Often, engaging in a meaningful conversation with individuals practicing in the field you

are studying can be a wonderful way to solidify ideas and make connections to what you have

learned. This week, I had the opportunity to interview my good friend Darren Goolsby, who is a

physical education (PE) teacher for Henrico County public schools. Our conversation covered

various topics, including the development of physical activity (PA) programs, methodologies

used, student, parent, and teacher engagements, as well as the challenges related to his

profession. By the end of our conversation, I had gained a much deeper understanding of the

material I have covered in my studies and the challenges faced by practitioners of PA

interventions.

Darren, in his fifth year of teaching, admitted that he has grown immensely but still has

flaws in his own PA interventions, some of which we identified during our conversation. Henrico

County has a blueprint for physical educators to craft their lessons, although Darren mentioned

that he often deviates from the plan and relies on lessons learned from his recently retired

mentor. In discussing his approach, I observed that he covered many of the main points of a

comprehensive school-based PA program, as discussed in my lessons. For instance, he aims to

ensure that children obtain 60 minutes of PA each day (Institute of Medicine, 2013) and utilizes

the majority of his 30-minute PE class to engage students in moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA)

(CDC, 2017).

PE class typically begins with a comprehensive warm-up routine, which takes

approximately 5 minutes, followed by around 20 minutes of planned skill instruction, which may

involve sports, body movements, or health education. At the beginning of the school year, he

assesses each child's general fitness level using the Presidential Youth Fitness Program. He then

measures their fitness again at the end of the year, which he acknowledged as a weakness in his
program. After completing the skill lesson for the day, the children return to their "squad

position" to prepare to return to the classroom. Outside of his class, he relies on his fellow

educators to ensure that the goal of 60 minutes of daily PA is met.

His school system offers two 15-minute recesses to help achieve the PA goal. While not

every student is as engaged in PA as others, he noted that healthier kids are generally more active

than their less healthy counterparts. He has attempted to provide an opportunity for children to

engage in MVPA during recess through his running club. The running club takes place on the

school's track next to the recess area, and students are rewarded for achieving mileage goals.

However, this program faces challenges, which we discussed at length and are similar to those

noted in my textbook.

To run around the track, the teacher must physically accompany the students, otherwise,

they are not allowed to use it. Although this shouldn't be a significant hurdle, Darren noted that it

drastically reduces membership in the club. Interestingly, this issue reflects a larger systemic

problem in PA interventions in general, which is the lack of community involvement. Darren's

community consists of his fellow teachers, school administrators, and parents. To incentivize his

program, Darren has to spend his own money to create rewards, as their Parent Teacher

Association (PTA) has less than 5 parents, and educators are encouraged to join to raise funding

for the school. Additionally, much of the equipment at his school in the eastern end of Henrico

seems outdated. The heart rate monitors the students use are stationary handheld devices similar

to those seen on a treadmill, and the pedometers he guessed were from the early nineties, with

most of them not working. Our conversation became less focused as the reality of the

underfunded PA program at his school became apparent to both of us.

 Our conversation shed light on the effectiveness of certain forms of PA interventions, as

well as the challenges that occur at all levels of PA from a public health perspective. The primary

limiting factor, to me, seems to be a lack of education and engagement in PA. Even Darren, after

approximately two years of teaching, only learned that PA is not simply exercise, which was also

a mind-blowing realization for me. This piece of information seems to be missing in the general

conversation surrounding the 150-minute-a-week goal of MVPA in the general public, and

therefore, it will be one of the primary focuses of my proposed PA plan. Furthermore,

stakeholder engagement is crucial. Darren's situation highlighted the consequences of a lack of

engagement in a PA plan. In the end, the interview provided a great opportunity to connect with a

fellow member of our community who is striving to improve public health, leaving each of us

with a greater sense of pride and renewed enthusiasm to effectively promote physical activity as

an intervention.
 References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). Increasing physical education and physical

activity: a framework for schools 2017. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/physicalactivity/pdf/17_278143-A_PE-PA-

Framework_508.pdf

Kohl, H. W., III, Cook, H. D., Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the

School Environment, Food and Nutrition Board, & Institute of Medicine (Eds.).

(2013). Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to

School. National Academies Press (US).