Expected, Inspected, & Respected.
"We do not learn from experience … we learn from reflecting on experience."
-John Dewey |
"We do not learn from experience … we learn from reflecting on experience."
-John Dewey |
When preparing for my practicum at General Wolfe in September, I tried to think of a way that I could benefit the school outside of my contributions in the classroom, similar to the LEGO Club I started at Strathcona School last year. I initially proposed launching a lunch-time board games club, but my principal said there was no room in the schedule for any more lunch-time clubs. It didn't take long for a new idea to present itself. Although classes begin at 9:00am, students often get to school much earlier than that and sometimes get themselves into trouble because there isn't much to do except sit around in the hallways. On the first day of my practicum, I had to break up a full-on wrestling match. I noticed that without having an appropriate focus for their energy, some students were behaving poorly. Meanwhile, the gym was locked and dark. I asked if I could supervise in the gym before school and just like that, I'd found my niche. Each day of my practicum, I came to school early to open the gym, take out some equipment, and supervise - occasionally running basketball drills for those who wanted to practice.
There are hundreds of studies telling us that exercise is crucial not only for physical health, but for cognitive function and learning as well. Dylan Wiliam included 20 minutes of morning exercise for students as one of the main pillars of middle school reform in this BBC documentary. There is no doubt that having an open-gym from 8:00-8:45 would be a good thing for those kids who showed up to school early. It would keep them out of trouble as well as give a boost to their learning during the day. The question that remains for me is whether or not I should advertise this open-gym time to the rest of the school. The reason I "wrestle" with making this more broadly known is that I know how absolutely rabid the students at General Wolfe are about basketball. I know that many students who would normally sleep as late as possible, would set an alarm and wake up early to come and play ball. I wouldn't want to be responsible for students losing out on the 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep they need. Ideally, the choice between sleep and exercise should not be an either/or question - both are vitally important for good health. But in this case, should I risk student sleep deprivation by making an announcement to the whole school about the opportunity to come to an early open-gym, or should I refrain from encouraging sleep deficits by keeping quiet about it? I'm leaning toward advertising the availability of the open-gym but I'd love to hear what you think. Leave a comment below or get in touch on Facebook or Twitter.
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David Wiebe
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