This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

No Child Left Behind, Few Teachers Left Standing

Education is bridging the gap between your ears. Physical education is bridging the gap between activity and superpowers.

My son is a senior at a top rated Long Island University and going for a degree in teaching Physical Education (Gym).

To make him more marketable, he also will have a degree in Health Education (Sex Ed) and certificates in Sports Supervision (Coaching) and others like Extreme Exercise, National Safety, Martial Arts, Etc.   

Right now, he is doing his teaching observations (watch as they play ‘steal the bacon”) and student practicum teaching (Is there really a lesson plan for “Duck, duck, goose?") He has been a youth sports coach and sports tutor for years, but that is generally to a handful of kids at a time that want to be there. Now he has to motivate, prod, corral, herd and instruct a virtual stampede of children, some of whom would rather be getting root canal at the mall.

Find out what's happening in East Meadowwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

He has to spend time in both the gymnasium and classroom, as well as in each of the five branches of our Long Island Education system (elementary, middle school, high school, handicapped...and now something classified simply as delinquent).

And with this comes an score of new insights and acknowledgements into his chosen career path, and an appreciation for the educators that had to deal with his “trials and tribulations.”

Find out what's happening in East Meadowwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Elementary School

Little kids can be very inventive! My son tells me that you have REALLY watch their free time. In an effort to be more health conscience, the school districts have begun to bring a new beverage to lunchrooms. It is called “Elmoo Milk” (don’t believe me- google it) which is actually fat free or 1% milk in tiny cartons.

Their slogan is “Real Milk=Real Fun” and he tells me is that the REAL FUN part is when the lunch room teacher/monitors have to stop the kids from stomping and loudly popping their tiny, empty milk containers (which does not happen with juice boxes).Baby Einsteins each and every one.

Middle School

Kids can be real wisenheimers! My son tells me, that you have REALLY watch your phrasing of questions. In Health Class he asks , “does anyone know what Euthanasia is?” and the answer he was given  was “Little Asian kids playing baseball and soccer!” Or he asks ” has your dad or mom ever been up before a civil judge?” and the answer he was given  was, “It depends on what time the judge gets up!” Or he asks “ Did you know that NBA star Ron Artest legally changed his name to Meta World Peace?” and a student chimes in with “Does that mean that Kobe Bryant should change his name to Whatta Peace O’Work?”

High School

Kids can be frustrating! My son tells me, that you have REALLY watch your intentions. In instructing some students in the proper way to pitch a softball, my son explained to the class, “that is takes 60-90 times doing something over and over to get it mastered or near perfect”. And one student chimes in, ”that doesn't apply to Suicide, right?”  Or when my son wants to find out why a HS athlete recently lost the job that he helped the student get and the student tells him, “Well I guess the owner should not have called me in his office and said to me “now correct me if I’m wrong, but...”Because I did”.

Handicapped Adaptive Students

Kids can be an inspiration! My son tells me, that you have REALLY watch your emotions. That most of these students have the drive and persistence of a Sherman tank powered by rocket fuel. That in an adapted PE class he met a boy who was quadriplegic due to a spinal cord injury and that he was bored with doing shoulder exercises and wanted to try other sports. Now this boy wanted to participate is a kind of sport or activity but had no use of his hands or legs and generally stayed in one place.

When my son asked this boy’ name he said, “What else silly? Matt!” and all the kids chuckled (100 ercent true- no joke. His name was really Mike, but liked the ironic nickname better). So the next class my son brought In a Little Tikes kiddie slide and a bowling ball and some 3 foot wooden dowels and for the next few classes the kids (wheelchair bound and not) participated in a sort of Pseudo “Differently Abled” Bowl-a-thon and had a blast.

Delinquent Students

Kids can be misguided!  My son tells me ,that you have REALLY watch your back...and front...and sides. These are kids portrayed in movies like "The Breakfast Club." Students in Detention (after school time outs for big kids) will do anything to get out. They become super desperate at being confined to a classroom and look to cut out. One child even snuck over to the teacher’s computer when the teacher went to the hall for a moment, and pushed the Escape key in hopes of getting out.

One girl said to him that she was in a fundraising walk, needed to leave to go get money from some donators and when asked which charity walk, she quickly thinks and says, “Pre-mature Baldness!”

Some people think that teachers have it easy with short work days and summers off. But my son realizes that with grading tests, forming lesson plans, team meetings, updates on new teaching methods, new teacher guidelines, Smartboard classes, attending conventions, mentoring, chaperoning, coaching, and so on and so forth; that the only job that requires more active time with more stress might be Soldier.

They used to say those who can’t do, teach. And those who can’t teach, teach Gym. But as my son will tell you, that is not the case. That those who can’t teach, probably become politicians, who pass laws about teaching and rating teachers.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?