Thank You Saint Mary's

Monday, May 09th of 2011, was my final day at Saint Mary's.  So I would first like to thank everyone at Saint Mary's Elementary School, for giving me the experience that I need to become a better, and improved Physical Educator.  And I would also like to thank Dr. Yang for making all of this possible.  I cannot begin to explain how much I learned over this past semester.  It was a wonderful pleasure getting the opportunity to make myself more prepared for when I enter the teaching world.  As much fun as I had, the kids really enjoyed the time when my class was there.  Our final lab was a little different than the previous five.  At the end of the lab, we did an awesome, energetic dance/song that really capped off our experience at Saint Mary's.  This was a wonderful experience being at Saint Mary's, which made me be a more confident Physical Educator.

My Worst Experience in Movement

This is a presentation I did for my Motor Development class, explaining my personal worst experience in movement.  When i was a senior in high school, i was the starting quarterback the football team at Schenectady High School.  We made history that year, giving Schenectady High School it's first Division Title ever.  We made it to the Section II Championship game, where we unfortunately lost.  To make matters worse, my final pass of high school career was intercepted.  This day is a day that I will never forget.  No one is perfect, and we all experience failure from time to time.  I will do my best to one day teach my students to obtain a passion for something that they love, no matter what it is.

Worst Experience in Movement on Prezi

Easter Time At St. Mary's: Lab 5

Lab 5 at Saint Mary's went very well.  All of us chose wonderful games that not only went along with our Easter Theme, but a lot of competition with the older kids definitely took place.  My group was the Special Projects group at this lab.  There wasnt much for us to do around the school, so we were pretty much the floater group.  But being the floater group, i learned actually learned quite a bit.  Dr. Yang came over to where we were and asked us questions about one of the games that was going on.  The cafeteria group was playing a soccer game where they had to kick the soccer ball at targets that were worth a certain amount of points taped to the wall.  Dr. Yang came over and began asking us questions about this game, and what we thought of it.  Off the top of my head, i said it was a very well-done game.  But he asked us to look more into depth with the game, and how we could make the game better.  A big way to make this game better was to have the targets posted on an actual goal.  This way, there could be more success, awarding one point for just getting the ball in the goal.  As much thought as we put into our games, a big part in planning these games comes after the game is actually played with the kids.  It may seem like a perfect game on paper, but the real assesment of the games comes after the games are actually completed.  Over all, we had a very good lab at Saint Mary's.  Ian designed a wonderful obstacle course, Mike put together a perfect song, and Jess finished the day with a great chant to conclude our Lab 5 Easter Theme at Saint Mary's.

Saint Mary's Lab Four: Dinosaur Theme

Lab four at Saint Mary's was quite different for me.  My group was in the Pre-K room, with a focus on our cool Dinosaur Theme.  Switching from being in the gym over the past two labs, I was excited to experience something a little different.  Even when i worked for the YMCA, being around kids this young was definately a new experience, so it was a little intimidating at first.  As soon as I got into the Pre-K room, I began playing with building blocks with a small group of boys.  I noticed that all four of the kids wanted to grab my attention as soon as they got comfortable around me.  There was one point when one little boy said to another, "Nick is playing with me, not you".  This shows that kids at this age, tend to attach themselves to adults once their comfort level is at a certain point. 
My job in the Pre-K room was to read a book a that went along with our Dinosaur Theme.  I was a little nervous at first, but I got a bit more comfortable once I started reading.  This is where I ran into some small issues.  One little boy who was sitting right infront of me, kept on getting on his knees to touch the book.  This caused an issue for some of the girls in the back because they couldnt see the pictures that I was displaying from the book.  I had to tell the little boy a few times to stay seated so everyone else in the class could see the book.  The other issue that I ran into was with a different little boy.  He began making burp like sounds over and over again.  I, as well as Jess, asked him numerous times to stop burping.  He didnt listen whatsoever, which then took the focus away from about seven other kids, who began to laugh.  This was definately frustrating, but something that I will definately learn from.  There are going to be kids like that in all classes, and we as teachers, have to keep going and try to prevent things like this from happening again.

Updates on Blogger and Online Portfolio

Over the past day, i have made some changes to my blog.  I added some dfferent colors into it and changed my background picture to a checkered flag blowing in the wind on a nice summer day.  I have also started creating an online portfolio where you can take a look at the early, growing resume i have begun working on.  Physical Education is my passion, and i want to stand out.  Enjoy and please let me know what you think.  My Online Portfolio can be viewed by this link.

