#7: 2022 OYEA Recipient - Reflections from a PE Teacher’s Journey

PE is a subject like no other.

Ask any student what their favourite subject is, and I believe that many students would excitedly exclaim, "PE!". 

I believe this is the case for many reasons - It is non-examinable. Students enjoy the many different sports and build relationships with their peers, to name a few.

Students' positive perception of PE affords PE teachers the amazing opportunity to capitalise on not just the "fun" aspect of PE but, more importantly, the values involved in the pursuit of learning a new sport or attaining a higher level of personal fitness.

I believe PE is a powerful platform for building character. The courage to demonstrate a basketball layup in front of a class, having the empathy to include a lower ability peer in a netball game or having the resilience to complete all the laps in a 2.4km run. These are just a fraction of behaviours that can be observed daily in PE lessons. 

As PE teachers, we have the privilege of teaching a subject that appeals to many students. 

This privilege also comes with the great responsibility of doing justice to the subject and the students under my charge.

FUNdamentals before fun

When I first started contract teaching, I had a culture shock. 

A few poignant memories come to mind - Students who were "allergic" to running but miraculously fit for the games segment. These students somehow kept forgetting to bring their PE attire, students sitting out and refusing to play when not grouped with their friends, students misusing equipment etc.

I felt like I was thrown into the deep end of a pool and had to paddle frantically with all limbs to keep afloat. 

I learnt that going straight into the gameplay, something students enjoy and may be engaged in, did not address the deep-rooted issues such as a lack of resilience, empathy for others, and many other values that were uncovered.

Here are some fundamentals I learnt in my journey as a PE teacher.

The best investment for PE Teachers is taking the time to build a positive classroom environment.

Investing time to establish routines, procedures, and consequences is wise. Although this resulted in less activity time in the early part of the year, I realised that students appreciated the consistency, and disruptive behaviours eventually became non-existent.

Also, invest time to get to know students - their hobbies, interests, and how their weekend was. The teacher's sincerity is something I realised my students appreciated, which motivates them to be more attentive.

Expressing Gratitude is Addictive

We can catch teachable moments in every lesson! 

Spotting a simple act of a student setting up the equipment for the class could be the best feedback a student hears in a while. 

I found that allocating a few minutes during the lesson or the end of the class to get students to reflect and share some positive observations sets the lesson up for success or concludes the lesson well. 

One of the most heartwarming moments I witnessed was a student sharing that he appreciated his peers coaching him, which made him not give up. When his peers heard it, they swelled with pride and wanted to keep helping him improve. 

The teaching of values should be valued.

Sometimes, to introduce the game to my students quickly, I realised that I might miss out on the affordance of learning opportunities when skills are taught in a drill/pair setting. 

For example, a simple activity of passing a frisbee to a partner can be converted as a challenge where all the pairs in a class have to pass the frisbees consecutively to each other without the frisbee dropping. This seemingly simple activity creates many powerful moments of values such as teamwork, resilience and empathy and can be easily captured.

Be humble and never rest on laurels.

Just as I challenge my students to keep learning, I know that I, too, must continuously pursue growth. 

As the saying goes, "if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together". 

In my teaching journey, I am privileged to be in the company of many colleagues who have educated me just as I have educated my students. I am always in awe of their commitment to placing students at the centre of their work which eventuates into happier students. 

Always remember why we do what we do 

As a primary school student, one of the things I remember looking forward to was playing football with whatever "ball" my friends and I could get our hands on that afternoon. Feeling recharged by the football session, I would rush home to complete my homework before heading out to the playground for a pre-dinner "catching" session with my neighbours. I believe that such experiences kept me healthy, happy and resilient as a child. 

The rapid evolution of technology and the pandemic have robbed these experiences away from our students. They have become more sedentary, and studies have shown that the more sedentary a student is the lower their well-being.

The implications of this are far-reaching as the students of today are the nation's future.

One of the reasons why I chose to be a PE teacher was because I wanted to pass on the values that I gained from sports to the youths of Singapore. 

Now, more than ever before, PE is so important to educate our youths to adopt a healthier, more active lifestyle and, in so doing, boost their well-being levels.

I'm excited and ready to take on this challenge with the PE fraternity.

Note:

Mr Timothy Chong is a PE Teacher at Northbrooks Secondary School. He is a Subject Head, Outdoor Education & Student Leadership. He is also a recipient of the 2022 Outstanding Youth in Education Award. You can reach him at Chong_wee_er_timothy@moe.edu.sg.