SPARK

I've begun reading a book called Spark which details the connection between exercise and the brain. While reading I found an important note that couldn't have explained physical education better..."What we teach is a healthy lifestyle." Who could argue that healthy living isn't a crucial component of life! I think about schools that do not have physical education or that are cutting PE time to add more or to lengthen "core academic type" courses, and it saddens me. Think about the way in which we function as adults throughout our professional day. Imagine those days in which you are tired, have a cold, the flu, but you still show up to work functioning at minimal capacity. We do not function the same on those days as we would on our healthy days. We don't think the same, we don't process the same, nor to we interact with others in the same way. Being healthy is the foundation for ALL aspects of life and the quality in which we live it. It is our goal as physical education teachers to introduce kids to a variety of activities so they can fall in love with being active and maintain this lifestyle for a lifetime. We don't teach "content" we teach a lifestyle. To be continued...