Wisconsin Health and Physical Education (WHPE), a SHAPE America state affiliate, has been “speaking out” for quality health and physical education in Wisconsin for more than two decades. Over the years, our organization has learned that advocacy requires work — but it can be done, and it does work. If you follow and adapt the described steps in this article for your state’s situation, positive results will happen. Advocating for health and physical education is worth the effort! Our First Advocacy Attempts More than 20 years ago, WHPE began conducting several Legislative Health & Fitness D ..read more

In 2023, I presented a session at the SHAPE America National Convention & Expo in Seattle with Jessica Adkins, the 2022 SHAPE America Western District High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year. The session — titled “Death: Let’s Talk About It” — was based on our personal experiences navigating through the loss of loved ones.   The reality of death is that it is a natural and inevitable part of life — so why are we so uncomfortable (or afraid) to talk about it?  The reality of death within our classroom is that 1 in 12, or more than 8%, of children in the United Stat ..read more

As American society and schools experience growing diversity and interconnectedness, our responsibilities as teachers must embrace pedagogical approaches that nurture and celebrate diversity, inclusion, and empathy. I am a physical education teacher in New York City who is committed to embracing a more inclusive and empathetic teaching style in physical education. I consider myself to be an anti-racist teacher — and by embracing this approach, I aim to co-create inclusive learning environments in physical education. Reflection and Self-Evaluation Being an anti-racist educator requires continuo ..read more

As a physical education teacher, I have been doing school fundraisers for 23 years. For 18 of those years, I did Hoops for Heart through the American Heart Association. In spring 2019, my school, Odessa Upper Elementary, was one of the pilot schools for SHAPE America’s health. moves. minds. FUNdraiser, and 2022-2023 was our fifth year of participation.   I started participating in health. moves. minds. because of the lessons (and there are a lot of them) and because I receive a lot more giveback to my school. I alternate each year between the option that gives our school the full 50% back ..read more

Health Literacy Is an Everyday Issue Health Literacy Month is an opportune time to consider the role you play in helping and educating people, especially youth, on making healthy choices. Health literacy is defined as the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others. It influences a wide range of everyday health issues, such as how people find medical care, sort through competing information to plan a healthy diet, or make long-term lifestyle changes to live more ..read more

Every November, schools throughout Kentucky celebrate Kindness Across the Commonwealth, a week-long event started by KYSHAPE in 2020 to spread kindness throughout our state while promoting lessons and activities from SHAPE America’s health. moves. minds.® FUNdraiser. The week always aligns with World Kindness Day, which is held on November 13. Each day of Kindness Across the Commonwealth week has a different theme based on health. moves. minds., such as teamwork, gratitude, kindness, wellness, and mindfulness. KYSHAPE provides daily slides with prompts, as well as activities and social media p ..read more

As we segue deeper into fall, the days get shorter and temperatures drop. There are fewer sunlit hours after school for children to be outside and physically active. This time of year, it is increasingly important to incorporate physical activity into the school day. Adding more movement — through physical education, recess and active classrooms — is essential for beating the almost-winter blues. Instead of settling into an indoor, sedentary routine — it’s time to rethink the typical school day. THE TYPICAL SCHOOL DAY Inherently, the format of the school day is constrained and unengaging (a.k ..read more

When a school is celebrating a sports championship, they often go big: rallies, trophies, and loud cheers all around. During Health Literacy Month this October, it’s a good time to ask: What if we celebrated health literacy like we celebrate sports? What if the entire school and community applauded students for developing the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to be health-literate individuals? As a middle school health and physical education teacher, I know first-hand that initiatives impacting the whole school and surrounding community can be powerful.   Here are some suggestion ..read more

October is Health Literacy Month, and the team at Ask, Listen, Learn is excited to collaborate with SHAPE America to share free resources to aid in starting conversations with your students about the importance of saying “NO” to underage drinking and empowering them in making informed, healthy choices. Please plan to join the Ask, Listen, Learn team and SHAPE America on Thursday, October 26, 2023, at 7 p.m. for a webinar — Prevention Education is Health Literacy — to celebrate Health Literacy Month.Together, with special guests from SHAPE America and Classroom Champions (an organization that p ..read more

“Prepare for battle at the plate, be mentally and physically sound to succeed.” Even without a history of military service, my father loved to incorporate military doctrine into my athletic training. “The only easy day was yesterday,” he would tell me during softball practices. These phrases, alongside plenty of other military jargon, were ones I heard frequently as he molded me into a sound softball athlete. Now, as an officer in the United States Marine Corps, I can attest to the mentality of service and accountability the Corps imparts to every Marine. It is a mentality that continues to dr ..read more