Philosophy Of Physical Education

When I think of physical education, I always picture sports (in most cases basketball). I

always had a positive experience growing up with physical education and I always looked

forward to going to phys ed class, regardless of what unit we were in. I am not sure where I

found my love for physical education, my parents were always active but not the way I like to be.

I always thought it was a blessing for me to enjoy physical activity because it places both my

body and my mind in the best scenario to be healthy. Physical education has a much broader

purpose than what I thought it was meant for growing up. The main purpose of physical

education is to develop student’s physical competence and knowledge of movement and safety,

and their ability to use these to perform in a wide range of activities associated with the

development of an active and healthy lifestyle. My philosophy for physical education is to teach

my students in different ways, just not focusing on their body and the way they are able to move.

I want my students to understand and hold information that will be important. Since elementary

is one of the first stops as a student progresses, it is important to learn key movements,

information and activities in order to progress in a positive direction so that students are able to

ultimately succeed and use the knowledge received from physical education class for years to

come.

Key Point 1- Teaching physical fitness, dance, gymnastics, & games

Physical education teachers are needed. During the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic,

it was discussed how we did not need teachers as students were constantly cheating and

retrieving information from the internet in order to pass their courses. An even bigger shot was

taken at the physical education departments, stating that physical education teachers were not

needed, yet according to Beaumont, the obesity rates continued to rise during the pandemic
( Beaumont, 2022). Humans simply need physical activity and without physical activity, weight

gain occurs, the risk of disease increases and our mental health will eventually begin to feel

affected by the lack of physical activity. As a future teacher, teaching multiple things such as

physical fitness, dance units, gymnastic units and games is something I look forward to, but the

students should also look forward to as well. Now I know some students may not enjoy some of

these units and activities, but it is my job as an educator to put my 100 percent effort into my

teaching so that the students are not only enjoying coming to phys ed class, but they are enjoying

when they learn new skills and movements that they can implement into different

games/activities, regardless of the unit.

Key Point 2- Building Support For My Program

At one point during the semester, we were tasked with researching and viewing a page in

our textbook regarding the different staff and supervisors when discussing physical education

across an entire school district. My task was to research the principle. In chapter 33 of Children

Moving, it discusses how the physical education department does not receive a high budget and

also mentions how rarely the principal witnesses a phys ed class throughout the school year

( Children’s Moving, 2020 ) . The principal is the main supporter of our program, so it is

important to always keep the principal engaged and updated on the different lessons you are

teaching to the students, as well as how you are keeping students engaged and excited so when

the time comes, you can hopefully receive the budget you need in order to expand the program as

a whole. When I become an educator in the near future, I want to do my best to show the

principal that I am fully committed to helping students and I will do whatever it takes for that to

happen. I plan to keep my principal in the loop like previously mentioned as I want them to

know that I am working hard. If I dont keep the principal updated and in the loop, my hard work
may go unnoticed and when it is time to discuss a budget increase, the program may get

overlooked as a whole and I may not receive any extra funding at all which not only affects

myself, but it affects the students even more.

Key Point 3-Reflective Teaching

No one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes and when mistakes happen, we have 2

options. Option 1 is to face the fact the mistake happened and then do nothing about it. Option 2

is we take the mistake as a learning experience and we become better from that mistake. I always

knew I was never going to be a perfect teacher when I first entered college 4 years ago. My first

time teaching students scared me and instead of giving up, I noticed what I did wrong and I

worked toward fixing my mistakes every time I taught. Teachers who are employed now even

make mistakes and that’s okay. I made some mistakes this semester when teaching elementary

students and I am glad I made these mistakes because it showed myself what I was doing wrong

and what I can do next time to improve or ultimately fix the mistake I was making. As I continue

to progress, I remember the mistakes I made and what I can do better. This mindset not only

benefits myself but my students as well. I want to provide the best energy and content each time

I go out and teach and the only way to do that is to build up towards it. Being a great teacher will

never happen overnight.

Reference Sheet

1. Nacamulli, M. (n.d.). How the food you eat affects your brain - . - youtube. Retrieved

April 27, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyQY8a-ng6g

2. Physical education. edb.gov.hk. (2021, September 28). Retrieved April 27, 2022,

from https://www.edb.gov.hk/en/curriculum-development/kla/physical-education/
 index.html#:~:text=Physical%20Education%20is%20%22education%20through,an

%20 active%20and%20healthy%20lifestyle.

3. Graham, G., Holt/Hale, S. A., & Parker, M. (2020). Children moving: A reflective
approach to teaching physical education. Mountain View, California: Mayfield
Publishing Company.