I feel very strongly that my mission and my calling is teaching elementary Physical Education. I believe that part of that mission is to help each child "Find Their Fitness." What does that mean? Well, it is no secret that children as well as adults are more likely to stick with activities that they like or enjoy. Enjoyment and fun comes in many forms. Far many people it is the thrill of sports, for others it is a peaceful walk or jog in a park or in nature, for some it is a laid back game of corn hole. Even those different activities have different approaches. While some may enjoy playing a sport, they may not enjoy being competitive. Any activity you do can be turned into a competition. For decades, public school Physical Education classes have been centered and focused on sports and competitive activities. Where as I am not opposed to sports and competition (I was highly competitive in softball throughout high school and on to college), I am opposed to passive exclusion. I believe that elementary PE is not the appropriate vehicle to teach the advanced skills needed to be successful in the rigors of competitive sports. I believe my job as an elementary PE teacher is: 1. To make sure that EVERY student who walks into my gym feels excited and ready to try something new. 2. That I provide a safe learning and performing environment for EVERY student. The traditional PE curriculum has not purposefully done that and as a result has passively excluded some of our students. Does this mean that I am an everyone gets a trophy fan or supporter? By all means, NO. Part of my mission is to help students find that joy so that they can stay physically active for the rest of their lives.
3rd-5th grade PE classes will be divided into two sections; HOPE and ROPE. Dividing the classes this way will allow us to give our students the best possible PE education. HOPE stands for High Octane PE, and ROPE stands for Regular Octane PE. HOPE will have a more competitive environment during game play. ROPE will have a less competitive and more participatory environment during game play.
ROPE students will join HOPE students in the unit game of the day. Although ROPE and HOPE students will be in the same gym/field, they will only play against each other within their ROPE and HOPE groups. Expectations for ROPE students is to perform to the best of their ability while following PE rules and procedures. The students call this "Gentle PE" !
The HOPE group will participate in the same games as the ROPE class, but will only compete/participate with other HOPE students. This will allow the HOPE students to be more competitive in their game play.
Students are able to CHOOSE which group they want to be in each day.
Implementing HOPE and ROPE into the PE environment promotes differentiation for all students. I developed HOPE and ROPE with the intentions of embracing every child's athletic abilities and celebrating them. I don't want a single student to walk into our gym and feel insecure or timid.