PE in Arlington - What is it like at your ES?

[Anonymous]

I think your kid doesn't want to be told what to do. PE isn't recess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP's son's experience has been my son's experience in K at Glebe. A lot of it is that they really are teaching them some hand-eye stuff he wouldn't get if he just had free time. And they incorporate equipment a lot, hula-hoops, bean bags, someone else mentioned bowling pins... but it does mean that kids have to spend time listening and then doing what they are told, so my kid has come home with behavior reminders, and doesn't love PE. He does love recess, though. And he gets a ton of outdoor time at Glebe, or at least more in comparison to preK in DCPS. I look it from the perspective that it wasn't until I was an adult that I learned to safely run, lift..., and he's getting a lot of the fundamentals that I missed when I was being slammed in the head by a dodgeball. Also, he just needs to listen sometimes.

I think I may need this PE course!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Which school? I have a rising K in APS, so want to know what to expect

Expect a PE class.

[Anonymous]

My kids went to ASFS. They were in fear of the lady PE teacher the entire time they were there. She made them hate PE until they went to middle school when the teachers were kind and caring.

[Anonymous]

Have one kid at Claremont too, and she loves PE. Granted she's not the most athletic kid in the world, but she gets a kick out of the games - and is constantly showing us her yoga poses. They also do 20 minutes of play before the school day starts at 8am, so I feel she's getting as much exercise as possible in a modern school environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP's son's experience has been my son's experience in K at Glebe. A lot of it is that they really are teaching them some hand-eye stuff he wouldn't get if he just had free time. And they incorporate equipment a lot, hula-hoops, bean bags, someone else mentioned bowling pins... but it does mean that kids have to spend time listening and then doing what they are told, so my kid has come home with behavior reminders, and doesn't love PE. He does love recess, though. And he gets a ton of outdoor time at Glebe, or at least more in comparison to preK in DCPS. I look it from the perspective that it wasn't until I was an adult that I learned to safely run, lift..., and he's getting a lot of the fundamentals that I missed when I was being slammed in the head by a dodgeball. Also, he just needs to listen sometimes.

I think I may need this PE course!

The Glebe PE teachers are fabulous! PE isn't recess. Glebe has a very comprehensive, age-appropriate and skill based PE curriculum.

signed,
APS PE teacher at a different school

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks everyone. I don't know that he expects it to be recess (and I certainly do not). He just hates the warm up part and I think he thinks it takes the majority of the class (which I don't think is true, but you know kids timelines are not the most reliable).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP's son's experience has been my son's experience in K at Glebe. A lot of it is that they really are teaching them some hand-eye stuff he wouldn't get if he just had free time. And they incorporate equipment a lot, hula-hoops, bean bags, someone else mentioned bowling pins... but it does mean that kids have to spend time listening and then doing what they are told, so my kid has come home with behavior reminders, and doesn't love PE. He does love recess, though. And he gets a ton of outdoor time at Glebe, or at least more in comparison to preK in DCPS. I look it from the perspective that it wasn't until I was an adult that I learned to safely run, lift..., and he's getting a lot of the fundamentals that I missed when I was being slammed in the head by a dodgeball. Also, he just needs to listen sometimes.

This is consistent with my impressions of both what I hear from my kids about PE and what I see in the curriculum. PE seems to be a lot less focused on teaching kids to play particular sports than it was when I was in school, and more focused on things like making sure all of the kids are meeting appropriate developmental milestones re hand-eye coordination and other gross motor skills, helping them develop things like core strength that are important to overall health, etc. They do it in the context of fun activities, but it really feels like a health curriculum rather than a sports curriculum, which I think is a good thing since not everyone will enjoy group sports but everyone needs to learn how to keep their bodies healthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP's son's experience has been my son's experience in K at Glebe. A lot of it is that they really are teaching them some hand-eye stuff he wouldn't get if he just had free time. And they incorporate equipment a lot, hula-hoops, bean bags, someone else mentioned bowling pins... but it does mean that kids have to spend time listening and then doing what they are told, so my kid has come home with behavior reminders, and doesn't love PE. He does love recess, though. And he gets a ton of outdoor time at Glebe, or at least more in comparison to preK in DCPS. I look it from the perspective that it wasn't until I was an adult that I learned to safely run, lift..., and he's getting a lot of the fundamentals that I missed when I was being slammed in the head by a dodgeball. Also, he just needs to listen sometimes.

I think I may need this PE course!

The Glebe PE teachers are fabulous! PE isn't recess. Glebe has a very comprehensive, age-appropriate and skill based PE curriculum.

signed,
APS PE teacher at a different school

Then could it please be shared and extended to the rest of the schools?1??!! Though, I have to imagine that at least some part of a child's enjoyment is based on the teacher - and some teachers, even in PE, are better than others at making things fun and engaging.