Time Flies

Wow,  I can't believe that this amazing year has come to an end.  I was able to meet so many new faces and actually learn their names, although Maansi or Simran may remind you of a few that I still have a little trouble remembering :)  The first time I came to this class I wasn't quite sure what to think. I had to learn around 56 new names and be organized and positive while doing it. Everyone was asking me where the other TAs have gone and I guess that I kind of felt like a bit of a replacement. However things got better and I learned a lot from this class. First of all I acquired that students don't always listen to you when you want them to. We have a lot of little quirky personalities in this class that sometimes can be a little problem, like when I constantly ask the boys to put the basketball away at the beginning of class every single day, including the last day of school. Nevertheless, I learned to work around it and actually felt like I had made a bit of an impact within this class. I learned how it feels for students to only do work when you are looking and then goof off when you aren't there because they just want the extra mark. I've seen it when my teacher leaves and it disappoints me a bit just because I know that they are so much more than that and are capable of learning why we are here. Then there are the little positives in the class, the quiet ones. They are the reason that I keep on going because I want them to enjoy gym as much as I do. I feel like I changed the views on gym for some of the girls too, that gym doesn't have to be about domination or only doing sports. I remember one of them coming up to me and telling me how they loved an all girls yoga class or going up on the field with me to do field hockey. I sincerely hope that I have changed maybe a bit of their thinking as the semester (or year for them) comes to an end. As for the ones that haven't, I hope that they realize why we are here and participate in the PE sometime in their high school life. I also know that I have improved on my fitness because when I entered this course I was able to reach a 7.4 on the beep test and now I can have accomplished a 8.3!
I think that I deserve around a 92-95% range due to what I've learned throughout this course and what I've tried to teach.

and thank you for being my teacher :)

The Difference in Lifestyles

So whoever is reading this probably doesn't know that I was had a very hard time in grade ten. Grade nine was great. I was healthy, vibrant and not a care in the world. I got a bit higher than nine on the beep test and loved spontaneous trips. Then my world came crashing down when I unfortunately shared a straw with a friend who came back from a third world country and caught a virus like mono. I had all the symptoms of it, but it wouldn't show up on my numerous blood tests. The doctors said that I was sleeping more than a person with mono, I think my highest was 18 hours sleeping in a day. You probably don't believe this, but it's true. I was sick for two and a half months. It was devastating for me and for my body. I lost weight and muscle. I came back to school in January and started my semester of gym 10, truly disappointed in what my body could do now versus before I was sick. I know that I started in the seven range on the beep test, whereas before I was in the nine range. Things would tire me out more and I had less energy. I went to a naturopath who told me that I should start being gluten and dairy free. This was so hard, but the change in lifestyle helped me not only to maintain a healthy diet, but I truly believe that it helped me recover. I started exercising more, noticing that it helped whenever I needed a break or was stressed. My immune system also had to rebuild. When I came back to school I would get sick around every two weeks, usually a cold that I would come to school and work through. Before I would only get sick around once a year with something like the flu and believed in the three second rule for everything. Now my immune system is doing better (even though now I'm a bit of a germophobe). I still get sick, but not as often and I've learned to try and rebuild my strength in my body. I think that because of this experience, I know my own body better and I know how to cope when something tragic happens more than other people my age. I guess I just learned that my lifestyle I live now counts, you know? Because I'm not a teenager forever, but I can lead a life knowing that I can take care of myself and do what it takes to get there.

Mind Over Body-no matter how much it hurts

Usually my mind is focused on the students in the class, better preparing them for life when they don't have a PE teacher pressuring them to get things done. However, I was kind of shocked when I heard that we were doing the 30 minute run and we were supposed to not stop. I'm not the best distance runner because I have issues with mental strength. I always want to work hard, and get up to my target heart rate, but once I get uncomfortable I start to deteriorate and eventually stop. So as you can imagine I'm kind of worried because my mine is kind of like "You can't do this! You aren't fit enough!" but there was also this little voice in the very back of my head, a very tinie-tiny voice that told me that I could do it if I tried hard enough. And so as people started running I told myself that I would run the whole thing. The first time I started to feel the uncomfortableness to stop I almost gave up, almost. However, I decided to put my mind over my body. By the middle I started to believe that I could do this, even though my calves were killing me. I was snail-like too. Like really slow, but keeping around the same time each time that I ran around the track. By the end, I was comfortable with my pain, like it was just there always with me. I was comfortable with being uncomfortable, and I did it. I never stopped once. I'm so proud of that even though it may seem like such a little accomplishment. I put my mind over my body, and I won.

