PFA All-Star Teacher Showcase
Anne Heltsley (McGill) - 2015 PFA All-Star Teacher of the Year
True transformation is happening here. Anne’s before and after physical education program and student stories are inspiring. Some will put a tear in your eye. She has truly created a “trickle-up” effect with her students motivating their parents to get involved.
Her principal, Brent Hardison, writes to us “Her efforts are leading to every student in our school stepping up, making healthy choices, and becoming more active. Her efforts have led to a positive environment and school-wide culture.” With boots on the ground we have seen first hand this is the truth. We salute you, Anne! You are an inspiration and deserve this national spotlight. Implementing Project Fit America
When I became the physical education teacher at Longest, I implemented the Presidential Youth Fitness Program along with using the Fitnessgram software. I felt that the students did not enjoy the program and I did not see a lot of progress in the students from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. After Project Fit America was adapted my second year, the tables turned. I still used the Fitnessgram software to track all of my students’ progress, but I had every single student in third, fourth, and fifth grade show growth. I had students wanting to do a challenge every single time they were in gym. I had parents contacting me saying that their children were wanting to do curl-ups at home at night. I even had a first grade mother who wanted to know where she could buy a chin up bar for her son. Her son is now my Top Kong kid in first grade for pull-ups. After the implementation of Project Fit America, my school has more cross country, track, and after school runners that any other elementary school in our district. This is my third year in physical education with it being the second year to implement Project Fit America and the success just keeps going.
All of my students set goals for themselves at the beginning of the year. We keep their goals in their data notebook and refer to them a few times throughout the year. Most of my students are self-motivated but a little positive praise goes a long way with them. The use of the yellow brick student ribbons has been phenomenal. I have students that include some of my students with disabilities in their group, work well with very difficult students, and go out of their way to help others. I have to teach positive behavioral intervention and supports lessons on Wednesdays. The students have shown such growth in their ability to communicate, work together as a team to solve a problems, and control their negative behaviors. I really think that Project Fit America helped develop these positive habits. After attending professional development training this summer with other physical education teachers, I feel that Project Fit America has decreased a lot of the behavior problems that I used to encounter in my classes along with bad attitudes as well.
The Obstacle of Time
The only obstacle that I face in my school is time. I feel like I never have enough time with my students. I have forty minute class periods. However, I am also a reading and math interventionist. I work with a small group of students every day to help them perform on grade level in reading and math. I also teach P.B.I.S. (positive behavioral interventions and supports) lessons every Wednesday. My practical arts team works together each month to present a grade-level play which can also take away from class time while the grade level is practicing their parts and learning the songs for the play. The plays are very memorable for all the students involved. Usually the fourth grade students work with me to present a health and wellness play in the early spring that also kicks off our health fair. I am hoping that this spring that I will be able to work with a group of students after school (Fit Squad) and have an extracurricular exercise group utilizing our outdoor Project Fit America equipment along with working toward competing in a 5K.
I began the year with hoping to have at least twenty students be able to meet the gold, silver, and bronze chart and challenge board. At the end of the first year, I had at least 40 students in each area for hubba hubba hoops, jump rope, and twenty meter pacer challenge. This year I want my students to increase their upper body strength, especially the female population. My girls did not grow or meet their upper body goals last year with the flexed arm hang, and pull-ups like I expected. We have increased our pushups, added a pushup challenge during the month of October, and set goals that involve increasing our upper body strength. We will add another pushup challenge later on in the school year.
Challenges to Overcome & Success Stories
During my first year in physical education, I was met with a lot of challenges. I encountered one student who is diagnosed with autism. He has never wanted to participate in gym and most of my experiences with him in gym ended with him running out of the gym. He does not like physical activity. Video games and computer games have been his only source of enjoyment for most of his life. The first day that Pam Stroupe picked him to be a part of our training, I cringed. I tried to explain to Miss Pam what the outcome would be if she wanted him to participate. Her positive energy and the amazingly games held his attention. It was as if he didn’t even realize he was getting physical activity. For the first time in his life, as a fourth grader, he completed an entire gym class without tears or a tantrum. He worked with other students during the Indy 500 and the Tallest Towers game. By Christmas, his Mom said he even wanted a “hoppy Ball” or stability ball for his house. This year, he walked 1 mile during class. His mother told me that he may be able to go places that require more walking such as amusement parks, and water parks now because she never thought he was capable of walking an entire mile. He wrote a persuasive writing piece this year during fifth grade. He was defending gym as the best special class to attend. I read his writing piece with tears. This student had many valid points about why everyone should come to P.E. and why it is the best class. His name might not be on the Chart and Challenge board but being able to complete 40 minutes of physical education is nothing short of a miracle. He has a good attitude even when things are difficult for him. Two years ago, he would give up quickly. Now with the Project Fit America curriculum, he continues to try and his classmates are always cheering him on to do his best.
