The Supersized PhysEd Podcast
The Supersized Physed Podcast is dedicated to providing new ideas, activities and inspiration to our physical education field. Each week a new episode about various physed topics comes out, sometimes with a guest, sometimes it's just me!
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The Supersized PhysEd Podcast
Transforming Physical Education: Insights and Strategies with Coach Octavio Fierros
What's up PE Nation!
I'm back with a series of interviews, starting with my friend Octavio Fierros, a seasoned expert who has recently navigated the transition from a charter school to the bustling environment of the Los Angeles Unified School District. With over 15 years of experience, Coach Fierros shares his insights into the unique challenges and opportunities presented by these different teaching landscapes, especially regarding resources and administrative support. Discover how innovative approaches during the pandemic have reshaped his teaching strategies, enabling him to create more engaging and effective learning experiences for his students.
Explore the vibrant world of physical education as Coach Fierros introduces exciting activities like Nitro Ball and Ultimate Frisbee, which have quickly become student favorites. These games not only enhance physical skills but also promote teamwork and student autonomy, as learners take charge of setting up equipment and managing games. The episode delves into the strategies for building a robust class culture, emphasizing the importance of clear expectations and routines from the start of the school year. Gain valuable insights into how these practices can foster a positive and inclusive environment in PE classes.
For those new to the field of physical education, Coach Fierros offers a wealth of advice on classroom management, relationship-building, and creating a supportive atmosphere that encourages student growth. He reflects on a career dedicated to forming lasting connections with students, highlighting the profound impact these relationships have on their educational journey. Listen in for practical tips and inspiration to elevate your teaching practice, whether you're a seasoned educator or just embarking on your career. Connect with the broader fitness community by joining us on Substack for additional resources and insights.
Take care,
Dave
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Hello and welcome to the Super Size Phys Ed podcast. My name is Dave and today I'm going old school. I'm going back to my roots, interviewing people, and it's been a while. But I'm very, very glad to have Octavio Fierros, or Coach Fierros. I'm so glad to have him because he has been on my podcast before. We've talked many times and it's great to again talk to a friendly face, a friendly person and a really really good, solid PE teacher that knows his stuff and has transitioned to a different role, which we're going to talk about. But I really think you're going to get a lot of tidbits out of this interview talking about what you should do as a first year teacher, things you should do to create a just a well-rounded class culture and just many tips that you can learn from him and our conversation. So, without further ado, here we go, all right. So welcome, octavio, glad to have you again. It's been a little while, so I'm wondering some things about you and how you've been doing.
Speaker 2:Can you give a brief introduction of who you are and where you're teaching. Yeah, so again, my name is Octavio and I go by Coach Fierro to my students. I work at a middle school right now, sixth grade to eighth grade. I have a for the los angeles unified school district. I work in south la um and I currently teach about 100 and 120 students no more than 25 students per and, yeah, it's, I mean, I started, you know, teaching PE about 15 years ago. So you know I have, you know, experience. You know working at private public schools. You know charter schools, private as well. I mean so. Yeah, I mean so, like I said, I'm currently working at LA Unified School District, small group of kids. You know I'm really blessed where I'm at.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Awesome, and so I know you just told me before I started recording that you actually don't teach at the same school that you were last time we talked, so can you explain the difference between the schools and how that's going?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so four years ago was the last time we spoke, dave.
Speaker 1:It's been that long I haven't I haven't done these kinds of like I said beforehand, I haven't done these podcasts in a while, like interviews, and I'm glad to start doing them again, cause I want to start connecting more with people just around the country, around the world, and it just it's been, it's been a minute. So I didn't realize it, and you've been on the show a few times. I mean, right, we, we talked about, we did some question and answer stuff and things like that. So I'm just glad to see you and talk to you. So, yeah, tell me all about it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, yeah, we spoke four years ago and it was during the pandemic, you know. So we were all you know, so we were all you know in our homes and we were trying to come up with ideas on how to teach it from home. That's right, that's right, you know. I remember you having like a group of you know pe teachers, you know, uh, coming out on like on a zoom, and everyone was just coming up with, uh, different lessons to do from from home.
Speaker 2:But, uh, yeah, four years ago, I was at a charter school, right, uh, and huntington park, california, which is about the southeast of la, and so, uh, you know two, you know two years, you know, like two years later, back in 2022, I finally went to a public school district, which is the las anillas unified school district, the second largest district in the nation, and I just want to say, I mean, what a big difference you know between just teaching PE at a charter school and teaching at LA Unified School District. You know, the last time we talked, we talked about the challenges that you know I was encountering at a charter school and one of them being just teaching in a limited space.
Speaker 1:I remember that. I remember that video you shared with me too. It was like in a parking lot and then you had some kind of inside.
