Personal Health and Physical Education Philosophy
President John F. Kennedy said, “Intelligence and skill can only function at the peak of their capacity when the body is healthy and strong” (1960). It is my firm belief that health and physical education should be the backbone of any person’s education, incorporating and enhancing all of their other educational endeavors. I do not seek to create a society of professional athletes, but rather a people who are able to reach their full potential not hampered by health or physical limitations.
I relate with Catherin Ennis (2003) view of curriculum described as a journey. Ennis describes the purpose of the journey as providing information that is relatable, useful and interesting to the student (p. 110, 2003). Likewise, I realize that while guidelines are necessary to keep the journey on schedule, there is still ample opportunity and in fact necessary, for each student to explore topics that apply specifically to them. There are no guarantees in life in regards to physical ability or health. All of us are unique individuals with different physical talents, physical abilities and outcome. Therefore, to teach health and physical education, a curriculum must meet basic needs of all humans while being flexible enough to be individualized.
When specifically considering physical education, I believe in movement as knowledge, not movement for movement’s sake. While the current obesity epidemic in the United States has led many professionals in various fields to call for movement of any kind, by all people (Society of Health and Physical Educators [SHAPE America], 2005), I believe that is not a long-term solution. Without proper training, people can find themselves physically drained, injured or even exercise obsessed (Freimuth, Moniz & Kim, 2011). Think of the weekend warrior who plays his or her heart out each Saturday only to be physical incapacitated on Monday. Or the runner who faithfully trains for a marathon but without the understanding of cross training and recovery, finishes the race in pain and with possible long-term injuries. Going through the motions is not a substitute for education and training. If we can teach this generation the value of physical education and how to make physical activity a long-term pursuit, I am convinced that the physical activity versus physical education debate will be less of an issue.
There are physical skills every student must learn how to do or at least recognize (in the event that they have a physical disability that prevents them from completing the skill). However, beyond basic movements, I believe that each student needs to be able to solve physical problems. If in fact they are limited physically how will they learn to accomplish similar physical tasks? Students must learn to differentiate for themselves when given a goal. Further, they need to learn how to create their own goals and the steps to accomplish them both in physical education and health. Though it does not always seem obvious to those outside the profession, I believe sports and fitness have the capability to create social change and encourage opportunity and mutual respect for many people. When a student learns to play a game to their fullest potential, and win or lose graciously, they have gained more than just control over their physical body. They have gained a wider perspective of their world.
Maintaining good health is a lifelong process. My role as an educator is to teach an individual lifelong skills to maintain good health across all of its spectrums. Health encompasses more than just physical functioning of the body systems. Mental, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, environmental, occupational and social health play equally important roles in overall individual’s health. While considering each of these it is important to have a health philosophy orientation that accurately reflects current health education needs (Governali, Hodges & Videto, 2005). My philosophy of health follows the path of cognitive to decision-making to behavior change. I believe that a person must understand their own health and what affects it. As an educator, it is my job to strengthen a student’s decision making skills to make effective changes to any aspects of their health that are detrimental to their wellbeing. Finally, they must repeatedly practice behavior modification to create patterns of healthy living. Health and health risks are determined by multiple-causes at various times; consequently, efforts to modify health and health risks most follow similar patterns and multifaceted approaches (Governali, Hodges & Videto, 2005). These patterns may shift over time, thus requiring a person to investigate and learn new aspects of health, decide to make changes and reestablish behaviors, making the process cyclical.
As a health and physical educator I am in a unique position to influence a student for a lifetime. We are given only one body. Though we may gain and lose the knowledge and skills that are learned in other academic settings, a student’s ability to maintain a healthy physical body is paramount to their future endeavors and academic success (Center for Disease Control, p. 29, 2010). My teaching philosophy focuses on this future success with structures that emphasizes deep content knowledge, skills, and expertise that is also based on individual experience and interest.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010). The association between school based physical activity, including physical education, and academic performance. Retreived from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/health_and_academics/pdf/pa-pe_paper.pdf.
Ennis, C. D. (2003). Student learning in physical education: applying research to enhance instruction. Champaign, Ill: Human Kinetics.
Freimuth, M., Moniz, S., & Kim, S. R. (2011). Clarifying exercise addiction: differential diagnosis, co-occurring disorders, and phases of addiction. International journal of environmental research and public health, 8(10), 4069–4081. doi:10.3390/ijerph8104069.
Governali, J.F., Hodges, B.C. & Videto, D.M. (2005). Health education and behavior: Are school health educators in denial? American Journal of Health Education, 36(4), 210-214.
Kennedy, J. F. (1960, December 26). Sport at the New Frontier: The Soft American. Sports Illustrated, 13(26), 14–17. doi: https://www.si.com/vault/issue/43278/15.
Society of Health and Physical Educators. (2005). Is It Physical Education or Physical Activity? Retrieved from https://www.shapeamerica.org/publications/resources/teachingtools/qualitype/pa_vs_pe.aspx.