Get a Move On! by Rebecca Dekens

Frustrated by her students' unhealthy lifestyle choices, this teacher decided it was time for a change

I am blessed to spend my days with bright, beautiful and energetic kids. I have taken a private oath to make the time I spend with my students as meaningful as I can, not only to their learning, but also to their overall health.

This past year, I had several students who would come to school with a medium-sized bag of cheese curls and a 16-ounce soda. I couldn't understand how some of my students believed they were eating a "good" breakfast. It didn't take long before I realized that most of my students were probably not receiving healthy lifestyle information. Health is not part of our curriculum in our school, so I included tiny doses of health into our day. Here's how I do it.

Move those feet.
I get my students up and moving every moment that I can. I use Math Ballet when teaching my students particular math concepts. For parallel and perpendicular lines, I ask them to stand up and place their hands on the back of their chair. I then call out "parallel" and "perpendicular" and my students move their feet into the corresponding positions.

Another one of our favorite activities is Spelling Aerobics. Our movements depend on where the letters of the word touch on lined handwriting paper. For letters touching the top line (d or t), we raise our arms over our heads and do a tiny vertical hop. For letters touching the dashed line (c or s), we stick our arms straight out in front of us and squat. For letters that go below the line (g or y), we bend our knees and touch the floor. As we carefully spell each word, we perform the corresponding letter movement. Not only is this a wonderful lesson to incorporate movement, but it also forces my students to visualize how the words look on lined handwriting paper.

Walk it off.
If my students do not turn in their homework, they miss recess. I decided I'd allow my students to "walk off" their consequence. They walk six laps around the double basketball court, which is approximately three quarters of a mile, and then they can go play. I never force them to walk laps; they see it as an opportunity to "do the time" and then have recess. They don't realize I'm secretly enforcing healthy exercise – they just think I'm cool for allowing them the chance to go play!

I cannot control how my students eat or their level of physical activity outside my classroom. I can only try to foster healthy choices within their young minds. If I can get my students to learn and care about their health and fitness alongside reading, writing and math, then I feel that I've successfully nourished my students' minds, bodies and souls.

Rebecca Dekens teaches fourth grade at Hatchett Elementary in San Antonio, TX.