PFA All-Star Teacher Showcase
Robert Cook - 2018 PFA All-Star Teacher of the Year
From day one of receiving his grant Robert jumped in with both feet and at 100 miles per hour. By the time we arrived fall 2016 for his first introductory In-Service he had read the entire Core Curriculum over the summer and had all kinds of wall charts and activities well underway! He was destined to be National All Star Teacher of the Year from the moment we met him. He has that level of passion and commitment. Fast forward three years later and he has implemented Project Fit America into most of his PE Units and created fantastic “Project Fit America Style” adaptions. His students have seriously caught the “fitness bug” with over 75% achieving bronze level or higher in his fitness challenges. We are proud to shine the spotlight on this outstanding PE Teacher who has his students hitching their wagons to higher and higher fitness stars! My Background
Since I was a child, I have always had a deep love for sports and being physically active. The positive experiences I had during my physical education classes and the relationships I developed with my coaches are the main reasons I decided to become a physical education teacher. I learned valuable life lessons from playing sports, including the value of hard work and dedication and the importance of teamwork and resiliency. All of these have positively impacted my life and inspired me to pursue a career in the field. To me, having a meaningful role in children’s lives is extremely fulfilling, and as a physical education teacher, I feel that I am in an ideal setting to do so.
I graduated from LIU Post with a BS in physical education/coaching in the spring of 2005 and that fall went on an interview for a PE position at Riverhead Charter School on the east end of Long Island, NY. After the interview, I remember taking my first walk around the campus with the principal at the time, Dr. Pinckney. Dr. Pinckney had over twenty years of experience teaching physical education, which was extremely comforting to me as a soon-to-be first-year PE teacher. As the tour was coming to a close, I felt my anticipation building as I prepared myself to see the gymnasium for the first time. As we were walking, I remember Dr. Pinckney saying, “Now Sir, I need you to do me a favor and take a deep breath.” I did as he instructed. He continued: “Please take one more deep breath . . .We do not have a gymnasium here at the Riverhead Charter School, so you will need to teach physical education in the classroom or outside . . . And we need you to start on Monday.” Two deep breaths later, I accepted the position and my career at Riverhead Charter School began. Ten years later, our school expanded and we moved into a beautiful, brand-new building, complete with my very first gymnasium – a dream come true!
My Project Fit America Teaching Philosophy
My physical education teaching philosophy focuses on providing students with a quality physical education program that supports the physical, intellectual, and social-emotional development of students. I truly believe that through a healthy body, you build a healthy mind, along with positive character.
For the past 14 years, I have had the opportunity to teach students at both the elementary and middle school levels. I have been committed to providing my students with quality fitness, and a healthy and active lifestyle program using a skills-themed approach to physical education. Through this approach, I am able to provide students with experiences appropriate to their developmental level, as opposed to their age or grade level. At the elementary level, I place a huge emphasis on helping children develop skill competencies that enable them to participate successfully with enjoyment. My goals are to create an environment in which my students feel safe, encourage them to take risks by setting both short and long term fitness goals, and develop a positive attitude towards physical fitness. When Riverhead Charter School received the grant for Project Fit America, it was a perfect match between my personal philosophy and the goals of the program.
The growth of my Project Fit America program since receiving the grant
The addition of Project Fit America has brought a burst of energy to the PE program at Riverhead Charter School. Every time our students see the Project Fit America cups, the excitement on their faces is priceless. Through the use of disguised fitness, students become so caught up working as a team to accomplish a goal, they don’t even realize how much they are exercising. Some of my students’ favorite PFA lessons are Soccer Battle Ball, Indy 500, Double Track Cup Attack, Capture the Pins, Huba Huba, and the Shuttle Cup Challenge.
Students have learned how to set both short and long term fitness goals, and how to strive to achieve them. The Chart & Challenge aspect of PFA is the heart of the program and the key to it’s success at our school. Students’ vested interest in the new program began as soon as I started hanging names on the wall. Everyday, as students entered the gym, they talked to each other about improving their fitness levels to Gold and Kong status. Their motivation and drive to improve themselves has continued over the course of the past two years.
Since implementing Project Fit America during the 2016-2017 school year, students have shown tremendous improvement in their upper and lower body strength, cardiovascular endurance, and core strength. Over 75% of our students in grades 2-5 have achieved bronze level or higher in at least two or more of the Project Fit America fitness challenges.
In the beginning, the TCC component of the program was the most challenging for our students. Over time and through the use of situations, scenarios, and challenges that require students to think, discuss, and problem solve within their groups, students developed and improved upon their social skills and leadership techniques. In addition, students have learned the importance of teamwork, communication, and cooperation, and how these skills translate beyond the gym and into the classroom and real world.
