Today our intelligent and committed physical education teacher orchestrated field day. He coordinated numerous creative, cooperative and competitive games for approximately 300 third, fourth and fifth graders.
He prepared for the event by communicating with staff and preparing students during their weekly physical education classes. He split students into four teams: red, green, yellow and blue. Third and fourth graders started the day by moving with their classes from one event to another. My class started with jump roping then moved to basketball toss, tennis baseball, pizza box relay, long jump, softball, 50 yard dash and the 300-yard run. Fifth graders were busy working on cooperative games in the gym. It was wonderful to watch the fifth graders collaborate to earn points and complete tasks. Later the fifth graders competed in the tasks we completed earlier.
After a needed rest period and lunch, students returned to the field for a 300-yard run relay, 50-yard dash relay, and tug of war. At the end of the day, fifth graders competed against the teachers in the annual student-teacher tug-of-war. Then they all enjoyed a popsicle and free play.
Throughout the day students earned extra points for cheering on their classmates, helping each other out and cooperation. A spirit of community, cooperation and fun marked the day. We also had the bonus of terrific weather.
It was such a joy to be part of this event, and it was a great learning experience to watch a colleague create, facilitate and manage a healthy, collaborative and enjoyable day for our school community. Student success depends on the dedication and skill of so many wonderful teachers in a school. Today our physical education teacher shined!
