"Everyday in class my students work out their brains, their eyes and ears, even their hands (writing!). I have a classroom full of textbooks, papers, workbooks and other tools for these kinds of workouts. But at my school I receive hardly any resources for working out my students' muscles. Like many ...
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"Everyday in class my students work out their brains, their eyes and ears, even their hands (writing!). I have a classroom full of textbooks, papers, workbooks and other tools for these kinds of workouts. But at my school I receive hardly any resources for working out my students' muscles. Like many teachers I notice that many of my students are overweight, they eat unhealthily and they rarely exercise. This is a sad fact in many schools like mine.
My school is full of kids who live in poverty. The live in apartment buildings and don't have yards to play in. It is not always safe to play in the street and there are few parks close by. No wonder many don't exercise!
Yes, I do tell them to do more exercise and eat better, but actions speak louder than words. Besides, although they trust me, they may not fully believe me. So I have an idea. I want to show them how they are already exercising their body—a little. I will use the technique I use in class regularly—I get them to understand that they already have had some success, and that they will have more success if they try a little harder. My students walk a lot, but not enough. I want to show them how walking helps them to be healthier, but then tell them that they need to do more.
I read about a program in another city that gives kids pedometers and asks them to take 10,000 steps everyday. I want a class set of pedometers to give to my students so we can first measure how many steps they take each day, and then I can help them to increase that amount to 10,000. They are going to be so excited to have their teacher tell them to get up and walk around the classroom a couple times each day! (Of course that alone won’t do it, but it will be just one part of a comprehensive program of walking at recess and lunch, before school and after school, and at home.)
Your gift of pedometers for us will make exercise a little more fun, a little more exciting and cool. Plus, it makes for wonderful math practice--we will have to calculate how far we travel each day (let's see, 10,000 times 3 feet equals?). Please help us out--we can't wait to start counting our steps!
My students need 25 pedometers.
The cost of this proposal is $588, which includes shipping for any materials requested and fulfillment ."
See Mr. S.'s class participating in this project!
(Enlarge photos)
May 8, 2009
Dear Frank and DonorsChoose.org,
It is so hard to motivate kids to exercise. When I was little we did not have so many electronic temptations, and that is part of the problem today. Choosing between an addictive video game and running around on the sidewalk? No contest!
But the fact is that kids who are not active are at risk for all sorts of problems. That's why I am so happy with the pedometers we received thanks to your generosity. Now, I have to admit that I did have a vision of how students would use the pedometers: I expected them to walk or run. But, as usual, they surprised me. The students who are already my consistent runners were not running, they were jumping up and down in place! Oh well, not what I planned, but they were still moving!
Your wonderful gift has helped my class move more, exercise more, and find joy and fun in physical activity. All that, and I get to give a math lesson in how to calculate how far they walk in a day (number of steps times how long each step is, cool huh?). Thank you many times over for this great gift. It is a gift my students will use everyday, every step they take!
With gratitude, Mr. S.
Mr. S. sent this note after the project was fully funded:
Mar 9, 2009
Dear Frank and DonorsChoose.org,
Thanks so much for your generous gift of pedometers for my class! We have been running together everyday, but I so want to show them how much they walk each day. Some of the students just don't run very much, and I try to convince them that if they walk the same distance it still helps their hearts; but of course it takes longer.
I plan to give them their pedometers to use during recess and lunch to start, and I know they will be walking more just to make the numbers go higher. Of course, that is exactly what I want for them! My students will be so excited to put on and use the pedometers that they will definitely be walking more. The more they walk the better for them (and me!). Thank you again.
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Dayna D. (volunteer)
on Oct 3, 2008
