.
Lately, I've been taking early morning (4:45) walks around my neighborhood. Not only is it incredibly peaceful with the moon staring back at me and a hopeful (but warm) breeze on my back, but I noticed I'm a little more focused during the day, with a lot more energy.
Coincidentally, today, while waiting for a meeting to start, I watched a TV show I've never seen before. It's called, "The Doctors" and the topic was rather interesting.
It was about a school that took students who were struggling and put them in intervention classes. Not traditional intervention, but a unique, exercise-based class. Yes, exercise. The students rode stationary bicycles, stood on balancing boards and walked on treadmills, all the while studying vocabulary and memorizing formulas. The school found that those students gained an average of 20 points higher on the standardized tests then they did prior to the "exercise curriculum." The doctors then talked about how hard it is for kids to sit all day with pent up energy. They recommended that parents really work hard to encourage students to run, play sports and stay active during recesses at school and when they first get home. A 30 minute play period prior to doing homework with maybe a little backyard soccer or a jog with mom or dad around the block will get their blood pumping and their brains working.
At school, we're always trying to find ways to reach those hard to convince students who don't understand the value or school or just don't get the work. Maybe a little more activity is the key.
Give me your thoughts on how we can make school more active for our students. I look forward to hearing from you.
.
.
This is valuable information for parents. I know a lot of teachers see a connection between kids being physically inactive and lazy in classroom activity. I hope we can find a way to get the word out to more parents.
ReplyDelete