How I motivate, challenge and encourage my student’s fitness, TCC and Yellow Brick Potential
To motivate and challenge my students, I first develop units based on student interest levels. I firmly believe that designing a physical education curriculum around student interest is the single most important step to motivate students to participate. I present tasks that are developmentally appropriate, fun, and objective driven. Students are continually setting both short and long term fitness goals and are motivated to reach these goals throughout the course of the year.
To keep students engaged, motivated, and challenged, I created a daily warm-up routine consisting of partner exercises where each duo sets a daily goal of how many Project Fit America cups they can collect within a five minute time frame. Each set consists of one upper body strength, lower body strength, and core strength exercise. Working with a partner of similar athletic ability keeps students motivated and challenged while allowing them to develop their teamwork, communication, and cooperation skills over time. To keep engagement at a maximum, every two weeks, I switch the routine from strength exercises to cardiovascular exercises, and vice versa.
Super Hero Warm-Ups
At points throughout the year, I also incorporate a superhero warm-up routine. Using TCC, students work together in groups of four to complete the set of exercises for their chosen superhero. After completing the exercise routine, each member of the group collects five PFA cups and brings them back to their group to begin building a tower. Students continue performing the same set of exercises until I blow the whistle. Then, the group chooses another superhero routine and continues with the same format. Allowing for student choice and focusing on the whole group’s efforts help keep my students motivated and challenged.
To maintain student engagement, I incorporate active listening and guided demonstrations during my classes. For example, while I am explaining how to perform an exercise or skill, students model and demonstrate the steps in the process along with me, as opposed to them passively watching and listening to me explain. This method of teaching keeps students interested, engaged, and focused while receiving new information. Further, my students are also continually challenged through various Chart & Challenges: Pole Climb, Vault Bar, Horizontal Bar, Step Up, Shuttle Cup, Push-Ups, Sit-Ups, and Hula-Hooping challenges.
Physical Education Walls
Obstacles I have overcome
I started teaching physical education in 2005 and have had to overcome many obstacles throughout the years. As noted in my background, my first ten years of teaching physical education I did so without a gymnasium. I taught my classes either outside, weather permitting, or in the classroom. As a result of my inconsistent setting, I had to be flexible with the lessons I planned and implemented. The weather played a huge factor in those early years. I always had to have a backup plan in case of inclement weather, wind, mud, and the occasional bee infestation.
Lack of equipment and funds for physical education equipment was another obstacle I had to overcome through the years. Through fundraising and Donors Choose projects, I was able to acquire the majority of my physical education equipment.
During the 2014-2015 school year, the Riverhead Charter School opened a brand new school building that housed grades K-8 and had a middle school sized gymnasium. What a relief it was to finally have a gymnasium to teach in. However, with student enrollment on the rise, spaces had to be shared and new obstacles arose. For example, at the front of the gymnasium is a stage where theater classes take place. On the other side of the gym is the cafeteria where up to four classes at a time eat lunch while PE classes are happening. In other words, there are times during the day where I am competing with the sounds of a theater class and a cafeteria while teaching my classes.
Other obstacles I’ve had to overcome are on certain periods of the day, I only have half the gym with two classes. At times, my classes are mixed grades. For example, I may have first and fourth grade classes combined. Through all the obstacles I have always stood by the motto: “Those who say they can and those who say they can’t are both usually right.” In other words, I have chosen to embrace the challenges put before me and have always found ways to overcome them thanks to my “can do” attitude and positive outlook.
Goals I have set and reached
One of the goals I set forth was to help my students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle from an early age. The addition of the PFA outdoor and indoor equipment has given me the tools necessary to achieve this goal. For example, through the use of stepfather equipment, students have learned how building strength and endurance improve their overall fitness.
In addition, PFA has helped me adjust my mindset to see my physical education curriculum differently and has caused me to create lessons that are more fitness oriented. My goal by the end of year two of implementing Project Fit America was to have my students achieve bronze level or higher on at least three of the five Chart & Challenges we do on the outdoor PFA equipment. This goal was accomplished through completion of the following Chart & Challenges: Pole Climb, Vault Bar, Sit-ups, Horizontal Bar, and Step Up Challenges. My current goal is to improve students’ cardiovascular endurance. I hope to accomplish this goal by incorporating more of the PFA cups and money into my daily lessons throughout the year.