Speaker 2:It almost looked like a basement or something right, maybe not that, but just some inside space, but it was very limited, right yeah, yeah, I was teaching in a parking lot, you know, sometimes, you know, in hallways and classrooms and, uh, what they call multi-purpose rooms. Yes, that's right and so, um, it was just, you know, those, those challenges I encountered. You know also, the. You know the, the. You know the fact that, you know, pe was not, you know, really valued, you know, in the eyes of the administration as well. So, you know, now going to the Los Angeles Unified School District is my third year teaching at a middle school and when I got hired I selected a school that I wanted to be at. And when I got hired, I selected a school that I wanted to be at. And, of course, most middle school and high schools have the traditional, you know, pe teacher would teach about maybe 50 to 55 students in a class. Right, but right, here I'm blessed to be part of a small school where I can teach about no more than 25 students per class and it's just wonderful. I mean, I have my own classroom too.
Speaker 2:Dave, I was going to ask you that. Yeah, it actually helps. You know, with kids coming into the classroom. First I go over the objectives, do my visuals and, you know, have the kids, kids, you know, uh, basically just settle down. You know we could practice mindfulness, uh, during indoor. You know, during rainy days, you know we could do workouts in the classroom as well, but after that, the transition outside. I have a very good space outside, you know to. You know, teach flag football, ultimate frisbee, basketball, soccer basically the sports that I never taught at elementary, when I was at charter school. Dave, can you believe that? That's great. So there's been a couple of differences here and there, and I'm happy to share them with you today.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's awesome. I'm really excited for you. So I'm really happy and excited to be in a new position not new, I guess, since I last talked to you but I but you know that's that's awesome, can you? Let's go back for a second. So one thing I want to ask you and again, we might've touched on this a long, long time ago, but like, why'd you want to be a PE teacher?
Speaker 2:Like what inspired you to join the phys ed community. Well, I mean, uh, coming out of you know, uh, you know, actually, as I was going to college, did not know exactly what I was going to do, uh, but I was teaching at a school and I was teaching, uh, not that teaching, but I was a coach for an afterschool program. So I was coaching elementary students different sports. And then my coworker was telling me you know what I mean, you're doing a good job right here. You know, you're putting up numbers here. You know the kids are showing up in the afterschool program and why don't you just become a PE teacher? And I was like you know what, let me, let me give it a try.
Speaker 2:And I'm looking at the classes you know from. You know, uh, from Cal state, dominguez Hills, that's the university I went to. And, oh man, I mean I, these classes are, they sound like fun. I mean, like you know, going to school and just know to play basketball and play soccer and, and not only that, but also doing the core classes, and like you know the kinesiology and the biomechanics and all that stuff. And I was like you know what, I'm gonna give this a try. So, uh, and the rest is history. I mean, I, I, um, I I still, you know, to this day, enjoy teaching PE each and every day, and most of my career has been with elementary. This is my fourth year teaching for middle school students and I can say that I enjoy teaching middle school way more than elementary.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow, okay, yeah, that's great, yeah, and so, yeah, you look happy, you seem happy, so that's a good thing, right, yeah, so can you describe your day Like? What does your day look like? How many minutes per class, you know how many, I guess I know you kind of said already you have kind of small groups, so what would, or what would your day look like, or what would your day look like, or what would a class look like for you or both?
Speaker 2:so I teach, uh, I teach six out of eight periods. So I have two conference periods. Uh, those conference periods are just to prep, you know, lesson plan. You know, uh, get equipment out or put equipment away, um, but uh, you know, for six periods I I teach two sixth grade classes, two seventh grade and two eighth grade and, uh, the kids, I have about 180, about 420 minutes of, uh, pe. Okay, yeah, yeah, I'm sorry, 220 minutes. So that's about 440 minutes every 10 days, because the requirement here in California, you know, the students have to have, you know, middle school students, have to have 400 minutes or more of PE every 10 days. So I have about 220 minutes with them each week. So we have block periods. So every but then again, every Tuesday I see every class, then Monday and Wednesday I see half of the school, and then Mondays and Thursdays I see the other half the part.
Speaker 2:You know, my class structure looks like, you know, looks like this I mean, the kids come in, um, and there's an immediate warmup, you know.
Speaker 2:So they walk in and I'm taking attendance, they do a small warmup. It could be either like an exercise, it could be like an activity or a challenge that I put on the screen in the classroom, or it could be just like a do now, where kids are answering a certain question, or it could be like a check-in social, emotional learning check-in. Right, kids are sharing and then, once I stopped taking attendance, you know if any kids want to share, or you know they're still doing the warmup, then I still wait for them to finish the warmupup and then I go over the objectives of the lesson and then we transition outside and we do whatever physical activity we're doing. We come back, we do something we call a daily challenge. It could be like a reflection question, something that I learned during the lesson. Or it could be like a cool-down, where we're practicing mindfulness or we're just, you know, doing some stretching exercises and then that's it.
