When I arrived to do a lesson demonstration in the second grade class of Ms. Kopacz at Columbia Elementary, I was taken by surprise. Ms. Kopacz and her students were in the middle of their morning workout. She was playing some upbeat music, the lights were turned down and her students were engaged in an exercise routine. Students worked at their own level and pace while doing push ups, sit ups, planks, squats and stretches. As if I was not impressed enough by the students' attentiveness to the workout, I watched as they returned to their desks, finished stretching and enjoyed a healthy morning snack of bananas, yogurt, sandwiches on whole wheat bread, string cheese, and peanut butter crackers.
I complimented the students on their exercise routine, which I found out they had designed on their own. As I briefly described the benefits of exercise to the students, they sat at attention. I told them, as I am sure they have noticed, that exercise helps them both physically and academically. They had a sense of pride of their accomplishments. I felt guilty that I had to stop them so that I could teach, but it was a great segway into healthy eating and my lesson on Anytime vs. Sometimes snacks.
The movements of physical activity before my demonstration paid off tremendously. The students were focused, eager to answer questions and respectful. I did not have to redirect their attention once during my lesson! I was amazed!
During my lesson Ms. Kopacz took time to enjoy her morning snack as well. Demonstrating a strong example for the students, she had a banana, a yogurt drink and a hard boiled egg. Seeing this gave me the ability to make the easy connection to my lesson with the students. I applaud this behavior and I hope that others may follow suit. Way to go Ms. Kopacz and students in room 6!