Excuses, Excuses

Ah, the classic gym class excuse. Remember the days when all you had to do was forge your mom’s name on a note to get out of dodgeball? Well those days are long gone (and so is dodgeball!).

We love this "Can Do List" that Tim McCord, PE4life Academy Director, Titusville Area School District, Titusville, PA created to focus on what a sick or injured student can do for physical activity, rather than what they can’t do. Use this letter to help get your wheels turning on what YOU can do to help involve ALL students in your PE program.

And just for the fun of it, here are some ridiculously hilarious excuses (taken from strangeplaces.net). Got a better one? Leave it in the comments below.

• My son is under a doctor's care and should not take P.E. today. Please execute him.
• Please excuse Lisa for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot.
• Dear School: Please ekscuse John being absent on Jan. 28, 29, 30, 31,32, and also 33.
• Please excuse Gloria from Jim today. She is administrating.
• Please excuse Roland from P.E. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip.
• John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face.
• Carlos was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hurt in the growing part.
• Megan could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very close veins.
• Please excuse Ray Friday from school. He has very loose vowels.
• Please excuse Tommy for being absent yesterday. He had diarrhea and his boots leak.
• Irving was absent yesterday because he missed his bust.
• Please excuse Jimmy for being. It was his father's fault.
• Please excuse Jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it Monday, we thought it was Sunday.
• Sally won't be in school a week from Friday. We have to attend her funeral.
• My daughter was absent yesterday because she was tired. She spent a weekend with the Marines.
• Please excuse Jason for being absent yesterday. He had a cold and could not breed well.
• Please excuse Mary for being absent yesterday. She was in bed with gramps.
• Gloria was absent yesterday as she was having a gangover.
• Please excuse Burma, she has been sick and under the doctor.
• Maryann was absent December 11-16, because she had a fever, sore throat, headache and upset stomach. Her sister was also sick, fever and sore throat, her brother had a low grade fever and ached all over. I wasn't the best either, sore throat and fever. There must be something going around, her father even got hot last night.

Coach

Thanks to C.J. Cain, Physical Education Teacher at Panther Run Elementary School (Lake Worth, FL) for providing this opinion piece.

“Coach” - one who instructs or trains ; especially : one who instructs players in the fundamentals of a competitive sport and directs team strategy

“Teacher” - one that teaches; especially : one whose occupation is to instruct

I’ve wrestled with my thoughts on being called “Coach” Cain for years. Here in Florida Physical Education teachers are often called “Coach”. I believe that everyone is a teacher to someone. Maybe it’s our children, our neighbors, the students under our supervision; in one way or another we teach others through our actions. I certainly consider myself a teacher and not just a “Coach”.

I look at how Physical Education is widely viewed in schools. We’re widely seen and regarded as “coaches” as Webster defines the word “instructs players in the fundamentals of a competitive sport and directs team strategy”. This is old-school Physical Education. This is not how we should be defined and we should move away from the sports-model of PE.

By allowing ourselves to be called “coaches” are we in a way allowing ourselves to be seen as lesser than what we are? We already have the US Dept. of Education, and state/local school boards of education and school administrators not valuing Physical Education. Our profession as a whole does not have the perception in the public that we wish to or should have. It leads to the questions of “How do we change the way Physical Education teachers are viewed and valued in our country”? “What can we do?”

Many of us out there are doing great things. Many of us within our local schools, local districts, state/national level and in some cases internationally are being recognized for the things we are doing. How do we get more people to pay attention and to learn about these great PE programs that exist? To understand what we do and our importance in schools? How do we move all Physical Education teachers forward?

Many questions crossing my mind lately. I watched a great documentary film over the weekend and thought – wouldn’t it be powerful if there was a documentary film on how childhood obesity is impacting our children. A really personal documentary following children throughout their day, home and school. Feel that would help the public understand just how serious this epidemic is.

Would also be a great film looking at the failing of the American Physical Education system. Show the “roll out the ball” teacher vs. someone like a George Velarde and his amazing program in Sierra Vista, CA. This entire diatribe from me speaks to the need for us to have serious conversations about our roll within education and how we can improve what we do for this generation and future generations of children….

I’m now officially off my soap box. :)

Christopher J. Cain

Panther Run Elementary Physical Education

Lake Worth, FL

Northwest Arkansas Project

PE4life Arkansas is excited to begin professional development and trainings with 10 schools in NWA! Thanks to the Care Foundation, PE4life has granted 5 previously funded schools and 5 newly funded schools to receive unique professional development and apply for equipment scholarships.

The previously awarded schools are in Springdale, Arkansas – Hellstern Middle School; JO Kelly Middle School; Tyson Middle School: Bentonville, Arkansas – Old High Middle School; and in Siloam Springs, Arkansas – Siloam Springs Middle School.

They will receive a one day PE4life training; two days of Project Adventure and an evening with Jean Blaydes Madigan featuring Action Based Learning. Each of these schools may apply for up to $5,000 in equipment scholarships.

The newly funded schools are in Springdale – Bayarri Elementary; Parson Hills Elementary;  Bernice Young Elementary and Central Jr. High: Siloam Springs – Siloam Springs Elementary.

They will receive a two day Intro to PE4life training; two days of SPARK and a day with Jean Blaydes Madigan featuring Action Based Learning. Each of these schools may apply for up to $10,000 in equipment scholarships.

This is the first of a three year project through the Care Foundation that will enhance previously funded schools to continue and develop their programs and start up new programs in schools that show progress. The hope is to grow these programs in this NWA and showcase each of these schools for future trainings.

To learn more about PE4life's efforts in Arkansas visit http://arkansas.pe4life.org.