Speaker 1:They're off to the next class sounds good and I like how you you have it structured. You know you, the kids know what to expect, they know your routines, they know what a classroom looks like, so and that's. I just think it's so important just having those expectations. So, yeah, that sounds, that sounds great, yeah. So, what? What is something you wish you did have? Now I know, before you're teaching, a parking lot, so I can.
Speaker 1:You could probably say you wish you had a gym. I do wish I had a gym because of the heat down here and the rain and the lightning alerts and just all sorts of weather stuff going on. But, um, so that'd be one thing I wish I had was a gymnasium. Uh, and pretty much, no, very rarely do we have, uh, elementary schools in Florida, which is crazy um, that have inside, you know, gymnasiums, um, stuff like private schools or something like that, or maybe smaller, older schools. So I guess that'd be my wish. What, what, what is your thing Like? What is something that either equipment or anything with your PE spaces or anything that you would change or that you would add to it that you wish you had?
Speaker 2:Well, I'm going to say the same thing as you. I mean, I wish I had a gym. Uh, career I? I will say that maybe, uh, it was maybe one year that I had a gym, you know, right, um, and this was at a charter school, but this again, but then again it was at a. You know I I was uh teaching at a church. So, you know, the church school had a gym. But having a gym would be a plus, you know, and you know it's a gym that basically includes like a weight room, you know a cardio room, you know like a treadmill, and I have lots of like, you know, fitness equipment. And I think my kids would benefit from having like a fitness room where they walk in and they just, you know, they do their weight training and they do their cardio and stuff like that. So that's something I wish for.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I love that. That's a, that's a great, that's a that sounds great and that would be awesome to have, that, you know, incorporate into your program. So, yeah, so, what's? Well, let's go get, let's get into the meat of this. I guess, um, what, give me some games or activities that you really either enjoy teaching or they're kind of your go-to like.
Speaker 1:I'll give you an example on there's times when we just I just have to make a split decision on, like, whether inside, outside, um, you know, if it's too wet, if it's you know, whatever, and there's just some games that I'm just like, oh, let's, let's do this, the kids know how to play it.
Speaker 1:Uh, like, we have a game called rollout where we play under the pavilion, where it's, um, I guess it's kind of like gaga ball, but it's more like they're sitting and they're just kind of rolling the ball at people's feet. Um, that's something we can do on the pavilion when it's like kind of wet out, not crazy rain, but kind of wet out, maybe sprinkling. Um, another game I guess I'll just say real quick um, I learned from joey fife uh, and is the, uh is prayer, dog pickoff. It's a game the kids know we teach them in the beginning of the year. We teach them prayer, dog pickoff and roll out, and those are games that the kids know and they think that we could always go to them real quick if we had to or whatever. So is there anything like that that you have either go to game or just a favorite game or activity that you like to do with your students?
Speaker 2:Well, I, you know, ever since I started for you know a unified school district, you know, I I felt like my students really fell in love with nitro ball and uh, which is a modification, uh, you know sport of volleyball and um, and you can see the confidence in our students, you know, like leading to volleyball, like how it really increased because of Nitro Ball. And I don't know if you taught it, dave, before, but you know, the kids just got hooked right away to the point that I mean that's my go-to. I mean the kids are can we play Nitro Ball? Can we play Nitro Ball? I'm in a basketball unit and can we play Nitro Ball. I'm in a football unit and can we play nitro ball? Can we play nitro ball? I'm in a basketball unit and can we play nitro ball football unit and can we play nitro ball.
Speaker 2:And, of course, you know, you know us pe teachers, you know we get suckered in, right and yeah, but the kids love it because, um, you know, one thing that you know in my class, as a class culture that I have, is kids are basically running their own PE class here. They set up the equipment, they set up the volleyball nets, they, you know, they get the equipment out right. They know how to open up the bins I didn't know how to put equipment away. They take care of the equipment as well and they just go in and it's like it's like magic, you know. I mean, I mean I'm just enjoying the competition.
Speaker 2:It's like watching a game on TV, you know, seeing these kids play so I can say, yeah, nitro Ball and Ultimate Frisbee too. You know, ultimate Frisbee is becoming very, very popular at our school. You know to the point that kids are asking me for Frisbees during their lunchtime. You know to. You know I'll go out there and have a game, uh, but yeah, it's sort of like to go to, you know. You know it's all to a Frisbee and nitro ball.
