Cheryl Gladwill's Teaching Philosophy
 My teaching philosophy is that every student is reachable and
teachable, and it is my responsibility to achieve this goal. I
believe that physical education is one of the most important subjects
taught in school. It is a class that allows the student to develop
as an entire person. The opportunity to teach the life skills of
social and individual responsibility is tremendous. I believe that
the health of a person begins with a mindset of confidence and
an “I can do it” attitude. The earlier that we instill
this feeling into our students, the healthier our students will
be.
I believe in using positive reinforcement in order to get the
desired results. Giving rewards and recognition are huge motivators
to my students. I acknowledge students’ achievements, no
matter how large or small, because it validates them and makes
them feel proud of their all of their hard work. When students
feel successful and see positive results, they are motivated to
continue to be active.
The opportunity to teach kids how to get along with others, be
physically fit, and to live an active lifestyle is truly a blessing.
Our health is the most important gift that we have. My goal is
to teach students to treasure their relationships and their bodies
for the rest of their lives!
Programming and Favorite Activities
Since receiving the PFA Grant, my approach to teaching Physical
Education has become more encompassing. The fitness games have
taught me to look at how can I use multitasking to maximize student
movement and learning. My two favorite games that I have created
using the PFA equipment are Ro Sham Bo Fitness and PFA
Eggsercise Hunt.
Station Lesson
Ro-Sham-Bo Fitness
By All Star Teacher Cheryl Gladwill
Equipment: PFA stations that are clean and ready to use.
Cones to separate playing area and PFA Box.
Procedure:
- Have students select a partner using TCC.
- Students go to the coned off playing area.
- Students play Ro-Sham-Bo game using their feet.
- Students jump up and down when saying “Ro-Sham-” and
choose to play rock, paper, or scissors when they say “Bo.”
Rock = Land with feet together
Paper = Land with feet apart in a straddle
position
Scissors = Land with feet split so
one is in front and one is in back.
- Students play until one player wins 2 out of
3 games.
- Winner RUNS to the PFA stations and works out
on 1 station of choice. When finished, student RUNS back
to the game and plays the first person they find.
- Loser quickly moves on to find another person
to play.
Hints/Safety:
• Have students workout at least 4 different stations
before returning to their favorite station.
• Walk inside the PFA Box and run to the game.
• Use equipment properly. May give students a set number
of repetitions or have them work to exhaustion.
• Move quickly to find someone to play after losing
a game.
• After a few minutes, ask to see if any student has
not won yet, and send them to go to the fitness stations. |
 Station Stars has
been the most valuable tool I have used for motivating students
to increase personal physical fitness. It has also helped me teach
my students to better understand how their bodies work and what
they need to do in order to make them stronger and healthier. I
have Bronze, Silver, and Gold Levels established for all of the
PFA Outdoor Fitness Stations, the Pacer, and the Sport Hoops. Students
can practice at recess, during PE, and outside of the regular school
day. On test days, when students achieve a level, I write their
name on a star and post it on the bulletin board. The stars are
color coded for each level.The students take pride in seeing their
names on the wall! I also give out PFA certificates and ribbons
to acknowledge their physical accomplishments.
The Mileage Club has really helped improve the cardiovascular
fitness of my students. They jog or power walk for the first 10
minutes of PE each day. Some of my classes  also do this with their
teachers and some do it at recess because they love running so
much. I keep track of all their miles and give them a foot charm
every 5 miles. I also keep track of major mile markers and give
out special charms and put up special feet on the wall to mark
a ½ marathon, marathon, 50, 75, and 100 miles. There is
a special award given out to all students who run more than 100
miles in a school year.
The Smile Mile runs have been a great addition to my program.
It has helped my students understand pacing. I call them Smile
Runs because I take their pictures at the end of the run if they
successfully complete the distance without walking. The distances
progress from ¼ mile, ½ mile, ¾ mile, and
culminate with 1 mile later in the school year.
Some of my favorite activities from the PFA Curriculum are $10
and a Bone, Beat the Ball Covey Style, The
Food Pyramid Relay, and all of the cup activities. The PFA Cups have really enhanced
my indoor curriculum! I have been able to make up several variations
of the lessons in order to make them work in a variety of situations.
It is amazing how hard students will work in order to get more
cups for their builds.
The Project Fit America program goes beyond Physical Education
class. Several teachers take their students to the PFA box for
additional PE time. This allows the students extra time to develop
their physical fitness. I supervise the PFA Box at recess times
and also allow students to test for Station Stars at recess as
well.
 SPONSOR
I have enjoyed a working relationship with our sponsor, Sutter
Health Roseville. I have been able to personally thank them and
show them how much our students are benefiting from Project Fit
America at several of their board meetings. I was also privileged
to be able to have Sutter Health come and video the PFA program
in action at my schools. This video was used as a part of their
annual review. It has been a pleasure working so closely with
our donor. Thank you Sutter Health!
How PFA has Influenced
My Program
Project Fit America has been an amazing asset and has helped me
become a better teacher. I love the PFA program because it supports
my teaching philosophy, and it gives me more tools to use. The
fitness curriculum is stimulating, creative, and fun, and I use
it to guide my lesson planning for the year. It has inspired me
to constantly think of new ways that I can motivate my students
to work hard and to always do their personal best.
I use many of PFA’s key concepts and display them on the
wall to use as teaching points during my classes. My two favorite
catch phrases from PFA are TCC and Multiple
Directions. TCC has
become the cornerstone of my daily lessons. Together, my students
and I discover that class is twice as fun and rewarding when we
use Teamwork, Cooperation, and Communication. We discuss how important
it is to use these skills in our daily lives. Multiple Directions
is another term that I use on a daily basis because I have found
that my students follow  directions much better when I use it.
 Before
PFA, I didn't put much up on the walls. Now I can’t
get enough room to display student achievements and motivational
posters! It has increased my communication with parents and teachers
tremendously. The parents are interested in what these challenges
are, and the students are excited to share their accomplishments
with their parents and teachers. Overall, PFA has created a buzz
of excitement and a greater understanding of the importance of
physical fitness on our campus and in our community.
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