Welcome to the P E Express Podcast, powered by Gopher! As the school year winds down and summer approaches, we know it can be tough to balance getting everything done with making the most of your time off. That's why we're here to help with tips and strategies to recharge and push yourself during your summer break. This article was written by Matthew Bassett. Matthew has been teaching Physical Education since 2001. He is a Nationally Board Certified and an adjunct professor. He is active in both the Elementary Physical Education Workshop and CAHPERD. You can find him on Twitter at phys ed apps.
Welcome to today's episode where we'll be discussing 5 tips to help you prepare for the upcoming school year. Let's dive right in!
Number one on our list is to learn something new. Take a class. Read an educational book. Watch a webinar. Do something that is not work/subject related. Disconnect from your teaching brain by learning something new. Put yourself in an uncomfortable situation to learn something new that you do not already know. You will enjoy the change of pace and your brain will change as the result of this challenge.
Next up, number 2, seek out professional development opportunities. Summer is a great time for you to learn something inside of your profession or subject. Going to a workshop, conference, or work-related webinar is a great way to hone your teaching skills. My favorite is the K through 8 Elementary Physical Education Workshop or E PEW. Not only do I get to learn from some of the best #physed teachers around but I’m immersed into the experience. I’m able to be around like-minded individuals from the time I wake up until the time I go to sleep. We eat, learn and play together. Sometimes the best interactions happen when a small group goes out to get some ice cream during the evening. These interactions drive me. I set myself up for the best possible start for the coming school year when I join these experiences.
Number three is all about getting some rest. During the summer I’m able to rest a lot more. The first few days are normally spent taking a lot of naps and sleeping in. I love being able to get up a little later during the summer and not before the sun gets up. I am also able to spend some time sitting on the couch binge watching a TV show or catching a movie. I can catch up on Star Trek or rewatch Star Wars. I struggle with getting rest during the school year as I seem to be always doing something from teaching phys ed to one of my college classes. The summer I find the change of pace difficult but necessary. I use the summer to let my aging body recover a bit. I also make it a priority to get away. My kids are getting older and only have time for a few more family adventures. Some years we stay more local and experience a lot of day trips. Other years we plan a big trip across the country. Travel helps me to learn and grow but also gives me time to unwind and disconnect from my computer. I also try to get away with my wife for a few days. The time to reconnect is important as our daily life seems to be work and shuffling the kids around from point A to point B. Ideally, if I had the funds and time, I would attempt to get away for at least a few days after I get out for the summer and also a trip before I have to go back. I find myself getting more anxious as I get closer to returning to work and having the time away helps to minimize those feelings.
Our fourth tip is to complete any necessary time-consuming tasks ahead of time. Spend some time during the summer completing those time-consuming tasks that eat up your life when you start teaching again. Maybe you need to revamp your curriculum? Maybe you wanted to overhaul your roll sheets? Maybe you need to create new Plicker cards? Maybe you want to make new peer assessment worksheets? Take the time to update your playlists so they are ready to go before your first class. These are things that aren’t difficult but take time. Having these items off your to do list as you start back up frees up time to work on something else.
Last but not least, take some time to reflect on the previous school year. Maybe the most important part of the summer, REFLECTION! If you want to be a great educator, you need to think about what has happened during the previous school year. Reflection should probably come sooner rather than later during the summer but it can occur at any point. What can you do to make yourself better? What worked this school year? What didn’t work? How can you deal with conflict/difficult situations or off task students better than you did last year. What if you change the order of your units? What if you developed a new team building activity to mix it up for you? Thinking