Holly’s Blog

Topic: PE class IS necessary in the education system

The education system is constantly changing. Every year schools are forced to change their policies, standards, and curriculum. A lot of schools even have to make the difficult decisions to cut certain programs and staff from their building. Over the years, schools have begun to make physical education a part of those cuts. While schools all over the country have been forced to discard PE class, some states do not even require PE at all. I believe that schools should require a physical education class because of the benefits and positive effects it places on students. 

One reason I believe PE class should be implemented in school is because of all of the positives it can bring to the classroom. As future classroom teachers, we are constantly being taught ways to incorporate physical movement during our school day. Studies have shown that children perform better academically after being up and moving. Teachers have so many content areas to get through that there is not enough time for kids to get the appropriate amount of exercise they need. PE class is solely devoted to having kids be active and burning all of the energy they have. In return, this will help them be more focused academically. PE is also practicing living a fit lifestyle which students can carry with them outside of school 

Another reason PE class should be mandatory in schools is due to all of the lessons and life skills students can acquire. Having good self control, discipline, and listening skills are strongly used. Along with those skills, during PE class, students are given the opportunity to practice being a team player. Being a team player entails being encouraging to others and cheering them on. They are given multiple opportunities to learn how to work and compromise with their peers to achieve a common goal. Additionally, there will be games that will challenge students to cope with losing. Losing in PE can help students grow in controlling their emotions which can help later on when life is simply just not fair.

Finally, PE class opens up an opportunity for students to try and learn new sports. During elementary school years, kids are trying to find their “thing”. In PE, multiple different activities occur which could be a new found love for someone. As students get older, PE class provides time for students to lift, run, etc which will help them with the sport they are participating in. Sports and physical activity are a stress relief for many and is something many students look forward to. While many students may struggle academically, they could be stronger physically/athletically. This time in the school day can be a confidence booster which could carry over and help students in the classroom. 

In conclusion, I think that all schools should require a physical education class. PE encourages and provides students with many opportunities that improve themselves in many ways. I argue that students obtain many skills that overall makes them a stronger student and person.

How bullying affects students inside and outside of the classroom.

Bullying is a huge issue that provides challenges to students and schools all around the world. This issue causes many obstacles and leaves lasting effects on students every single day. Some of these types of bullying can be physical, socially, psychologically, and one that has become very common, cyberbullying. Bullying is very dangerous for students who are on both sides of it.

To begin, students who are bullied face many effects right away. They can become withdrawn in social situations and become unhappy at school. If students are starting to feel emotions of sadness when being at school, this becomes linked to lower academic achievement (Kennedy). Lower academic achievement can also stem from students having insomnia, therefore lack of sleep leaves them unengaged in school. Students who are bullied also experience feelings of depression and anxiety. These feelings can lead to suicidal thoughts later on (study.com). Bullying overall leaves kids feeling less confident and unsure about themselves. These feelings cause students to make decisions that they normally would not make. Students who carry disabilities and are a part of the LGBTIQ are at an increased risk of being bullied. 

    As much as the students who are being bullied are affected, the kids who are doing the bullying have many results of their actions happen to them as well. Many students who bully can be insecure about their social status, appearance, or their race. Students can bully out of feelings of jealousy and low self-esteem (study.com). In many cases, students who are experiencing issues outside of the classroom take that anger and aggression out in the classroom by targeting their peers. Those feelings of anger and despair fuel the students’ needs of being the center of attention. While some students are facing low self-esteem, many students bully because of their increased levels of confidence (Public Affairs). 

    Finally, cyberbullying is one of the most common forms of bullying that has taken place. This form of bullying is difficult for teachers to target, because in most cases they are not able to see it. However, in many cases, these situations of bullying are likely to carry over in the classroom. Kids are constantly behind screen whether it be a cell phone, laptop, tablet, and more. They find it easy to communicate bullying this way because of their ability to hide behind the screen (Public Affairs). Their reactions are instant and they do not take the time to think before they post. Cyberbullying can pose threats, outing, and argumentation between parties. 

    Overall, bullying is a series of small actions that turn into bug consequences. It is important to understand the harsh consequences it can leave on students. As teachers, it is crucial that we keep our eye out for warning signs on a day to day basis. It is also a good idea to take steps that will prevent bullying. You can do these kinds of things by showing students it is okay to express emotions so they can learn how to deal with them appropriately. Whatever you can do to stop bullying will result in fewer problems down the road for all parties involved. 