Speaker 1:I love it and I so. I have a lot of questions in my head now for or the followups. So first of all, I know how to play Nitro Ball. Can you explain to the people listening how to play Nitro Ball?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I might probably play it a little bit different than you. The biggest difference between Nitro Ball and volleyball you can let the ball bounce once before hitting the ball and also you have to make you know up to three passes before the ball goes over the net and the rest is the same. You know the underhand, overhand serving applies. The volleyball net is lower than you know regulation. So that's like I said, you know, to boost that confidence, the the nitro ball, I got it from flag house, so, um, that the ball is slightly, uh, bigger than the actual volleyball, but it's the same right. So, uh, yeah, it's uh, it's just incredible. Um, you know that you know how this game is. You know, you know, like, the way it was invented, the way it was. You know, uh, like, you know how this game is, you know, you know, like, the way it was invented, the way it was, you know, explained and demonstrated to me is very, very straightforward and the kids love it.
Speaker 1:Like I said, yeah, and what I love about nitro ball. Well, first of all, I've seen PE teachers in my district teach volleyball and I've I've made this mistake too. Um, you know fourth now. I know you teach in middle school now, but when I teach volleyball and you teach it to like, let's say, third, fourth and fifth grade, even fifth graders, it's hard.
Speaker 1:Volleyball is not easy, and especially to get rallies going to keep it going, keep it going. It's a lot of like okay, I'm gonna hit in the net Now. It's okay, I'm gonna hit in the net, now it's your turn, you hit in the net. It's like. And so nitro ball is very it's I hate just throwing the word around inclusive, but it really is it everybody can get involved. I like how you have you know three passes, so it's not just one kid spike of the ball every time, like it's got to be. You know, everybody's got to get involved, everybody's got to get the ball. And you're right, it does help the um, I guess, the students the skill wise it's. It's it's boosting their skills because they get more touches on the ball, they get more chances, and it's also they get the one bounce, because, you know, I've seen volleyball just like a total mess, especially in elementary school. But now I've seen also other ways to do it, where I again I'm just going back to volleyball, where you know you can use like a beach ball or there's other things you could do to modify it. But nitro ball is great because and you're right, it's, it's, it's quick, though, the kids like it and it's again, it gets the rallies going right, it gets the skills built up and it's. It's just not like what you're watching paint dry, like just I hit out of bounds and you hit in the net, and so I like it. And we play with pickleball nets. You know what I mean. You play with like yeah right, like low nets, and so that's, that's great. So I'm glad you brought that up.
Speaker 1:The other thing I was going to ask you and I didn't really even ask you I was going to tell you, when you mentioned how the students can just run the, the show. You know, I think it's a testament to you and and your, your procedures and your expectations, and and maybe they did that before you got there, I don't know but and you can go out if you want to talk about that. But you know, I think that goes to you know, having routines and having you know again these expectations of how we treat the equipment and how we set things up and how we take things down, and it sounds like you have a well-oiled machine and that's again, that's a testament to you. Uh, again, I don't know if you want to expand on that a little bit, but I I found that amazing when you said that about how they can run the show yeah, uh.
Speaker 2:So obviously you know, you know that procedures and routines are very, very important, especially as a physical education teacher. You want to make everything so predictable. Like you said earlier, kids have to come into class knowing what to expect and once the sixth week of school is already in session, kids already got their routine down and, as part of our class culture, students are definitely expected to explaining and demonstrating to them how I want the setup to be. Okay, well, we're playing flag football. We'll see that other cones are going to be on the sidelines and then make sure that you put these special cones for the end zones. Or they're playing all to a Frisbee. Okay, well, get the Frisbees out so you can start warming up. This is my expectation. In three minutes, I would like to see all of you guys warming up by throwing and catching a Frisbee with a partner. So it's so beautiful that the kids just go out, they transition out, and I'm getting my hat, I'm already putting some. You know sun'm getting a drink of water, right, and then by the time I get out and the kids are already like practicing right, uh, and it's, and, and of course I mean you're gonna see, you know some, um, you know hiccups here and there, you know some kids are probably going to be doing something else. But you know, if I see, if I don't see a hundred percent from them, all right, let's go back to the classroom and let's go over my expectations again. But the kids hate it. The kids hate going back to the classroom and me reteaching expectations, because they love PE, they love being active and that's one thing that really works with my middle school that every student participates.
Speaker 2:And this is middle school, right? You know, I mean where. You know, of course, I mean we don't dress for pe, but they are still comfortable, you know, you know, um, you know participating in the regular clothes, so, um, so it really helps, you know, with the fact that the kids love pe and so once we go out, you know they, they do take care of the equipment because you know, um, you, once we go out, you know they, they, they do take care of the equipment because you know, you know I'll be honest, you know most of this equipment is mine. It's not, you know it doesn't belong to the school and you know so it's. You know, you know the, the, the, the equipment that I provide for them. You know, I tell them. You know what this is coming from, my money, right, and this is our equipment. So you're not going to believe the value and the importance of how they take care of this equipment.
