Greetings and Welcome,
Your child is beginning a new physical education program with new movements, somenew games and some that'll be familiar , and new activities. First and foremost, I wanted to introduce myself to those that haven't met me, my name is Mr. McCracken and I've been teaching physical education for fifteen years now. I am looking forward to meeting and interacting with every one of you so please don’t hesitate to contact me.
I am a teacher that takes my job and occupation very seriously. I run a very well organized physical education curriculum, one that is designed to motivate students while providing authentic participation opportunities that promote enjoyment and success. My units are written in scope and sequence with grade level specific instruction. In my classes, my goal is to increase student activity from moderate to vigorous, resulting with over 50% of actual activity time. Units that I teach, which include circuit training, team sports, team-building/cooperative learning, lifetime fitness, nutrition, and lifetime sports. Now that students are back in the building I am adapting this year's lessons and units to create equity amongst each and every student. I'll make certain everything taught this year will be fair and consistent.
It is my job and responsibility to make sure that the students here at Lenart know and understand the benefits of physical activity and health. Students need to learn at an early age the importance of physical fitness and good nutrition and why it helps the body and mind, and what better way to do so than in a physical education setting. I want to instill a level of enthusiasm and awareness with my students so that they can carry this knowledge with them throughout life, in order to live an active and healthy lifestyle. In order for learning to take place in physical education, teachers and students both, must have an open mind and use a variety of activities that keep students challenged (yes, I said learning will take place).
Physical Education is an integral part of the total educational process and significantly contributes in the areas of affective, cognitive, and psychomotor development. The mind works hand in hand with the body, “healthy body means a healthy mind.” My personal responsibility in a sense is not only to teach physical and health education to our students, but to prepare them to be lifelong learners and participants in fitness and good health. The sequential learning experiences designed to fulfill this development should be carefully planned, comprehensive, innovative, and intricately combined with a fun teaching approach. These new ideas translate physical education concepts into meaningful and a successful program that meet the individual needs of each and every child. Creating and implementing new ideas to challenge our students is a challenge in itself, but a challenge that I enjoy. I look forward to meeting each and every one of you back at Lenart Elementary :-)
Sincerely,
Mr. McCracken
Physical/Health Education
jmccracken@cps.edu