VIRTUS training reflection

Last week we went through Virtus training which focused on child sexual abuse. The program gave good information such as the warning signs of a child that's been (being) abused, most abuse comes from people that the victim knows, and Sister Harriet told us that we should call the hotline before calling the police if we suspect that a child is being abused because our identity will be protected when we call the hotline. It's crazy to think that anybody would do this to children especially in schools, churches, and camps.

Lately there have been many reports of child sex abuse, the two big ones being the Penn State University scandle and the Syracuse University scandal both involving assistant coaches in their athletic programs. I feel like these thing should never happen, and that these guys were just dumb to do such things when they're in the public spotlight and are looked up to by so many. These stories should have been reported and told sooner, not many years after the event(s). Even though Joe Paterno, former head football coach at Penn State, wasn't a mandated reporter he should have still told authorities about what he knew was going on. It's the morally correct thing to do. No matter who the abuser is, they need to be punished for their actions. I believe that the schools did the right thing by firing the people that were responsible for not reporting the inccidents. There should be policies for these sorts of things and they should be followed.

Reports of abuse should be taken seriously. When children tell somebody that they've been abused, 95% of the time it is true. Recognizing, preventing, and appropriately reporting child sexual abuse is important. Parents should tell their children how to be safe and stay safe.

1/23/12 homework - Ch.1 - Learning Through the Physical/How physical activity impacts affective growth.

In 201 our homework assignment was to read chapter one and then blog about 1.) What does learn through the physical mean? and 2.) How physical activity impacts affective growth.

First off, it's good to know that there's learning-to-move and learning-through-movement aims of physical education. Learning-to move is based on acquiring increased movement skills and bettering physical fitness through increased activity. Learning-through-movement is based on the fact that effective physical eduaction can positively influence the cognitive and affective developement of children. It means that by having children moving around and being active their thinking/learning skills and social skills will increase.

Affective growth is learning that involves an increase in dealing with social-emotional skills; being able to act, interact, and react effectively with other people as well as with themselves. Physical activity helps with self-concept and positive socialization. Playing and being involved in vigorous activity allows for kids to establish a positive self-concept (belonging, perceived competence, worthiness, virtue, acceptance of self,  and uniqueness). Physical activity also has the potential to foster positive socialization, positive moral behavior and teach the virtues of honesty, teamwork, self-control, loyalty, and fair play. As a teacher you are given opportunities to teach these things, and teaching them through physical activity is a fun way of doing it. Rules are set in games to enforce virtues of honesty, loyalty, and fair play.

Day 1 of 201 lab

In our first day of 201 lab at St.Mary's we observed what happened at the after school program. We watched what the TA's did with the kids, in which we will eventually be doing these activities with our groups. We also got a tour of the school and learned what exactly it is we will be doing with our time at St.Mary's.

Before we went to lab we were told that the kids would be very crazy, but actually seeing it is different than thinking about what it would be like. I've been around young children before & have assisted with summer classes, so I'm used to dealing with elementary aged kids. But it can still be a little overwheleming in a new environment, with kids everywhere and kids not wanting to participate. But I'm looking foward to working with my group & the kids for the semester.

What I observed in lab...

Post #2 - Thoughts on first day of class, blogging, and my future

January 18 was the first day of classes for the Spring 2012 semester. In our first day of PED 201 professor Yang gave us an overview of what the class is going to be like. He gave us instructions for our homework assigments and showed us how to get to St. Mary's where we will be working with the kids for our lab. Professor Yang warned us that the kids probably aren't going to behave the same way they do during schools hours, that they will be wild and crazy.

I am looking foward to working with these kids, no matter how crazy they are. I have worked at a summer program for my home elementary school for a number of summers and I loved working with them, even the wild ones! I love seeing kids have fun while learning about what their bodies can do, which is why I'm looking foward to my future in physical education.

Although this is only my second post in a blog, it seems like a fun and easy way of doing homework. Blogging is almost like writing in a diary, except everybody can read it. It's a way of sharing things you find interesting with everyone and it's a way for people to follow your progress in life.

post #1 - initial reactions & winter break

The hardest part about creating a blog is coming up with the name. Doing everything else was relatively easy to do, but the name was somethin else!

Over winter break I helped with my home's modified swim team while I was practicing. I demonstrated flip turns for the beginners, which hopefully helped them learn how to do turn by themselves.