Post by WeNeed3 on Feb 23, 2009 7:51:18 GMT -5
Naperville Central P.E. means business with fitness
January 27, 2009
Paul Zientarski has spent the last 30 years of his professional career as a physical education teacher observing trends as they come and go.
"When I started teaching phys. ed, it was all about honing athletic skills," Zientarski said. "Obviously, that didn't do much for the kids who lacked athletic prowess or interest in athletics. Back then, many of those kids just sat around and watched. It's much different today."
Zientarski, the department head of physical education at Naperville Central High School, believes that physical education has to be just that, educating kids about personal responsibility when it comes to their physical fitness.
"When kids come to Central as freshmen, it's more about social interaction and just getting the students comfortable with one another. But as they progress in rank, it becomes more about health and wellness education so we can better prepare these kids for a healthy lifestyle long after they've graduated," he said.
That's what really resonated with me, teaching kids life skills about health and fitness. I don't know about you, but I still have nightmares of wearing my blue P.E. jumper while getting nailed from every direction during dodge ball. What did I learn? I despised P.E. and it turned me off to being active. But today P.E. is light years away from that kind of curriculum and Zientarski believes teaching exercise is vastly important for all fitness levels.
When talking to "Z," as many of his colleagues refer to him, he reminds me that the mindset of teachers was so vastly different back then because in college they were taught that P.E. was about teaching the finer nuances of athletics. Given that fewer than 3 percent of adults actually play sports, the technical piece of athletics is lost on the majority of students.
"We find that helping our students understand how heart rate works, what muscles are used in different exercises and how the body can move for all different fitness levels, means that everyone is included," Zientarski said. "P.E. is no longer exclusive, but inclusive. We have to teach this generation the value of being active for the long haul, not just during their high school years. These students need to be set up for success and if we can create programming that includes all the students, that means that they'll be more likely to stay active long after they clear these halls."
There's no doubt that teaching kids how to be physically fit now helps to set them up for a healthy future down the road. I've been telling my kids since they were little that exercise and healthy living are vastly important. Given that I'm their mom, it has fallen upon deaf ears. Perhaps I'll give Mr. Zientarski a call and see if he can impart his wisdom; it seems to be working on his students.
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/lifestyles/anderson/1398190,6_5_NA27_FITNESS_S1.article
January 27, 2009
Paul Zientarski has spent the last 30 years of his professional career as a physical education teacher observing trends as they come and go.
"When I started teaching phys. ed, it was all about honing athletic skills," Zientarski said. "Obviously, that didn't do much for the kids who lacked athletic prowess or interest in athletics. Back then, many of those kids just sat around and watched. It's much different today."
Zientarski, the department head of physical education at Naperville Central High School, believes that physical education has to be just that, educating kids about personal responsibility when it comes to their physical fitness.
"When kids come to Central as freshmen, it's more about social interaction and just getting the students comfortable with one another. But as they progress in rank, it becomes more about health and wellness education so we can better prepare these kids for a healthy lifestyle long after they've graduated," he said.
That's what really resonated with me, teaching kids life skills about health and fitness. I don't know about you, but I still have nightmares of wearing my blue P.E. jumper while getting nailed from every direction during dodge ball. What did I learn? I despised P.E. and it turned me off to being active. But today P.E. is light years away from that kind of curriculum and Zientarski believes teaching exercise is vastly important for all fitness levels.
When talking to "Z," as many of his colleagues refer to him, he reminds me that the mindset of teachers was so vastly different back then because in college they were taught that P.E. was about teaching the finer nuances of athletics. Given that fewer than 3 percent of adults actually play sports, the technical piece of athletics is lost on the majority of students.
"We find that helping our students understand how heart rate works, what muscles are used in different exercises and how the body can move for all different fitness levels, means that everyone is included," Zientarski said. "P.E. is no longer exclusive, but inclusive. We have to teach this generation the value of being active for the long haul, not just during their high school years. These students need to be set up for success and if we can create programming that includes all the students, that means that they'll be more likely to stay active long after they clear these halls."
There's no doubt that teaching kids how to be physically fit now helps to set them up for a healthy future down the road. I've been telling my kids since they were little that exercise and healthy living are vastly important. Given that I'm their mom, it has fallen upon deaf ears. Perhaps I'll give Mr. Zientarski a call and see if he can impart his wisdom; it seems to be working on his students.
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/napervillesun/lifestyles/anderson/1398190,6_5_NA27_FITNESS_S1.article