Gloria Talley and her (well paid) curriculum staff have never paid much attention to the Health & Physical Education curriculum for DCSS. We have some solid HPE teachers in the system, but there are WAY TOO MANY DCSS HPE teachers who just throw the ball out and stand by and watch while jabbing on their cell phones. A good veteran HPE teacher goes back to school for a master's in kinesiology (minutes away, Georgia State has a good Department of Kinesiology and Health) , HPE administration, Exercise Science, Exercise Physiology, etc. A slack veteran HPE teacher does not go back to school.
Good school systems throughout the U.S. integrate the HPE curriculum from K through 12th; we need that here in DeKalb. And there are many grants available if you have the giddyup and go to reach out hard to get them, Gloria:
http://www.pe4life.org/SchoolAdmin/index.cfm?pageID=47.
And maybe one day county Parks & Rec. and DCSS will actually work together in unison.
http://www.pe4life.org/SchoolAdmin/index.cfm?section=3
The PE4life Approach to Physical Education:
"Extend beyond the walls of the gymnasium to form community and business partnerships"
It's been clear and proven by reserach for decades that a good HPE program impacts academics and lowers discipline problems.
http://www.pe4life.org/sub/Results/index.cfm
PE4life, and physical education in general, are positively impacting academic performance, reducing disciplinary problems and improving health and fitness.
C'mon, Crawford, Gloria Talley and staff: You can do HPE better.
http://athleticbusiness.com/articles/article.aspx?articleid=1705&zoneid=32
Fitness Assessment
By: Michael Popke
January 2008
Since we aren't allowed to republish printed news material verbatim on the blog, I would encourage you to visit the link above to read about how one teacher, Tim McCord transformed the P.E. program at Titusville (Pa.) Middle School — where classes used to revolve around a traditional curriculum of football in the fall, basketball in the winter, and softball and track and field in the spring — to one incorporating high-tech fitness equipment and detailed health-risk assessments into everyday P.E. classes. The district was awarded $342,000 from the federal government in the form of a Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) grant, which funded repairs and upgrades to existing equipment, added climbing or traversing walls at every school in the district, and expanded overall P.E. programming. Physical education at Titusville (Pa.) Middle School transitioned from a sports-oriented program to a well-rounded fitness and wellness curriculum that includes exergaming and outdoor winter activities.
The pictures alone are worth clicking over to the link.
wow - awesome idea. This kind of PE inspires lifelong fitness awareness. And it works for everyone.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter was awarded a "D" in PE at Lakeside because she wouldn't use the decrepit, mildew-encrusted locker room to "dress out" - which she found unnecessary for walking laps around the track or the gym - her daily PE experience.
Cere is 100% right about LHS's locker rooms (and pool).
ReplyDeleteAnd why are high school students just walking laps for HPE; that's a direct reflection on you, Gloria Talley!
Question: Would any DCSS administrator allow their own children to use the locker rooms at Lakeside? Heck no.
If you haven't seen them yourself, please take a look. It's truly miserable, and is a prime example of why we ask here on this blog how in the heck does DCSS spend its billion dollars per year? How do we have leaking roofs, mold and mildew in HVAC, and rest rooms and locker rooms like the ones at Cross Keys and Lakeside?
While the Arabia Mt. High School is as beautiful and cutting edge as can be, how do we have filthy locker rooms and rest rooms throughout the system?? If there is a SPLOST 4, the top of the list needs to be roofs, HVAC, rest rooms and locker rooms. And tear down Lakeside, Cross Keys and Sequoyah and start from scratch, please!!!
I have seen no attention given to the Health and Physical Education facilities since I have lived in Dekalb County. I am such an advocate in this area. My undergraduate degree is in Health and PE. Health and Personal Fitness are the only two classes required for a high school diploma. It is sad to see the lack of facilities to teach lifetime sports. Most tennis courts either have trailers on them or the county did not put in enough tennis courts to allow a class to be taught during Health and PE classes. It is my understanding that Dekalb County Schools did not take grant money years ago to build a second gym at high schools while other counties like Gwinnett and Fulton took advantage of the grant money. Now Dekalb School System does not have the facilites to offer a curriulum in Physical Education. This has been very sad to me for a very long time. I do not see this situation changing anytime soon.
ReplyDelete"I do not see this situation changing anytime soon."
ReplyDeleteWonder will it take Gloria Talley retiring to get a decent HPE curriculum?
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
ReplyDeleteDeKalb County Parks and Recreation Citizen Advisory Board
www.co.dekalb.ga.us/parks/cab.htm
Public Meetings
6 pm, Tuesday, March 24
Gresham Recreation Center
3113 Gresham Rd, Atlanta 30316
6 pm Tuesday, June 23
N.H. Scott Recreation Center
2230 Tilson Rd, Decatur 30033
6 pm, Tuesday, September 22
Midway Recreation Center
3181 Midway Rd, Decatur 30032