Speaker 2:I mean, the Frisbee goes, you know, across the fence and it goes to the neighbor's house, right, they feel so bad. They were like, oh man, you know, oh, my coach, I'm so sorry. You know what, after school I'm gonna go get it and then I'll bring it to you tomorrow, right, you know it's, it's they're so concerned for, if you know, like, if a soccer ball is being kicked, you know, uh, across the fence or whatever, and of course you know, I mean, I talked to them about it. You know what I mean. If I'm teaching you how to kick a ball, right, and you're kicking the ball in a different way, or you're just messing around and the ball goes over the fence, and of course you're gonna have to pay me back, you're gonna have to buy me a ball.
Speaker 2:But if, of course, you know, if it's by accident, where you, okay, you know what, I just taught you how to kick the ball, but then the ball went over, then that's a different story. So, um, there's little things like that, where you know it's um, I'm keeping you know this. You know, uh, you know, like you said, this well, old machine going, because you know kids know what to expect. You know kids know how to set up for their own class and they take ownership of their own learning that's amazing, really.
Speaker 1:I was going to say the ownership piece is so it's so key, like they bought in and they're buying into your overall philosophy and your overall just a program. That you're right, they don't want to sit and go over expectations, but because they want to play, so it's kind of that cycle. Right, it's, it's, but it's something I think. I mean I don't mind about you, but like I got to spend, especially with kindergarten. I'm kindergarten because I know you don't have kindergarten anymore but because they, you know you got to spend time on this. You got to spend time, and it's supposed to be beginning of the school year just going over these things. Since I have kindergarten and you have sixth graders, you know I tend to spend more time with my kindergartners, obviously, than my anybody else, first through fifth graders, because they know the expectations from year to year.
Speaker 1:And I know we change some things here and there. Obviously we add things to our program or take things away that aren't working. But in general, every student unless they're new to the school, every student knows when they come into my class. You know here's what we do. You know every class is structured the same, basically, and we change up, obviously, the music, we change up games, we change up things, but as far as the structure, they know the expectations, they know how to come in and in my case they come in and sit on dots and they and they, they know when the music starts that they're going to be doing a certain thing. But what? What do you? What do you do? The first, maybe a couple of weeks of school to make sure your sixth graders, you know, understand the expectations and things like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so the the first six weeks, six weeks of school, it's more about. You know, like I said, procedures and routines and just you know from the basics, you know how, even how to line up. You know to go, how to line up, to go back, to come back into the classroom, how to transition. Chance for me to get to know them. You know on a more personal level and build those relationships and by doing that the kids are doing, you know lots of team building activities, lots of icebreakers. You know social, emotional learning activities where you know they're, you know they, not only are they getting to know each other, but also I'm getting to know them right and how my class is structured. So by the time the sixth week goes on, okay, you know what. Now, finally, we're ready to start our first official. You know sports unit and our fitness unit. So, uh, yeah, it's, I mean this.
Speaker 2:You know, for the first time I did struggle a little bit with the six-weighters. They were not as skill-based, you know, as I would hope. You know most of these kids did not know how to throw and catch and it was really hard, you know, because they were. You know their elementary school is right there on our campus. You know I work for a kinder to eighth grade school, but I'm only teaching middle school and you know, of course, no offense to the classroom teachers, I mean, I know they had their hands full too, right, but you know they also had to teach PE, and when they teach PE, it's more like rolling the ball out and the kids are just doing their thing. So when the sixth graders came to me, they were confused. They were like, okay, wait a minute. So is PE just more like going out and just playing? No, this is a class. You know, you're going to learn how to throw, catch, kick, strike, and so there was a lot of conflict too.
Speaker 2:And so and there was a lot of conflict too, you know the kids were really getting into, you know problems or a lot of issues going on outside of PE class, to the point that kids were not even working as a team, you know, in my PE class. So I just did not for the first 12 weeks I did not do any sport at all. I did more like team building activities, teamwork, challenges, and you know you remember the videos that I sent you. Oh, yeah, I love those. Those are great, yeah, and we were doing those and we were doing a lot of reflection.
Speaker 2:We were doing a lot of reflection and looking at the new national PE standards. One of the standards states that we have to contribute positively to our teammates, make sure that we're solving problems amongst our teammates, having proper etiquette and follow game rules. Those are the standards that I hit very heavily with the investigators, to the point that now they were like getting along, you know, in PE class, but also they were taking this whole contributing positive to our teammates and classmates outside of PE class even. I mean, I could, you know one of the my, the other six way teachers were telling me hey, coach, I mean one of our kids, one of your, you know, one of our students were saying to contribute positively to our classmates.
