When you think of physical education, or PE, or gym class - what do you remember?  Probably the physical side of it, like jump rope or pull-ups or dodgeball or kickball.  But what blew our mind in today’s conversation is all of the seemingly invisible, yet intentional, ways PE class teaches us about social interactions, our own capabilities, deconstructing perfectionism, and more - and frighteningly, how so many schools in the US now don’t mandate PE, as it’s a class that’s having to fight for its right to exist in the education system.  

As we kick off the new 2022-2023 school year, listen to what we’ll be missing out on in our next generation if we don’t start thinking about what and how we teach our children.

 

What to listen for: 

• Why PE is important - especially when it goes beyond the measurements and into being a social laboratory
• How resistance shows up in physical education, and how to address it
• Helping children navigate the difficult or uncomfortable conversations that play out in spaces of play 
• The privilege Sherri feels of being a Black American woman living in Europe

 

About Sherri: Sherri Spelic teaches elementary physical education at an international school in Vienna, Austria. She has written extensively on topics related to education, identity, and power and among other things publishes a monthly social justice newsletter for educators: Bending The Arc. Check out her book of essays, Care At The Core or find her on Twitter @edifiedlistener. 

 

Feed title: From A Slight Change of Plans: Civil Rights Icon Ruby Bridges 

Feed description: 

I’m sharing a special episode from another podcast, A Slight Change of Plans, from Pushkin Industries. In this preview, civil rights icon Ruby Bridges shares what it was like to be the first African-American student to attend an all-white elementary school in Louisiana in 1960. Ruby was just six years old at the time, and it would be years before she fully appreciated her role in advancing civil rights in America. Hear the full episode, and more from A Slight Change of Plans.