Saint Marys's Lab Three:Western Theme

Lab three at Saint Mary's went very well, for the most part.  Last week as i said, i did a very good job when i taught my game.  The kids really liked it, i wasnt nervous at all, and the game went really well as a whole.  This week on the other hand, went a little bit different.  I taught a game that was similar to a different game that the kids are familiar with and they called me out on it.  But i didnt let that get to me and i kept going.  I easily could have tried to explain myself to the kids that it was a totally different game, but that would have been silly.  So i taught the game, and everything went well.  The big thing here is that i may sometimes fail when teaching.  And the one thing that i can not do is get discouraged.  It happens to everyone and is just a temporary road block.  One that can easily be overcome.  Other than the game itself, i thought i did a better job than the previous week.  I was very loud, and got right to the point.  With games that tend to take a little bit longer to explain, i have recognized that the kids sometimes lose focus as well as thier interest.  So being loud, energetic, and enthusiastic is definately the way to go.

Chapter Two Presentation

Here is my groups Chapter Two Presentation on Childhood Development.  We covered the main points about early and later childhood growth. Enjoy and let us know what you think.

St. Mary's Lab Two

Lab two at St. Mary's was much different for me than the first lab.  This week, i was in the gym group.  I was pretty nervous on the way to lab because i had to teach my game.  I was praying that the children would like my game, and that it would go well.  When i was up, i wasn't as nervous as i thought i would be.  At the first lab, i had a little but of trouble getting the kid's attention.  This time, i made sure that i was loud, and that i explained the game thoroughly.  I did just about everything right except at first, i forgot to tell the kids what skill we were staring out with, which caused some small confusion.  But to some it all up, i did pretty well.  I was really happy that my whole group taught very well and all the games were a success.  Now that i have my feet wet, i cant to get back out there and teach again.

Saint Mary's Lab One

Our first actual lab at Saint Mary's sure was an eye opener.  I had no idea what to expect.  I have worked with kids before, but teaching at a new school can be intimidating, and it was.  I was definately quite nervous when i walked in.  The last thing that i wanted on my first day was to fail if i had to teach my game.  But as we were told already, we may fail sometimes.  But if failure occurs, you just have to move on, fix your mistakes, and get right back into it.  I was really relieved that the first game was taught by one of the TA's.  He got the attention of the kids right away, was very loud, and got down at the children's level, which is key.  He gave me a clear demonstration of how the games should be taught correcty.  At the end of the lab, Frank really ephasized the fact of being loud.  I didnt see one child not paying attention when he was teaching.  To sum it all up, the big thing that i have to work one is being loud.  I wasnt loud enough when i tried to get the attention of the kids, which Elena pointed out.  But overall, our first lab went very well.  My group did an awesome job when they had to teach their games.  There are some things that i have to work on before our next lab, but i am definately up to the challenge.

Chapter One Assignment

At young ages, fundamental skill development and assessment is extremely important because our children today need to grow up learning basic skills.  Learning basic fundamental skills is extremely important for not only improving, but maintaining one's proper health.  Obesity is a major issue in our country.  "Today, almost 25% are considered to be overweight or obese, up from just 11% a decade ago." (Developmental Physical Education for All Children, Page 8)  Obesity as a child has a direct correlation with obesity as an adult.  According to a survey by the American Obesity Organization (2000), only 81% of parents of K-12 children are concerned with their children receiving adequate daily physical education. (Developmental Physical Education for All Children, Page 8).  In my opinion, if this number isn't at 100% of parents actually caring about their child receiving adequate daily physical education, then it should at least be in the 90's.
We as physical educators, need to be responsible in leading our kids in the right direction with providing them with the proper fundamental skills.  This development can not start with kids in high school.  These actions of assessing and presenting these skills needs to take place from day one in school.  I am not saying that the younger children of the elementary stages (K-2) need to be bombarded with multiple complex skills on a daily basis.  But the most basic fundamental skills with some easy locomotion games involving running, hopping, and jumping is where it needs to be.

winter break

This is the first time i have ever created a blog.  I had no idea what to expect and how it would turn out.  This whole process seems pretty interesting and exciting.  Over my winter break, I worked for the local YMCA in Schenectady, NY.  I worked with kids from the ages of five to twelve every morning at an elementary school in my area.  I have worked for the YMCA for the past three years.  I feel that working for the YMCA ( in the childcare department) makes me a better teacher each and every day.  Teaching kids not only in the Physical Education area, but about everyday things is what i want to do.