Back to School ... In Person: Tips From the 2021 National Teachers of the Year

Back to School … In Person Tips From the 2021 National Teachers of the Year

By Larissa Brickach

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HAPE America’s National Teachers of the Year represent the “best of the best” in health and physical education. This August, as they made final preparations to head back to school, each of this year’s six winners shared their tips for the upcoming year.

All are excited to see their students again — in person — to start building strong connections in a way that just wasn’t possible during remote instruction.

Incorporating social and emotional learning into their classes will be a priority.

“If there’s anything the past year in education has made painfully obvious, it is the urgency of social-emotional education for our students,” says Eileen Tirado, adapted physical educator for The School District of Palm Beach County, Florida, and 2021 National Adapted Physical Education Teacher of the Year.

“Students need support and instruction to manage school and life. Skills like recognizing and managing emotions, being a good friend, controlling impulses, communicating effectively, and working with others are invaluable.”

Katie Kritek, 2021 National Dance Education Teacher of the Year, plans to address social and emotional learning in her dance curriculum at New Trier High School in Winnetka, IL, where she teaches along with three other dance instructors.

“My school is moving to a block schedule with 85 minutes per class,” says Kritek. “Our plan is to incorporate SEL into every class. This could be self-reflection, Shavasana, journaling, mindfulness, breathing, meditation, 22

Momentum • Fall 2021

Adapted physical educator Eileen Tirado, left, is excited to be working with students again in cooperative learning environments. Photo courtesy of The School District of Palm Beach County.

or relaxation. These would all be incorporated for roughly 10 minutes or so of class time.”

For Jeff Bartlett, health educator at Holten Richmond Middle School in Danvers, MA, and 2021 National Health Education Teacher of the Year, incorporating SEL into his lessons is pretty seamless.

“Since we follow the National Health Education Standards, there are tons of natural connections between what we do every day in health education and social-emotional learning,” says Bartlett.

“I’ve always made sure to check in with my students at the start of each class, and throughout class, too. It’s a small investment with big rewards.”

Bartlett recommends that health educators use the SHAPE America Health Education/SEL Crosswalk to

see how the National Health Education Standards align with SEL competencies.

A similar document, SHAPE America’s Physical Education/SEL Crosswalk, can be used to align SHAPE America’s National Standards for K-12 Physical Education with SEL competencies.

Kyle Bragg, 2021 National Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year, often recommends the PE/SEL Crosswalk.

“It’s helpful to intentionally embed the SEL competencies within your lessons rather than making them an ‘add on,’” says Bragg, who teaches at Anasazi Elementary School in Scottsdale, AZ. “For example, we play a game called Thankful Tag. When students get tagged, they tell me what they are thankful for, demonstrating the SEL competency of Social Awareness. This

Q&A

Q: Do you have any tips for addressing issues of equity, inclusion & accessibility in health and physical education?

EILEEN TIRADO Adapted Physical Education For adapted/inclusive physical education, the goal is to help your students reach their full potential.

Create an inclusive environment which emphasizes respect, acceptance, and cooperation as core values so your class values differences and prioritizes inclusivity. Talk to your students about expectations and discuss what inclusion means for everyone.

viewpoints, and opinions. Health class needs to be accessible to everyone because health class is for everyone. Create class norms together to let student voices be heard. Set expectations when you cover sexuality, drug use, or other sensitive topics to help create an inclusive and accessible environment for all.

KATIE KRITEK Dance Education Plan ways to incorporate lessons on equity. We developed a comprehensive list of dancers, choreographers, and dance companies featuring people of color. We will teach about their achievements and history, celebrate their lives, and show video footage of them dancing (or of their choreography). Invite students with special needs into your dance classes as well.

JEFF BARTLETT Health Education Every student brings with them their own experiences,

improves the classroom climate while also still meeting the chasing/fleeing outcomes from other tag games.”

Middle school can be a difficult time for many kids, and Jennifer Werner, 2021 National Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year, takes that to heart. She knows that teaching social-emotional skills at these grade levels can have major benefits,

this so everyone can do it?” Also, incorporate students’ backgrounds and cultures into activities when possible.

JENNIFER WERNER Middle School Physical Education Be careful with the words you use.

Make the extra effort to ensure all kids feel safe and loved regardless of your beliefs or views on sensitive topics. Ask for help when you don’t know how to handle a situation or student. I have learned in education you need to be vulnerable and not too prideful to reach out for help.

SHANNON MALY High School Physical Education

KYLE BRAGG Elementary Physical Education Every student, regardless of ability or background, has a need to belong and must always be included, accepted, and respected in PE. Give students ownership and allow them to take the lead in this by asking them “How can we change

including empowering students to make better choices.