The Limits of Persuasion

Ok, so I noticed something a couple of weeks ago with a particular students of mine. I couldn't figure this kid out. He didn't seem like he wanted to participate in fitness and never dressed in his strip. He had an attitude of "whatever" to me and I just didn't know what to make of it. He was also really quiet, and like never talked. I had to try to motivate this kid, but I wasn't sure how. He wouldn't look at me if I said something positive and he didn't really react if I said something otherwise. So when I was doing the hill run, I picked a spot right next to him. He didn't make much of an effort and started to complain a bit. So I looked at him and said "Hey, I bet I can beat you in this." He looked pretty surprised and told me " Yeah right." "You're just saying that because you know I'll beat you bad" I said with a grin. Suddenly when Mr.Vaughan whistled this kid was suddenly way up the hill, sprinting. He turned around as I came up with a huge grin and said "I beat you!" For the rest of the hill run I found myself pretty challenged, sometimes he beat me and sometimes we tied. I guess I just thought that telling positive comments to someone could motivate them a lot, but really everyone is motivated by something different. In this case, it was friendly competition.

A Meaningful Moment in a Hectic World

Some days I feel as if there is hope that students are getting the message that what you put into PE  you get out of it. This meaningful moment, as I call it, is when students pass me. I know that you are probably thinking, "what?" What I am referring to is when my class was running the indoor circuit(Tuesday I believe), I actually see people walk quite a bit. Of course everyone needs a break at some point, but everyone also needs to push their limits in order to feel that you have worked hard today, and that you have accomplished something. So as I run the circuit I high five people, pat them on the back and say something like "You can do it!" as I run by or "Make today count!". I was expecting the usual sigh and a bit of running until they thought that nobody was looking and then stop. However, as I am running some of them pass me which is awesome. I'm so happy. Then I felt like it is time for my break because I'm so tired. I mean it's hard to encourage students AND do the activity to your best capacity AND set a good example all at the same time. I truly think that P.E. teachers have the hardest job, and I never realised how much you actually have to put into it! Anyways back to my story, as I am taking my break a few students pass me and I hear "You can do it!" as someone passes me by. A bit astonished I start to run again, this time so happy because I realised someone got what I was trying to do, encourage positivity! Even though it was just one person that said that to me, I feel as though I can make a difference. There are some days that I feel that I cannot get through to my classes especially some of the boys because they don't take me very seriously, but that day proved that maybe I was on to something. I think that I just have to keep it up and try harder.

So I think that I deserve around an 84% because I'm trying hard but I can always do better. If you disagree feel free to change my mark because perhaps I am missing something.

Why the heck am I here?

Good question! There so many reasons why I'm here, doing this. I know how the average Sullivan Heights student sees gym class, the easy class, chill block, something that they can achieve a good grade in if they have the athletic skills. Most girls don't enjoy P.E. as well because intimidation can be so prominent, and they don't feel that they can ever be good enough. I can definitely say I used to be a student like that, with those values, until last year when I actually let myself learn why we have physical education. It's sustaining a healthier life throughout the years inside and outside of school not because you have to, but because you want to. Positivity is key, I just wish that people realized that because it could change the way they view all of their classes. If you are having a great time during a game or doing fitness, chances are the people around you are too!  It's kind of like spreading smiles, instead of gossip. Now I know that I don't get 10 on the beep test, and I'm totally not an athlete.  I want to make students see that I'm not just here for myself, you know? I'm here for them because I want to encourage them and turn their thinking around. Gym class should not be scary or dominating. It should be positive and create relationships not just with others, but also with yourself.  Energy can make or break a class.  If you have negative energy in a class it will spread like destructive wildfire. But if you encourage a positive atmosphere, people will come together and be able to put the negative flames out.  If you ask people who have been out of school for a while their impression left by a PE class, it will either be a resounding positive or negative impression. I wish to leave a positive impact for those in my classes, and that is why I'm here.