Sick as a DOG. And P.E. hell at my Elementary School...

So, I've officially contracted the flu from my lovely (snotty) fourth graders.

I hate hate hate being sick. What sucks even more is that it's Monday! I can't afford to take sicks days because I only get 10 a year and I'm going to be using at least 7 of them just on OMET alone. I think 8 though.

So, frustration today at school. In the beginning of the 638a (ARP) class, I talked about my struggles with my school's P.E. system. We have this P.E. curriculum that's actually pretty good if anyone would just dust the damn book off and look at it. My frustration is pretty instense with this.

Today, we had P.E. with our kids and I was on duty. I had last week off, so the other two teachers just stood out there, watching the kids bored out of their minds, playing games that involved little exercise, losing interest in being active. Now, I know it's only 4th grade and most kids are still relatively active, but I'm telling you... the energy drop off begins in just a year from now... and I'm a huge advocate for physical activity.

Anyway, so our field is soaking wet. Why, you ask? Oh, because there is a sewage pipe that runs underground where our field is and it is leaking. SICK. BLAHHHH. (Don't worry, we didn't have the kids in the mess. That's terribly wrong) Oh... and I'm not positive that the pipe story is true. I heard it from the other 4th grade teacher on duty with me, and she is not traditionally an honest person.

Anyway, it's pretty flooded right now. We avoided the flooded areas and walked around to where the field was not flooded to play on dry land. I decided to teach the kids a new game of kickball today, where every single person has to participate. It's played like this: The kicker kicks, and the rest of the entire team must run the bases with them, and come back to home plate to score a point. The outfielders can either catch the ball to get an out, or they have to grab the ball, wherever it lands and everyone on their team must stand behind them and go Over, Under, Over, Under... with the ball until the last person from the team touches it. Whoever does this first, (either runs the bases or finishes the ball pattern pass) scores a point or an out.

Things like this are simple to teach... but these teachers won't even bother looking at the book. They don't even have the kids set cones or bases out. The kids don't mind helping... but they are so lazy that nothing happens.

I told the teacher, Carrie, on duty with me that I am going to start teaching the kids games every time I am on duty. She said, "Good. We wanted you in 4th grade this year for that. Nanette and I don't like P.E. so we don't do it (the P.E. curriculum we adopted)."

It's reasons like this that I try that much harder. Plus, the kids deserve my energy. I am getting paid for it, after all. My kids express so much more interest, more used energy, and more excitement than a traditional game of kickball where only half the team ever ends up participating and the other half sits on the bench until the whistle is blown.