The Live Fit Tooele County Coalition honored three more teachers this month for their innovative ways of teaching health and fitness to students during the third term.
Winners included Polly Jones, sixth-grader teacher at Willow Elementary; Katrina Mick, sixth-grade teacher at Overlake Elementary; and Laura Bastian, third-grade teacher at Sterling Elementary.
Jones believes that mental health wellness is just as important as physical health wellness for her students. She said many of her students had mild-to-severe testing anxiety as SAGE testing approached.
“One strategy I have taught is known by my students as the ‘Hero Pose,’” Jones said. “Before a test, my students now stand up straight, put their hands on their hips, push out their chests, and let confidence pour into their bodies.
“Of course, some of them think this is silly, but most have begun to ask, ‘Can we do the Hero Pose before we start?’” she added. “I do believe it gives them more confidence — and less tears — as that test is put on their desks.”
Jones also teaches her students “visualization.”
She said the students begin by tightening and releasing major muscle groups in their bodies.
“They are learning to recognize the tension in their muscles so that they can purposefully relax. We begin with the toes, and work up through the legs, body, shoulders and arms,” she said.
“Then, each child has chosen a ‘happy place.’ Using the model of ‘A Wrinkle in Time,’ we imagine a white horse with rainbow wings picking us up from a flower-filled meadow and flying us to this self-chosen place where we can feel happiness and peace. After a few minutes of closed eyes and quiet, the students are much more calm and relaxed. They know that if they are feeling anxious or upset, they can return to this place to feel calm.”
Mick said she loves teaching and playing.
“I absolutely love when I can combine teaching and playing at the same time,” Mick said. “In my class, we have been known to get up and dance at random times. I also have my students get up and share their answers with others, so that they are up and moving around. We do a brain break on a regular basis by doing ‘GoNoodle’ or by doing an activity from the Healthy Body Healthy Minds booklet.”
GoNoodle is a series of web-based videos, games and activities focused on introducing short bursts of physical exercise in the classroom.
“One of our class’s favorites is the Numbers game in which they have to jump when they get to a multiple of three and turn around at multiple of five. They also like when we play paper, rock, scissors with their feet,” Mick said.
Bastian uses gonoodle.com to have a physical activity multiple times a week, sometimes daily.
“The students are excited to get up and move and they think because it’s fun and dancing that it’s not work, but they get lots of benefits from it,” Bastian said. “When they have earned class points, they get to have extra recess outside to move around and run. During their interventions where they practice with small groups, I have them move to different places in the classroom.
“Students can sit or lie on the floor to stretch out and move around so it isn’t all just being in a chair. They have a rotation every 10 minutes or so allowing them to move. For snacks in class, we’ll pass out crackers on occasion to give them a little bit of food in their tummy so they aren’t always hungry,” Bastian said.
The teacher also talks with the students about mental wellness.
“We talk about students liking themselves with positive self-talk if something happened that bothered them. We have bonus brain points in our class for those who go above and beyond the regular assignment. We also have some ‘We Are Awesome’ points for the whole class when everyone is doing what they are supposed to be doing.”
Malena Toohey, health educator for the Tooele County Health Department, said the Wellness in the Classroom contest is for all elementary teachers in Tooele County who want to submit their efforts to the Live Fit website.
The three top teachers voted on receive a surprise visit from the Live Fit Coalition that awards them each a $100 gift card and a balloon bouquet.
“These three teachers are doing amazing things to teach their students overall wellness and to provide opportunities for their students to move throughout the day to help students focus and be healthier,” Toohey said. “According to research revealed on juststand.org, having students stand and move periodically throughout the school day strengthens students’ learning and improves memory and retrieval.”