Physical education teachers pushed to go from a traditional game and sports model to a more comprehensive fitness and wellness model. So why isn’t every school embracing the power of physical education?Įven before the book was first published, school districts were making slow but steady progress in prioritizing a fitness-first physical education program. Like the title insisted, there was a chance for a revolution that made daily physical education and activity a must-have in schools. The book quickly became the gold standard for physical education teachers and the must-cite source for why PE mattered in schools. Using a powerful case study at one high school in Illinois, Ratey made the case that “even moderate exercise will supercharge mental circuits to beat stress, sharpen thinking, enhance memory, and much more.” John Ratey published his book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, it set the course for linking physical education with academic performance. The Benefits Of Physical Activity For Students Is Not a New Concept More importantly, physical education has done those things for years, but getting the larger education community to recognize that has been far from simple. Physical education has an incredible opportunity to impact all areas of student development – physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally. While schools racked their brains for a solution, physical education teachers couldn’t help but scream in the hopes that someone would listen to them from the ‘back seat.’ At the same time, headlines started to pop up about the pandemic’s mental and emotional toll on students and its impact on overall academic performance. Suddenly, many of the schools that embraced new physical education curriculum and technology went ‘back to normal.’ As schools tried to play catch up on core subjects, physical education (PE) took the proverbial back seat. Quickly the benefits of physical activity in schools took a back seat. We did so, because we knew that exercise’s mental and physical benefits were essential for students’ well-being while living through a pandemic. And we championed this initiative with curriculum, technology, and resources. We celebrated the ingenuity of physical education teachers and students to find creative ways to workout at home. When every school across the country went remote in March of 2020, there was a collective spirit around the benefits of physical activity for students.
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