Speaker 2:And I told them, where is that coming from? Well, that's coming from our teacher, from coach. It's like, oh well, that's awesome. So they're making that connection in different classes too, and I'm glad to you know, to hear you know things like that too. So, yeah, so to to answer your question, yes, I mean six graders. You know, it all depends too on on their culture and like what they're bringing, you know what, what, what they're bringing to my class and I can make that adjustment, and then we could also have fun at the same time right, you know.
Speaker 1:It's funny that you now I'm thinking about this. I wonder if the last time I talked to you I was teaching at my current school, because probably this is my fourth year at my current school and so probably not I was at. I was at my previous school for almost 10 years. Okay, so, yeah, so then I left there middle of the school year. That's a whole nother story, but I and actually taught. I don't know if you know this, but I taught history for history, for, like, I mean for basically Thanksgiving, to the end of school. If I taught you since then, or yes, yeah, yeah, okay. So you remember that okay, okay, so it was around that time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I got you okay. So so, yeah, um, because you kind of reminded me of, you know, when I first went to my current school and I guess, going back to my first PE school, my first one, but definitely over the past, you know, few years school, you know I had a I don't want to say change of culture, but but kind of, because you know the way they did things and there's no offense to the people that were there before me, but they just did things differently and I want to change things and it it took um, a while, not a long time, but it took a little bit for well, definitely for the older kids especially that already were established there, to change that kind of culture. I guess my main thing is and here you talk because I want to make sure this is valuable to a lot of people, especially the, you know, the newer generation coming up with PE teachers is spending that time, you know, figuring out what you want, what, what you want your class, your not just your class, but your whole program to look like, and you know build that. Take that time Because if it's, it's kind of like, even as a classroom teacher, but definitely as a PE teacher, you need to take those couple of weeks and begin the school year, or whenever you start or whenever you need to change something, and just focus on that, and I feel like I'm still working on that.
Speaker 1:With kindergarten, I'm not, I'm not gonna, I'm not lying Like the skills haven't been there. I'm almost at Christmas time. It's been more about you know them, learning the basics and learning. You know, it's just been a. It's been a rough year. Honestly, kindergarten, just getting them all on the same page. But I guess what I'm hearing from you and what I want to emphasize is, if you want to, if you want to build that culture, you got to take the time you have to, even if it means taking a step back from the games that you want to get to. Eventually, building a foundation is just, it's just key. What do you? You know you agree.
Speaker 2:It requires lots of patience and because I remember, you know well, three years ago, when I started at the school where I was at, uh, having, you know, teaching eighth grade, you know, eighth grade students that were used to the previous PE teacher, the, the PE teacher that was there, um, according to my my, you know, my eighth graders oh, this PE teacher, you know, used to make graders. Oh, this PE teacher, you know, used to make us run and make us do this and make us do that, and but it was, you know, I came in, you know, more like an understanding teacher. This was now, you know, finally going back from like the first full year of COVID. You know, like I'm sorry, the first full year coming back from like the first full year of COVID. You know, like, I'm sorry, the first full year coming back from the pandemic.
Speaker 2:I gotcha, yeah, and I remember my first day with those aviators and I and I and I introduced myself that first day and then after that I talked about cell phones and the kids were like, oh, here we go. Another teacher was going to talk about cell phones and I, after that, I talked about cell phones and the kids were like, oh, here we go. Another teacher was going to talk about cell phones and I told them you know what, guys, I have a cell phone charging station for you here in the classroom, and the body language just completely changed, the demeanor changed, right. And I told them you know what, if you want to charge your phone, I have a cell phone charging station for you here. I have equipment for you. Right, you know, I understand that. You know you guys didn't have much equipment last year, but this is our equipment and I'm going to be honest, I'm purchasing this equipment with my own, from my own pocket.
Speaker 2:Yes, you're telling me right now that your former PE teacher made you run, right here, when we do our cardio, you know you have the option of power walking, jogging or running, but at least I see some type of movement. Right, you're not going to be graded based on, you know, a fitness test, benchmark or standard. You're going to be, you know, graded based on your individual performance, on, you know, fitness, and you know, uh, you know, sport related based on your performance, because everyone here is different, right, and so when they heard that, it was just a sigh of relief. But again, you know, they're still, we're still so used to, you know, being in the previous with the previous PE teacher that was still, you know, behavior issues and everything, because they thought that I was going to let them slide, just like their previous PE teacher did.