Bibliography 

Effects of Bullying: Implications into Adulthood. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.overcomebullying.org/effects-of-bullying-into-adulthood.html

Public Affairs. (2019, December 4). Effects of Bullying. Retrieved from https://www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/effects

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://study.com/teach/bullying-in-schools.html

Growing up in a small town has been one of the biggest blessings in my life. I loved having the experience of feeling part of a community and living somewhere where everyone knows pretty much everyone. All throughout my life I have been surrounded by the best circle of people that have been nothing short of supportive. While these things will always be a part of me and those relationships will remain strong, it never really occurred to me that my whole life was about to change…until the summer after my senior year.

I just came off a high that most seniors in high schools experience. From graduation, senior nights, athletic activities, student council events, scholarship ceremonies, and more, an extremely memorable year is created. I had so much fun and was so fortunate to have such a fun and wonderful high school experience. Along with all of those special moments, when I look back on that school year I remember all of my high school teachers and my parents telling me how much I am going to love college and how fun it would be. I recall always agreeing with them when they said things like that, but always felt relieved that it wasn’t happening yet. In my mind I thought, “I don’t need anything else. I have the best friends in the whole world, a great family, and a boyfriend I have been with all of highschool. Why would I ever want to leave?” Even though I had that thought, I knew I did not want to attend community college and could not see myself anywhere else but ISU. My older brother who now lives/teaches in Normal attended ISU. Along with that benefit, it was close to home, a good size, familiar to me, and known for education. Even with those feelings of not wanting to leave, I deep down knew I wanted a college experience and reminded myself that not everyone is able to have that. When I reminded myself that, a little part of me was excited, but still scared of what would happen. 

That summer I decided I just wanted to enjoy myself. I had so much fun with all of my friends, family, and boyfriend at the time. I went to concerts, worked a little, had family vacations, and spent lots of time with the people that meant a lot to me. Although it seemed like a normal summer, I still felt anxious about move- in day that would quickly be approaching. At the beginning of July, my boyfriend and I had broken up and I was devastated. I spent the rest of my summer coping with that loss with the help of my friends and family. Although I was upset, I felt so grateful to have those people by my side. I remember feeling so frustrated that I was experiencing so much change in my life in such a short window of time. Despite those challenges, the rest of the summer flew by. Before I knew it, August came around and it was time to move in to Haynie Hall. 

From move-in day through most of first semester, life at college was HARD for me. I had joined organizations, made GREAT friends, was still close with hometown friends, went to class, but still did not feel right yet. I found myself not feeling like Holly normally does. I was not my upbeat, positive, and fun self. I did not love living in dorms, went home a lot, and did not think this was something I could ever work through. I was still struggling with the breakup, having down time, and the realization that this was a new normal for me. I remember my mom telling me, “You are doing everything you are supposed to do. Just give it time and things will fall into place.” 

I can not exactly pinpoint a specific event that made me turn things around, but towards the end of first semester and all of second semester things were SO much better! I decided that it was time for me to not worry so much and start embracing what was in front of me. Overall my freshman year of college pushed me and helped me grow in ways I never thought possible. I learned so much about life and myself, and tried so many new things. Looking back, I realized that I ended up laughing so much, made so many memories, and left with friends that I now call my best friends. Although it came with challenges, I put myself first, and was the happiest I had been in a long time. None of that would have been possible without the encouragement and support from my friends and family. I am now closer with these people than I have ever been. During that tough stretch, it made me cherish my hometown and community that I came from even more. I also started finding that community here in Normal. I started feeling extra lucky for the people in life and the town that I came from. Along with my friends from home, I also realized how fortunate I was for my friends at school stuck with me through the good and the bad. I now have so much love for my life at college and at home. Although there are still struggles along the way, I realized that is just how life is, and that everything happens for a reason! 

I am From

I am from a red ceiling

from a stuffed bunny and brown quilt

I am from comfy and cozy

and small home with a lot of love

I am from pavement on my driveway

whose provided happiness when playing sports on it

I am from a red bouncy ball with red polka dots and American Girl Dolls

from Shempf and Petry

and from kindness and friendliness

from giving back to others

I am from vacations at the lake

from potatoes and ice cream sandwiches

from living life to the fullest

and from appreciating what you have

countless family vacations

I am from the moments that have been happy, heartbreaking, and unforgettable moments

Moments that have shaped me into the person I am now.

