MMLM Ep 14: Promoting Social Connections through Group Activities

And we can tell your passion and enthusiasm are so motivating.

Now, your TEDx talk, this is not your parents' health class.

You are a massive pedagogist.

You have a lot to say to the upcoming physical education teachers.

Tell us how this is not your parents' health class and what you recommend to them as they enter their careers.

So interesting title, right? I think too often community members think they know education because they were once in education.

They took PE class, they took health class, so therefore they are experts in it and they know exactly what it was.

But when we think back and we reflect, and I have reflected a lot as a veteran teacher, when I think back to some of the things that I did to students, I would be ashamed of myself.

I didn't know any better.

But when we reflect back, we think that some of the practices really weren't inclusive.

They weren't encouraging students to love the subject.

In health class, we would teach through fear.

We would show scary images of STIs and other topics and scare students into hopefully making better decisions.

And now we know that giving skills to students, empowering students with skills to navigate school life and beyond, we're setting them up for success.

So the TEDx talk talked about it was it started off with an apology.

I apologize for all of the things and not includes how we would shame students for their behaviors and their lifestyle choices.

And then said, but we've got these skills now that we're equipping students with and with those skills, they now feel empowered to seek change.

And it was important for those who hold power to listen to these students because they've got great ideas.

They know how to bring them to action and we should invite them to the table, give them a seat so we can work with them.

We can mentor them so they can become the leaders of tomorrow.

And at the end, I kind of suggest and if we don't.

They're going to make that change anyway.

So it's better that we work with them than see them in opposition.

And that's the same in PE as well.

We want to equip students with the skills so they can navigate a lifetime of embracing movement, seeking out new ways in which to move and feeling competent and confident when provided with new movement opportunities.