do as I say AND as I do!" Your role modeling has just extended outside the walls of your gym.

If there isn't such an event where you are, find out what you can do to get one started. Maybe your local running club or high school cross country team would want to help. It may not even be running, if that’s not for you. There is a national "Walk to School Day" in the spring. Give it a try and remember, don't be easily discouraged.

Use the Local Media
As the saying goes, "everyone loves a good story." What you have going in your classroom (gym, pool, weight room, field, trail…) is certainly worthy of telling. Use as many media outlets as you can think of. This is your chance to tell your story, the way you want to tell it. Look to move beyond the caption of the picture that just states the kids' names and what they are doing. Take this chance to really tell people what you are teaching, and more importantly what the students are learning! Make sure to explain what learning standards these featured students are working toward, as well as what performance benchmarks they are attaining.

Fitness is one core of what we are all about. Make sure to tie in any and all fitness concepts and skills that your students are featured doing. Bring in the current research that shows how improved fitness scores will yield improved student concentration and academic test scores. This can really hit home if you make this point before a big grade level test in your building. You are now showing how your curriculum is helping your students excel not only with you, but with their other "academic" subjects as well.

And don't stop at print. Don't overlook television. I'll bet you can get a local TV station to your school once a year! We have been on TV 5-6 times, so I know it can be done. A few of our local stations run health-related segments each day. I called them to find out if what we were doing would apply to their broadcasts. With all of the press childhood obesity is getting, anything that you do to combat this is welcome information for them. You’ll love it when someone comes up to you and says, "It certainly wasn't like this when I was in school!" Remember, without your tireless efforts all year, your students' health is at risk. How much more important could you possibly be? I hope that you are able to find some ideas here that will help you promote your program in a way that gets your contribution noticed as vital to your school's success. Enjoy your school year!

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