Speaker 2:And now, three years later, the six graders that I had three years ago I had them for the third year. I mean, it goes back to the well-oiled machine, like you mentioned. Yeah, yeah, this is my third year with them and they're just they come in and they, they take over yeah, I love it and it's over.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's a great feeling, isn't it, just knowing that the you know that they can, just like you said, run the whole class. I mean the um, just the expectations are high and, and you know, again, you've set, just like you said, run the whole class. I mean the, just the expectations are high and, and you know, again, you've set the bar high and it sounds like, hey, they take, they've again, they've taken ownership of. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and going back to what you were mentioning with kindergarten, because yes, kindergarten was a struggle and and, and I mean, I don't not know a PE teacher that says, oh my God, I love teaching PE for five year olds, or even four year olds, because now it's a mixture of four, three, four, five. You know, like with four and five-year-olds, that they were born during COVID and this was during. You know the shutdown, so you don't know what the family dynamics were. You know when they were born. Too, right, it's the same thing as you know teaching right now, the fourth graders, third and fourth graders, you know the third and fourth graders were heavily affected because they started off school.
Speaker 2:You know about, you know how to, you know how to go to the classroom and how to sit there. You know, and now, that's why there's a lot of elopement. You know a lot of kids walking out of class because they're so used to that. You know, during COVID, I mean, they could just turn off the computer and say you know what, I'm going to go make myself a sandwich or I'm going to go outside and I don't want to be in this class. You know, from now and everything is it's like. You know, it's just an option now.
Speaker 2:So, going back to you, know you mentioning about the kindergartners, it's um, I mean, I would just I'm not going to say throw the pe standards out the window, but just teach them how to play with each other, right, how to move, right, uh. But I'm not gonna, I wouldn't hit the those learning targets like local motor skills, just learning how to move, how to play with each other, how to you know, uh, you know, socialize too, because we, as pe teachers, we're the only ones who can, you know, put that social, emotional learning into play more than any other classroom teacher or core teacher. So if we can teach them how to behave, the same way we teach them how to move and how to learn, then they're going to be successful in the classroom.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I agree, and a lot of it is just teaching them how to take turns and share and and all the things you talked about. Just it's. It's those kinds of things that, yeah, they need to learn, and you're right, and that's why PE is the best, you know, the best field, the best class for the kids and they get to learn all these things, not just kicking a ball, but again, if they do like, even like we did, like kind of like a relay races, you know there's three or four kids in a line, just getting them to understand. You know we take turns, whereas we're a team, we work together, we're being kind, we say, and that's why pe has always been well I'm. I'm so glad I'm a pe teacher I know you are too because we get to teach them these things that they might not have gotten at home or or whatever with their friends, and so yeah, even with middle school students, dave, right, it's um, um, you know you still, you know, teach them how to you know be kind and how to be respectful.
Speaker 2:How does that look like? How does it look like to be responsible and how to develop a growth mindset and all those things right, because in middle school you still have time to mold them right. And you're not going to believe how many kids you know, like, since I've been, you know, teaching middle school, like four years ago. Now that I'm to high school and they come back and they say, you know what, coach, I'm still doing the same things that you taught me in middle school. You know how to communicate and how to show good sportsmanship. And now you know, I know now, with the positive and negative consequences of showing good sportsmanship or lack of sportsmanship. So you know, it's those little things that we still teach those middle schoolers, the same way we're teaching these kindergartners. So by the time they get to you, by the time they get to you in fifth grade, you've got this down already.
Speaker 1:That's right. Yeah, I love it. So I have a few more for you, if you don't mind, yeah of course.
Speaker 1:So this might kind of go back to what we've been talking about, but it's something I want to ask you. So what advice would you give to a first-year teacher, pe teacher? So what advice would you give to a first-year teacher, pe teacher? Or if you went back to yourself your first year, you know what would be a. I know we talked about structure and procedures and things, but you know what advice would you give a first-year PE teacher?
Speaker 2:Classroom expectations and being very consistent and firm with your you know the way that you're going to manage your class. Also, I mean, the advice I would give a first year PE teacher is to, you know, be human. I mean, this is a hard job. This is not, you know, like other. Some other classroom teachers say you know what, you just teach PE. You know what I'm saying? That's not it. It is a hard job and it requires lots of planning and lots of structure. So, you know, sometimes you know it's okay to throw the lesson plan out the window and just be human and say, hey guys, you know what? Okay, let's go ahead and play Nitro Ball. Right, let's go, let's do this. That's right Because, um, at the end of the day, you know this, you know, um, you are, you know, of course you're the PE teacher and but you also want to be, you know, you also want to let your students know that you're there for them, and that, which is another advice that I would give a first year teacher, is to also build strong relationships with students and families.