Masked Poetry

Sunsets

I appear in the sky

I reflect off the lakes and oceans

I am beautiful with many colors

Pink, orange, blue, yellow, purple

People take pictures of me

I life their spirits

I remind them of loved ones gone too soon

I give happiness and hope to those who see me.

Poems for Two Voices

Voice #1 Voice #2

I am his sister I am her brother

I decorate his house I fix her car

I crack all of the jokes I try not to laugh even though it is funny

I would do anything for him And I will always be there for her

We love each other!

Dear high school senior who is about to leave for college,

Change is apart of life that everyone struggles with. If you are someone like me, getting used to your new “normal” of leaving high school and starting college is the scariest thing ever. Going away to college should be exciting and fun, however all you may be feeling is anxiety, fear, and nerves. When I was in that position, I tried to make myself thing everything would stay the same with all the relationships I was leaving behind. I absolutely loved my hometown and I was so sad to leave my family, friends, and boyfriend at the time. I could not help but worry about what the future was going to hold. You might see so many people who cannot wait to get away from home, but you might be feeling the total opposite. If you are feeling any of those things I felt about a year ago, trust me it is totally normal.

When your life at college begins, you may find yourself fighting to keep a relationship from high school alive. You might put your all into it and come up short. Trust me, it HURTS. But I promise you will find your happiness again with time and help from the people you still do have. I thought I would never work past it, but I find me putting myself first more than I ever have. You also might find yourself worried that your hometown friends will replace you while they are away at college. Yes, they will make new friends but know that doesn’t mean that will change anything with yours. You will always have a place in their heart. If anything, my hometown friends and I are closer than ever and appreciate each other more.

Despite all of those fears, I encourage you to try new things, stay busy, and realize that this is supposed to be such a fun time of your life. The more you are around campus, the better it gets. I promise. For the longest time I thought it would never get better. I joined clubs, made friends on my floor, and did well in classes but still felt not quite right. If you keep doing those things, I promise it will start to feel easier and you will look forward to being there. Do not be afraid to feel any of the emotions you are facing. There will be hard days, but life is not perfect. Most importantly remember that your family has your back. During that time of my life there is no way I could have gotten through it without them. College is a long, hard, exciting, and fun journey all wrapped up into four years. Lean on those around you, and believe in yourself. I promise you that everything will happen for a reason and what is meant for you will not pass you.

Love,

Holly

I love being with my family.

Everything will happen for a reason

When I reflect on all of the vacations I have taken throughout my life, the memories from going to the lake in Wisconsin always seem to stick out the most to me. My dad grew up being around the lake and has had a boat for as long as I can remember. His best friend Mike owned a cabin in Tomahawk Wisconsin and I remember him and my mom telling my brother and I we were going there for the first time. It is a 6 hour drive from where we live and on the way my mom kept telling us to be appreciative to Mike for letting us stay there. Little did I know I was about to be introduced to one of my favorite places in the world that means so much to me. When we are there we spent our days tubing, skiing, canoeing, and going on boat rides at night. I loved everything about being on the water. When we get back to the cabin at night, the cove where it sat was called Sunset Bay because the sun would set directly across from us. Our trips to the lake became more fun when my uncle bought two jet-skis that you could absolutely fly on. As my brother and I got older we were always taking friends to the lake with us. Looking back I am so thankful that I have parents who always welcome our friends with open arms. They have a way of making them feel like apart of our family and always including them in on the fun. I have been best friends with my friends from home since kindergarten and many of our memories come from Mike’s cabin in Tomahawk Wisconsin. We always had so much fun being on the water, hanging with my brother and his friends, the late nights in the cabin, making dinner, and more. One year we even participated in a poker run where every bar on the lake had games for us to participate in. We went pretty much every summer until Mike had passed away. His family decided to sell the cabin, because it was just to hard for them to be there without him. Mike passing away was so sad, and I was devastated that my summers spent in Tomahawk were coming to an end. I remember my whole family and all of my friends being so bummed to hear the news. This past summer I thought there was no way we were going to the lake, but my Dad and I looked into it. We ended up finding a cabin that sleeps 16 in St. Germain, Wisconsin. At this point, it is automatically assumed that my 4 girl friends were coming as they do every year. My brother was not going to invite any of his friends as they all have big boy jobs after graduating college just a couple of years ago. Since there was still so much more room in the house my parents told me to invite the boys from our friend group. Keep in mind, there are 5 of us girls and 8 boys. I extended the invitation to them thinking no way they are going to drive 6 hours to meet us here. Sure enough, 4 of them got in the car, picked up my best friend Megan from ISU on the way, and met us in St. Germain. So at this point including me, there were NINE 19 year olds tagging along with our family vacation. We shared so many laughs, sang songs, had family meals, spent our days on the boat, and stayed up late playing games. I was SO thankful that my mom and dad were able to provide that experience for us. They love my friends so much and my mom even had all of us as students when we were in 5th grade. We have all been best friends since kindergarten and I am so blessed our friendships have continued and that we were able to do fun things like this.