My next story involves a cardiologist. I worked at our local ambulance service for 12.5 years even after I started my teaching career. I continue to keep my CPR and first aid current because of the many emergencies that can happen, even in an elementary school. I had a parent that wrote me a very long note about why her child would not participate in physical education during his fourth grade year. She did not even want him walking during physical education. By Christmas, I had noticed his weight increasing by leaps and bounds. After Christmas, his cardiologist contacted me at school. Apparently his body was growing faster than his heart was developing. His heart was having to work overtime to keep up with getting oxygen to all parts of his body. I worked closely with his cardiologist on a weekly basis. This student went from not being able to walk three laps around the gym to completing the ½ mile race during field day in May. By February, the student realized nothing he did or said would cause me to give up on him getting healthier. He started eating lunch with me during my planning. He felt self-conscious when his diet started changing to healthier choices. He no longer ate in the lunchroom. His self-esteem increased when his weight decreased. He was back to eating with his friends, enjoying school, participating in extracurricular activities too. I still keep in contact with him even though he is now in middle school.
I hope that I have a similar success story at the end of this year. I have a fourth grader who weighs over 200 pounds right now and is known to be a bully to many students. We have been working together almost daily. She has already seen almost a weight loss of 20 pounds. I have seen so many changes in her attitude and participation in gym. This has been a very stubborn and hard-headed student since she transferred to our school in second grade. Her goal is to be able to complete every piece of equipment on the Project Fit America playground by the time she graduates fifth grade. She works hard even after school in our daycare program. I have seen progress, and I can’t wait to see if she meets her goal by the end of next year.
"You don’t have to be the best, you just have to try your best."
This is one motto that sticks with my students all through the year. My students know that when Map Testing or a schedule change happens that all of the grade level students will be together in the gym. Each day it’s another PFA lesson. They beg for Basketball blitz, $10.00 and a bone or just a Chart and Challenge Day. To watch at least 80 students work together and exercise is amazing. I have always thought the only way to utilize the gym with large groups was to take turns completing a game or complete an exercise video. Project Fit America has been the curriculum that has allowed me to engage all of my students if they are in a large or small group. To see students that did not want to come to gym, ask to do a smile run brings a smile to my face. They love being outside on the outdoor equipment. They are responsible and take care of all the materials we use such as jump ropes and hula-hoops. I made a fitness bingo game for my fifth grade students and they thought it was too easy. I have used this same game in the past with lots of grumbling. Now my students want to increase the number of pushups, increase the time for stretches, increases the time for jumping rope. It has been a wonderful change from the past years. I do not have the behavior problems that teachers in the classroom face because I feel the Project Fit America activities are engaging and it gives students autonomy. My students choose to follow our class rules so that they do not miss out on any of our instruction and activities.
Everyone Benefits!
Implementing the Project Fit America Curriculum has benefited my students, my staff, and even my parents. My students are very good motivators when getting their parents involved. I have seen the “trickle up” effect. I have trained teachers during an after-school professional development meeting and our after-school daycare workers because the children have consistently asked if they could go to the equipment during recess and after school. The students are the motivators to always strive to be better, make healthy choices, and show progress.
Teacher Lesson Plans
30-DAY SODA FREE CHALLENGE
I complete monthly challenges for my staff and students. These are the students and teachers that completed 30 days soda-free. We will have a drawing on December 18th and one winner will win a $20.00 Hibbett’s gift card. The challenge for August-September is 30/30 which is walking, jogging or running 30 miles in 30 days. The October Challenge was a push-up pyramid challenge. We have had a great response getting students and staff involved in the challenges.
BULLETIN BOARDS & FLYERS/HANDOUTS
I use a visual board with every health lesson I teach. I created this board to showcase sneaky sugar and help promote our no-soda challenge. Anytime we have a health fair or family wellness night, I always create handouts for our students and parents. The students love competing against their parents in some of our challenges too.
EASY FORMS
I adapt all of my forms so that even my Kindergarten students are able to participate in the challenges.
CHALLENGE WALL
I create two walls every year. I have a first semester and second semester. This wall was used at the beginning of the year last year. I even have students that want to come in during their recess to redo a challenge if they were absent or on a field trip during their gym time.