Speaker 2:I work at a school where the parent involvement is very, very low. You know our parents are working. You know full time, you know most. You know some of my kids don't even see their parents when they get home. And on the weekends, some of these kids take care of themselves. They get home and they have to make their own dinner and they have to just take care of business and the next thing, you know, the next day go back to school. And you know, they know, that being in school is a safe space and you know, being in my class is also a safe space.
Speaker 2:So, building strong relationships with these kids, you know, and families, if you know, if possible, and families, if you know, if possible, right, because your students are the only ones who know, you know if I mean, you have principals that come and evaluate you, right, but then they only see you once or maybe twice a semester. The kids are doing your evaluation right. They see you every day and they, you know, so they're always going to have your back. You know if anything happens or oh, you know what, you know, coach Fierro is, you know, doing this or doing that. Well, you know what. The kids are always going to have your back. So, build strong relationships, make sure that you, you know, follow through with your classroom expectations and be very strong, you know, in your procedures and routines perfect I love that.
Speaker 1:So, with that being said, how, how do you want to be remembered, like when you retire, years from now, many, many years from now? I don't know when you retire, but, uh, how do you want to be remembered? Or what do you want your legacy to be, your pe legacy?
Speaker 2:well, I, I mean I, I, I think my, my students are going to remember me by. I don't think they're gonna remember me by testing them in a fitness test. I don't think they're going to remember me. You know, when I, you know, quiz them on a, you know, a certain skill, right, I think they're going to remember me by, you know, the way that I build strong relationships.
Speaker 2:Um, I mean, I've been in schools, you know, for 28 years now, since 1996, and you know my, my first student that I had, you know, when I was in the afterschool program, and I still talk to him to this day and he's in his you know what late thirties, already, mid thirties, yeah, so yeah, and he still remembers me.
Speaker 2:You know, you know, like, like it was yesterday, I mean, the way when I used to, you know, go to the afterschool program, and you know we used to play basketball and I was a 19 year old, you know, trying to play basketball with the little kids and I was, you know, I was young and I could still, you know, move, but almost 30 years later, I can't do that anymore, right, but but it's, you know, that's that's the way they remember you. You know, just, you know, playing with them and just socializing with them. And to this day I still have a lot, lots of. I still call them my kids. They're probably in their 20s and their 30s and when they talk to me about how I was as a PE teacher, they talk to me more about how I treated them, more than the actual content itself yeah, no, I agree, and I love your answer.
Speaker 1:With that, that's because you're right, they're not going to remember. I mean it's important to teach them, obviously, about you know fitness and and you know muscular, skeletal, whatever, all the parts of the body and all that stuff, but you know they're not going to remember that. I mean, hopefully they you know they're not gonna remember that. I mean hopefully they remember that, but they're not going to remember you because of that. They're going to remember you because of you and the experiences you created and and you know your, your class and how you treated them, like you said. So I, yeah, I love that answer. So is there anything else you want to share I don't know with with our listeners, as far as you know, before we kind of wrap things up as far as either a game, a book, an app, an idea, an activity, something that you just, you know, you just absolutely love and want to share yeah, so I mean we, um, you know, uh, four years ago, when we did a podcast together, dave, you know, we also talked about, you know, pe central.
Speaker 2:You know the facebook page. You know, uh, the group that is still going strong right now. Um, and you know, because of pe central, there has been lots of, lots of groups, you know, um, on facebook and that just are centered around the specific you know, uh, you know grade levels or levels or content areas or whatever. And so I mean I strongly encourage PE teachers to continue networking and getting to know other PE teachers, what they're doing, the challenges that they're encountering, because only PE teachers understand where we're coming from. If it's like a venting session or whatever, only PE teachers know what the struggles are. And so, yeah, we talked a lot about just the PE Central Facebook page. We talked a lot about, you know, just the PE Central Facebook page. And and I'm, you know, I'm really glad that you're going back to doing these podcasts too, dave, yeah, I mean, when you sent me that email, I was like I jumped on it right away. I mean, like, dave, you know, let's you know, let's do this one more time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we'll do it again soon, don't worry. Yeah, so I'm talking to you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we'll do it again soon, don't worry, I love talking to you, same here. I can't wait to hear the other PE teachers that come to your shows and I want to hear them out and I want to keep learning, because we don't stop learning until our last breath, I guess.
Speaker 1:Thank you everybody for tuning in today. I really do appreciate it as always. Go to supersizefizedcom for more information or check out my new substack. It is a an app, a kind of a website newsletter that you can log on to to get the the latest articles I've written and newsletters, and I just love for you to be a part of the Substack community. So take care, pe Nation, have a great day, week, weekend, whenever you listen to this, and let's keep pushing our profession forward. Thank you.
