That which is neglected has the utmost potential.  For me, Physical Education (or PE) is that place and space, and a fairly reflective representation of myself.  Take the time and interest to look closer, past the beige tinge and the sprawl of students simultaneously doing their own thing AND a unified thing, and you will see how safety and autonomy harmonizes with chaos.  It self organizes and self identifies and contributes to a grander notion of what an educational community can be — individuals within a group having their wants and needs expressed, met, and expanded upon.

Every year, whether we are in an evaluation cycle or not, we are supposed to come up with student learning or improvement goals.  Though I am not getting formally observed this year,  and what I produce will hardly get looked at or noticed, I revel in the opportunity to stretch the thematic landscape.  I create what I think I can create, and know how to make the imagined real.  Work offers me the chance to capture data and test theories.   The kids are the relational tools.  Can I get them to care about themselves through studying themselves?  Can I get them to challenge their perception of who they think they and what they believe they are capable of?

To do this, I have to be willing to take risks.  I have to really try (meaning plan, implement, observe, reflect, adapt) to find a way to present things that I think are necessary and helpful.  I have to trust that the things I make up are consequential and that I can figure out a way to deliver them so they will be received.  I have to believe that my ideas are good and worthy because the people engaging in it are good and worthy.  The tenet that ‘regular’ can be exceptional and should have access to exceptional has been a consistent pull on my mind and work for the past twenty years.

 

The premise of my inquiry this year is to measure, expand upon, and influence student perceptions of their ability to take care of themselves.

 

Embedded in this process is what they think care is and looks like, whom they model this schema after, and ultimately, what do they prioritize in this experiential endeavor called living.

My first round of data was gathered via a pen to paper survey.  It would have been much easier (and more legible) to process this information digitally, but with the cell phone ban going into effect this year, it was important to me to minimize any use of electronics during class and revert to an analog existence.  Part of the point, I feel, was to not rely on technology when it suits you or is convenient, but to recognize you can fully inhabit a space without it.  Life lesson: We spend time with the things we value.

I currently teach six 90min classes on an A-day, B-day schedule, which means we meet every other day, and I see three classes per day.  I teach two Weightlifting sections and four ‘general’ PE sections that are called ‘Games & Practice’.  The surveys were exactly the same except for question 1.  The Weights classes asked about what they looked forward to doing with their body and the Games classes asked which sports they like to play.

 

 

 

I was diligent in extracting information from each, but two classes stood out for their thoughtfulness and attempts to be accurate with their placement.  The table is much too large to be presented in a photo, so you can view a direct link to the two classes (via two bottom tabs) here.  Having them give a reason to justify their numeric answer proved particularly fruitful, as it provided insight as to which realm they relied on most to determine ‘health’ or ‘independence’.

Here is the population breakdown of each class:

1. 34 students, grades 10-12.  24 boys, 10 girls.  4 IEP, 2 504, 7 ELL, 2 Homeless
2. 44 students, grades 10-12.  12 Female, 32 Male.  1 IEP, 7 TAG, 2 Homeless, 10 ELL

*IEP = an educational plan for an exceptional academic need.   ELL = English Language Learner

 

Here are some noteworthy takes on the results:

1.  I am biased to assume that independence is a marker of being able to take care of oneself.

2.  The average student self score was just under 6 to just over 6.5.  (out of 10)

3.  The average parent/ caretaker score was between 7.5 and 8.  (out of 10)

4.  The assessed caretakers who “spent the most time” with them were overwhelmingly female (36-17)

5.  The ability to “know what to do when they are not told what to do” scored between 3 and 3.67  (out of 5).  A deliberate clarification I made in presenting this to them was “knowing what to do to get what you want”, not just keep yourself “busy”.

 

Some student responses as to why they scored themselves as they did:

1. I make money
2. I’ve made big decisions
3. I can deal with things myself
4. I go to the gym everyday
5. I don’t have a job, car, or license
6. I don’t feel like I’m in a comfortable place
7. I exercise a lot and make good decisions
8. I see things in my body that I don’t like
9. My parents were emotionally absent, which forced me to grow up hyper-independent..
10. I can’t get out of the ‘do later, not now’

 

Some student responses as why they scored their caretaker as they did:

1. She worries about us rather than herself
2. He always makes time to go to the gym
3. He is able to balance work and family
4. Overworks herself and never has time for herself
5. Hardworking but fails to account for her mental/ emotional health.  She doesn’t have any friends anymore
6. He’s not responsible
7. Mom isn’t happy with herself
8. She needs therapy
9. They don’t eat good
10. They have a good job and make good money

 

Some student responses as to their ability to act on their own behalf:

1. I can follow directions
2. I don’t depend on anybody
3. I am used to being told what to do
4. I sometimes like to be told
5. I can find fun in boring
6. I don’t like being disobedient
7. It’s based on whether my friends are around.  If I don’t have people to do things with I kinda get lost.
8. I don’t like being told what to do
9. I do need a bit of direction to get myself moving…
10. I need people’s opinions

 

The goal is to move student self scores of being able to take care of themselves a half point by the end of the semester OR get them to score themselves more accurately, with broader considerations.  I am developing some specific tools to practice this, but until they can get translated into Spanish I am hesitant to use them.  Leaving even one kid out because of a language barrier feels dismissive and wrong; those that have been neglected wish to be anything but neglectful.  In the meantime, I still have the class itself, and my penchant for drawing kids out of their armored shells.  I will provoke, ask, connect, and reflect my observations of them, and see if they agree or disagree through either words or behavior.