Teachers
2 Virtual Teachers Share the Importance of Health and P.E.
Physical education courses can greatly impact students’ lives and play a crucial role in developing healthy habits and lifelong skills, whether in a school gym or in an online P.E. class at home. Here, our ALVS virtual teachers share their experience with physical education, telling how it has positively affected their lives and how they aim to share that passion with their students daily.
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If you asked my 10-year-old self whether I saw myself making a career out of health and physical education, I would have scoffed at the idea. Believe it or not, I DID NOT enjoy my P.E. courses when I was in school. I wasn’t involved in sports and did not consider myself to be “athletic,” which made P.E. class a very anxiety-inducing experience for me. However, when I enrolled in a dance-based P.E. elective course in middle school, I realized that P.E. courses were not the enemy; I actually just preferred dancing and stretching as my method of movement/exercise. Being confident in one area of movement helped me feel more comfortable with trying other activities and sports, which eventually led me to study exercise science in college. This is exactly why I love being a P.E. teacher. Sharing my own P.E. story with students helps me relate to their internal struggles with the class, and I enjoy the process of discovering health/wellness methods that work for each individual student. My goal is to help students establish healthy habits and find movement they enjoy so they can be active for the rest of their lives. Exposing students to a variety of activities, watching their self-confidence flourish, and witnessing them go from dreading exercise to genuinely enjoying it are the most rewarding aspects of my job.
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I have been a health and P.E. teacher for over 10 years. I have taught all different types of students, from those who “hate gym” to those who think P.E. is your daily Olympics. They all have something in common: they can thrive in P.E.
There is a common misconception that P.E. is running laps and doing push-ups. That is not the case. Physical education is a life skill. It’s about finding something students can enjoy doing for the rest of their life that benefits their overall health. It’s about socializing and working together. It’s about being exposed to new things you enjoy that can benefit your health.
I first tried lacrosse in my 8th grade P.E. class. I thought it was silly, mostly because I wasn’t good at it. When I heard about lacrosse tryouts in high school, I remembered playing it in P.E. and thought, “Hey, why not give it a try?” Look, I was NOT GOOD. I couldn’t catch, and I didn’t know the rules. However, the after-school aspect of the team, being able to socialize, and the knowledge that I was doing something good for my health kept me there. Fast forward 10 years, and I have lacrosse to thank for so many things: getting me to (and through!) college; allowing me to travel to places like Costa Rica, Ireland, and England representing the USA in tournaments; and experiencing the Women’s Lacrosse World Cup as a player and coach.
Now, I don’t play lacrosse anymore, but I have fallen in love with a new sport: pickleball! Can you guess where I first learned about pickleball? You’re right—P.E. class.
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“I really enjoyed the course and thought that it was a fair amount of work, and I like how responsive [ALVS teachers] are with our assignment feedback. Thank you.”
“Most of the assignments weren`t too stressful, and the podcasts were nice; they gave me a break before I had to start a new unit.”
“I just want to say thank you [to ALVS for having] such a positive and kind teacher. It’s a little hard to stay up to date on assignments/doing online courses, but having [an ALVS] teacher really made it better. Thank you.”
"The assignments were easy to follow and complete. I like how there were steps to the assignments so that I can take it one by one."
“I appreciate the help and updates provided by a teacher and easy study topics that are still challenging. [It was a] fun and adaptable learning experience for me as an online student.”
“The course was pretty easy for the most part. The way it’s set up makes it easier to finish. You can read about nutrition, then get assignments on it. The content was easy to understand, and you can get a lot of information from it."
"I like how some of the assignments had TED Talks with them; this allowed me to see some insight on some of the things talked about. They were interesting to watch because I learned so many things from listening to them.”
Want to learn more about how your student can take a P.E. course virtually? Read more about ALVS Physical Education and Health courses or visit our course catalog to explore all our offerings.
