In the Zone Issue 1 / Fall 2020
Moving Forward Mindfully The importance of health. moves. minds.® in the era of COVID-19 KRYSTAL FORSYTH Physical Education Teacher, French Road Elementary School (Rochester, NY)
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sychoneuroimmunology — “the study of the effect of the mind on health and resistance to disease” — has been my favorite word since I learned about it in grad school. The word is as valuable as it is long, and no matter what grade level or subject I am teaching, I present the idea of psychoneuroimmunology to help students understand the full effect that one’s perspective has on their life and health. For example, when asked how your day went you might respond in two very different ways depending on whether you focus on the peaks or the valleys. If you focus on the peaks you might say, “I woke up before the alarm, had a great workout, and didn’t run into any traffic on the way to school.” But if you focus on the valleys that might become “I forgot to charge my phone, I dropped my badge somewhere in the hallway, and I forgot to cancel my appointment.” I’m not saying we should ignore the valleys and push them away, because we understand the ramifications of bottling up negative energy. Imagine a young child dealing with their own valleys and not knowing what to do when their valleys become overwhelming. Just as we need to sort through our feelings and manage them, we need to teach our students and children how to do the same. The idea itself is not new, but the idea of SHAPE America’s health. moves. minds. program is new — and it could not have come at a better time. The program is designed to inspire healthy habits and teach kids to thrive physically and emotionally.
Third graders at French Road Elementary learned SEL skills in physical education class through the health. moves. minds. program.
The health. moves. minds. program can be adapted for distance learning! Here is a video of one @HOME activity.
TEACHING SEL SKILLS SHAPE America’s health. moves. minds. program offers lessons and activities that teach kids to thrive physically and emotionally — and includes flexible fundraising options to help you make the biggest impact in your school and community. You can share your success with health. moves. minds. — and bring national attention to your school — by contributing to In the Zone! If interested, email healthmovesminds@shapeamerica.org.
We can all imagine how necessary social and emotional learning will be in the 2020-2021 school year. You may have students who are upset because their best friend attends school on opposite days as them or because their family decided on remote-only learning and they are isolated from (continued on page 4)
Learn more and register at healthmovesminds.org
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