Student story that encompasses the spirit of my PE Program
One of my favorite Project Fit America success stories involves a second grade student. When the Riverhead Charter School first implemented Project Fit America in the fall of 2016, this student was unable to achieve bronze level on any of the PFA Chart & Challenges. As soon as she started seeing student names being put up on the walls of the gym, she was immediately motivated to get her name on that wall too. Everyday this student would come into the gym and let me know that she wanted to attain King Kong Level on at least one of the Chart & Challenges. Mind you, at the time, this girl was unable to perform more than three push-ups and could not perform more than five repetitions on the vault bar. Through her hand work and dedication to the program, by year three she completed ten repetitions on the pole climb! As she completed the last repetition, this girl was laughing and trying to hold a conversation with me. This performance was drastically different from her initial attempt at the onset the Project Fit America Chart & Challenges when she was unable to hold onto the pole for more than ten seconds.
How I use the PFA program throughout the school year and lesson adaptations to PFA style
I have implemented Project Fit America into most of the PE units, especially our daily warm-up routines. Most of the activities in the curriculum were easily transferable into our other units. For example:
Teacher Lesson Plans
Project Fit America Partner Warm-Up Exercises:
Spread poly spots all over the gym. There should be one spot for each group. Using TCC, students will find a partner and go to a polyspot in the gym. Place Project Fit cups on each endline of the gym. Students will perform five repetitions of each exercise with their partner. For example; five partner burpees, five partner push-ups, and five partner sit-ups. Each group then collects five project fit cups and starts building a tower together. Every time a group completes a set of the exercises, they grab another five cups. The team that builds the tallest tower, wins. After completing the warm-up, I add the challenge of whichever group can put their cups in their bin first and be sitting criss-cross applesauce is the winner. Usually the group that has the least amount of cups wins.
Throwing and Catching Relay (Project Fit Style):
This is a warm-up activity I do with my K-2 classes during our throwing and catching unit. I place six to eight cones on one endline of the gym. Using TCC, I have students get into groups of three and line up behind a cone. On the other end of the gym I place hula-hoops, about three to five feet away from the wall. Bins of Project Fit America cups are placed on the sides of the gym. The first person in each line will be given a gatorskin ball. On the signal, the first person in each line runs down to their hula-hoop and stands inside of it. Using an overhand throw, students will throw the ball off the wall and try and catch it. Each student takes five throws and depending on how many times they catch the ball, that is the amount of cups the student will take and bring back to their line. The next person in line is given the ball and they repeat the task. The team who builds the tallest tower, wins.
I do the same activity with upper elementary school students when we are in the volleyball unit. Students two hand toss the ball off the wall and either perform the forearm pass or the over the head pass. However many successful volleys they can make is how many cups they take from the bin.
Soccer Builders and Bulldozers (Project Fit Style):
This is another warm-up activity I have done with all of my K-5 classes. I place six to eight cones on one endline of the gym. Using TCC, students get into groups of three and line up behind a cone. I spread between 40-50 cones around the whole gym. The first person in line is given a soccer ball and on the whistle, the student with the ball dribbles to a cone and traps the ball with one foot on top. The student will then bend down and knock the cone over with their hand. As soon as they do this, their team will yell out one. They will continue dribbling to another cone, trap, and knock over the cone with their hand. Every time a cone is knocked over, their team yells the number out loud. When all the cones have been knocked over, the student will pick up their ball and run to one of the Project Fit America bins and grab cups, depending on how many cones they knocked over. The next person in line will be the builders. Students dribble to a cone that is knocked over, trap the ball, reach down and pick the cone back up. Teams yell out the number of cones their partner has picked up. When all cones are standing up, students collect cups from the bin and return the ball to the next person in line. Continue in this format until there are no more cups. The team with the tallest tower, wins.
Support people that have helped me develop and grow my program
Thank you to the PE Department at the Riverhead Charter School, Andre Costello and Ed Meier, for all their support. Also a special thanks to Kim Berg and Stacey Cook from Project Fit America for helping me develop and grow the Project Fit America program here at the Riverhead Charter School. Mrs. Berg was an amazing trainer who gave me many great ideas to implement into the program. Her energy and enthusiasm about Project Fit hooked my students from the start. I came out of the PFA training feeling well-prepared and ready to fully implement Project Fit America. Much appreciation goes to Ms. Cook for always checking in on me, seeing how things were going with the program, and sharing new ideas that other teachers across the country have added to their program.
In addition, I would like to thank Peconic Bay Medical Center – Northwell Health and Gym Guyz for their part in making Project Fit America possible at Riverhead Charter School. Without your support, this program would not have been possible.