Looking back, I thought there was nothing in the world that could come close to Mike’s cabin in Tomahawk. Although that place will always have a special place in my heart, I am so thankful to be able to make more memories in a new place that I fell in love with. It is funny how things end up working out because our time in St. Germain ended up being one of my favorite trips at the lake. Being at the lake makes me so happy and makes me realize how lucky I am to have amazing people to share the fun with.

Clustering

Comic Strip

Looping

What kinds of writing products did you create as an elementary student?

In elementary school a lot of the writing products we created varied depending on what grade I was in. I remember us doing a lot of writing about ourselves. I remember writing autobiographies and all of it being broken up in stages. We always did weekend wrap ups were we wrote about our weekend. In second grade, I remember our whole class having a page in a book we published about a specific kind of penguin. Although that was more informative writing, I recall my experiences to be more journaling based.

What kinds of writing processes did you use as an elementary student? 

There were many different kinds of writing processes I used in elementary school. We also did a lot of brain storming. We would make webs, lists, maps, and more to get our ideas flowing. We would begin putting all of those thoughts together after that. and then follow up with rough drafts, peer editing, writing conferences, and then our final product. Any bigger project would also go step by step.

What did your teachers teach you about writing when you were in elementary school?

My teachers taught me to try and have fun with writing. They encouraged us all to be expressive and write about things we care about. I remember our teachers stressing grammar and more technical things also. We were encouraged to write a lot, and I feel like I got plenty of practice of writing for a different purpose. They always reminded us that writing was very important and is something we will never get away from.

What teaching methods did your teachers use when you were in elementary school?

My teachers used many methods, but I feel like graphic organizers stick out the most to me. I feel like these are extremely beneficial when it comes to helping students organize their thoughts. My teachers thought talking things our with peers was effective, because we could get new ideas. This helped us believe that everyone’s writing was meaningful. Another method was writing conferences.

What opportunities did you have for choice when writing? Think about this question in terms of what you wrote (topic), why you wrote (purpose), who you wrote for (audience) and how you wrote (process). 

I feel like when it came to journaling we had a lot of choice in our writing. Journaling time was meant for making it whatever you want it to be. If it was a project that was not related to ourselves. Our teacher would tell us what the purpose was and give us different strategies for that kind of writing. We wrote for many different purposes, audiences, and topics. The process changed with each of the topics.

What affective language did you use when writing about your memories? (Affective language is language relating to emotions, feelings, and attitudes.) What does this language suggest about your dominant feelings about learning to write in elementary school?

I feel like the language I use when talking about writing in elementary school is positive. I think I was encouraged by my teaches and given a lot of support. I have always felt prepared when writing so I felt that I had a great learning experience. I do not look back and have negative thoughts come to mind.

What have you learned about how you want to teach writing (or how you do not want to teach writing) from analyzing your writing memories?

I want to be as supportive as I can when I am teaching writing. I want to be sure to give my students many opportunities when it comes to writing for different audiences and purposes. I want them to have a good balance of free-writing about whatever they want, and writing about things we are learning in the classroom. I want them to look back and think they had fun while writing and learning a lot that prepared them for grades ahead. I want to make sure they know writing is a safe space for them to write about things that concern them or about things that make them who they are. When teaching writing I plan to break things down and make it less overwhelming for them. I want to be sure to have many conferences so they know I care about their writing process and can help them with things they may be struggling with. I think that time creates a positive teacher/student relationship.