“I meet the kids where they are,” says Werner, who teaches at Wentzville Middle School in Wentzville, MO. “Everyone marches to the beat of their own drum, and I need to be creative in creating relationships and lessons to reach every student. It’s not a ‘one and done’ approach.”

Check all facilities and equipment ahead of time to ensure accessibility for all students. Make sure you have modifications to your lessons and equipment to meet the needs of all learners.

Currently all students in our district participate in a swimming unit. We are reevaluating our swim policy to make sure it is more inclusive for all students.

Werner has her students set goals, self-reflect and engage in mindfulness activities. But to her, building relationships with students comes first.

This was echoed by Shannon Maly, 2021 National High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year.

“Take time to get to know your students and build relationships before (continued on next page) Fall 2021 • Momentum

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B A C K T O S C H O O L … I N P E R S O N (continued)

Middle school physical educator Jenner Werner enjoys organizing the Special Olympics track and field event at her school.

(continued from previous page) diving into your content,” says Maly, physical education teacher at Sun Prairie High School in Sun Prairie, WI. “I spend the first few weeks on community-building activities to help students feel safe and welcome.

Students’ success is driven by the relationship you build from the start.”

TRAUMA-SENSITIVE TEACHING As students across the country return to schools in person, many are dealing with trauma related to the pandemic — and until they feel physically and emotionally safe, they will not be prepared to engage in learning. Teachers must create a traumasensitive learning environment, and an important part of that is developing strong relationships and connections with students.

“Students should be met where they are at emotionally,” says Kritek. “It is important to understand how hard the past year and a half has been and how much students feel they have lost.”

For Maly, scheduling time for individual check-ins is a great way to get high schoolers to open up. “Three times during the semester, I have my students 24

Momentum • Fall 2021

Elementary students engage in a mindfulness activity in Kyle Bragg’s physical education class.

schedule a 1:1 with me,” she says. “They talk about school, work and home.”

In addition to reaching out to every student, Werner recommends making a few positive phone calls home each week to different students’ families. “Every student can be acknowledged in a positive way,” she says.

Another important component of trauma-sensitive instruction is setting expectations and creating routines, something that was missing for many students during distance learning.

“Students have been so used to setting their own schedules, it is important to establish routine,” says Bragg. “For me, a trauma-sensitive environment is

one that safely establishes routine and expectations while embedding SEL into those routines. I have changed how we start class in order to capture this concept.”

If possible, involve your students in the process of setting classroom expectations and routines. Allowing for student voice and choice can have many positive benefits.

The bottom line? This year in particular, make it a priority to assess and address your students’ emotional needs — and your own. Model healthy habits for physical and mental health. Prioritize self-care. And always remember … you are changing lives and you are not alone.

The First 90 Days We asked our National Teachers of the Year to share their “must do” tips for the first 90 days of school.

TOP TIPS DISTRICTS | SCHOOLS | TEACHERS | COACHES STUDENTS | Athletics

Here’s what they recommend: n Be

prepared prior to the school year starting and before you teach a unit or lesson. Take the time to preplan and always show up early to get set up.

n Memorize

your students’ names. They will respect you more. Look at your rosters with pictures each night for a couple of weeks if necessary.

n Try

to greet students at the door each day to say hello, talk individually if needed, and get a read on how they are feeling as they enter.

n Students

need to feel safe before they can effectively learn, so start by building a trusting relationship and safe classroom environment.

Transition into content slowly.

n Establish

routines and practice them early and often. Don’t assume students know where equipment goes, how to get along with peers, or where the bathroom is. off with high and clear expectations. If you include your students in setting expectations, they will be more likely to “buy in.”

n Identify

students with medical needs, IEPs and 504 plans. Get to know as much as you can about your students by talking with other student service providers, paraprofessionals, parents, and teachers.

n Build

relationships with administration, teachers, paraprofessionals, the school nurse, and student service providers (speech pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist).

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n Reach

out to families with positive notes or phone calls. It takes a few minutes out of your day, but helps build relationships between you, students, and their families.

n Communicate

with students often on their level through social media, email, Google Classroom, etc.

n Start

n Follow

n Work

n Stay

on cooperative/teambuilding activities early and often. Once you have

a positive climate, other standards and objectives will come easier.

through with what you say you are going to do. Be gentle in correcting students; don’t embarrass them by yelling at them. off your cell phone if you do not want your students to use theirs.

Fall 2021 • Momentum

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