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PROMOTING
PROGRAM RESPECT AND EXCITEMENT AMONG
TEACHERS AND OTHER STAFF MEMBERS AT
THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL: CREATING A COOPERATIVE
TEACHER WINTER OLYMPICS
Written
by:
LOU ANN MILLER AND LARRY CARR, Mohawk
Elementary School
PSAHPERD 2008 Outstanding Physical Education
Program Award Winner
One of the many challenges about teaching
in a “special content area”
is gaining the respect of the peers
within your building. Quite often, judgments
made may be based upon the personal
experiences that others have had, and
those experiences tend to become lifetime
memories. If your physical education
experience was a negative one, it probably
meant that you were the last one picked
for a game, and, probably the first
one eliminated. It might have meant
that your scores were always the lowest
when it was time to do some type of
fitness assessment and everyone in the
class knew it because they were standing
around watching and snickering.
Or, you may have spent the entire class
period waiting for your opportunity
to participate, one that you never received.
Hence, these and other bad memories
became ingrained in the minds of all
adults who were affected by poor-quality
developmentally inappropriate physical
education programs. These include parents
of the children we teach (some of whom
comprise school board membership), classroom
teachers (our peers), and administrators
who have the power for deciding upon
program existence.
Those of us that have implemented the
“new physical education”
know the positive impact that we are
having in the lives of our children,
but how do we educate and sell our programs
to other teachers and adults that are
not in our content area? In an attempt
to resolve this matter, we, the physical
education teachers at Mohawk Elementary
School, created an enjoyable and engaging
school-wide physical activity event,
the Teacher Olympics, designed
to specifically involve them. Since
its inception, the Winter Teacher Olympics
is held in December the week prior to
Christmas break. It has become so successful
that last year the classroom teachers
requested another program, the Summer
Teacher Olympics, held each May to celebrate
National Physical Education and Sport
Month.
The uniqueness of each Olympic program,
which captures interest to participate
in and respect for appropriately enjoyable
physical activity, are the underlying
themes of cooperation and team-building.
While competitive in nature, the nature
of the competition is for teacher teams,
comprised of varying abilities and ages,
to collaborate toward successful achievement
that promotes enjoyment and collegiality.
All told, the Teacher Winter Olympics
celebrates a community of teachers and
staff coming together for the spirit
of cooperative competition and demotes
the atmosphere of “only the athletic
will achieve” (as they came to
know in their past unpleasant physical
education experiences).
The Teacher Winter Olympics are four
to five events that we create. Teachers
from various grade levels compete against
each other for a gold or silver medal.
Students are able to make signs or posters,
come to the gym to watch and cheer them
on. What’s accomplished is 1)
the opportunity for students to see
their teachers in a different environment
that displays them as individuals able
to play, and 2) the teachers extending
themselves as good role models outside
the traditional classroom environment
in which the students are accustomed
to seeing them. The teachers do a great
job of showing cooperation and good
sportsmanship by following the rules
and shaking hands at the end. Also,
a bonus for the teachers is that they
can dress down that day by wearing appropriate
Olympic attire.
The Teacher Winter Olympics starts
by having an opening ceremony. A class
is chosen for the torch relay and the
lighting of the Olympic flame. The class
that is chosen takes this responsibility
very seriously and considers it an honor
to be chosen. Kindergarten, first, second,
and third grade teachers compete against
each other first, with those students
watching. When finished, they return
to their classrooms and the fourth,
fifth, sixth, and special teacher teams
compete with those students watching.
After the torch relay, the Olympic
creed is read out loud, which is meant
to spur the athletes to embrace the
Olympic spirit and to perform to the
best of their abilities. It reads “The
most important thing in the Olympic
Games is not to win but to take part,
just as the most important thing in
life is not the triumph but the struggle.
The essential thing is not to have conquered
but to have fought well."
After the creed is read, the teams are
introduced and are asked to raise their
right hand and take the Olympic oath,
which reads, "In the name of
all competitors, I promise that we shall
take part in these Olympic Games, respecting
and abiding by the rules that govern
them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship,
for the glory of sport and the honor
of our teams."
The creed and oath are both key concepts
that our program trys to instill in
the lives of the students we teach.
Our principal is the official and starts
the games by saying, “Let
the Games Begin.”
The events for the Olympics are meant
to mirror those of the official Olympic
events held every four years. The Winter
Olympic events are the hockey shoot,
team buddy boards (cross country skiing),
biathlon, and everyone’s favorite,
human curling. We were amazed at the
first Olympics by the teachers’
enthusiasm. Some grade levels named
themselves and had t-shirts made with
their name on them. Others made a huge
banner and ran through it (like at a
football game), and the students went
ecstatic. For the Winter Olympics, some
teachers wore hats, scarves, and gloves
to represent the “winter”
in Winter Olympics.
At the completion of the games, an
awards ceremony is held during which
the gold and silver medals are awarded
to the first and second place teams,
respectively. Through the support of
administration, we provide the gold
metal winners with either an extra wellness
or recess period, which motivates and
excites the students, consequently encouraging
the teachers to try their best.
The essence of creating and implementing
this extra-curricular program, Winter
Teacher Olympics, is one of many ways
physical educators at the elementary
school level can capture the attention
and gain the respect of their peers
about developmentally appropriate quality
physical education. Motivation - by
engagement of all teachers and staff
at Mohawk Elementary School through
these unique, fun-filled events - (we
believe) has accomplished this goal.
It has been evident by their enthusiasm
and support extended to our program.
Because the first Olympics’ were
so successful, we were asked to create
an additional “special team”
for some of our special teachers, school
secretary, and a custodial staff to
participate in. Next year our PTO has
asked if they could also have a team.
Since its inception, some teachers
and staff have provided suggestions
on new events and have given us feedback.
Working with the suggestions and feedback
promotes staff ownership into the program
and a sense of worthwhile and meaningful
opportunities for mutual support, all
to benefit the students. If you wish
to promote your program, raise awareness
to all others significant to the livelihood
of quality education programs directly
associated with your school;
we illustrate our creativity of a Teacher
Winter Olympics as one means of getting
other staff members excited about the
“new physical education.”
Don’t be afraid to try new endeavors
and be creative. You will have critics
in every building that will give you
a million reasons why things will not
work. Be positive, have a good attitude,
and support and respect will follow.
To that end, the greatest beneficiaries,’
whom we all work together for the common
cause, are the students.
Kindergarten
teachers proudly display their Gold
metals.
Second
grade teachers (below, right)
dressed in winter hats and ear
muffs.
Students
(left) proudly display
a poster they made for one of our custodial
staff on the “special team.”
Teachers
(photo
right) competing in one of the
kids’ favorite events, human curling.
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