PE teachers work to keep students moving — online

Schools have had to rethink how they conduct physical education classes during this pandemic.

That's been especially true at Fairfield schools, which have been completely virtual since mid-November. But the physical education teachers in the district aren't letting that stop them from ensuring the student body keeps moving their bodies.

Brian Dunlap teaches PE to the two elementary schools, Washington Elementary covering grades preschool to first, and Pence Elementary covering second through fourth grades. Dunlap meets with his second-, third- and fourth-grade students once a week over Zoom. He posts lessons on a program called Seesaw that the students can do anytime during the week.

Dunlap said it's certainly a challenge to conduct PE classes remotely. But he said every year brings a new challenge, and this is just the latest.

'I feel like I'm learning new things, and it's making me a better educator,” he said. 'This is new ground for a veteran teacher like me to be walking on.”

Physical education classes normally involve a large number of kids together in the gymnasium or outdoors. Now Dunlap has had to adjust his thinking to accommodate small groups in a small space, especially now that the weather is getting colder and the activities will be limited to the indoors.

'We're doing a lot of exercise and fitness activities and a lot of dance stuff,” Dunlap said. 'Ball skills are hard to incorporate at home because of equipment needs. I'm trying to keep them moving, and I hope they're enjoying what's being delivered.”

Dunlap said he's trying to spend about as much time with the students as he would in a normal year. The second- through fourth-graders do a 20-minute class with him, so it is a little shorter than they would do in person. But the lessons the kids work through should occupy them for 20-30 minutes.

'The kids get 50 minutes a week, and I'm trying to deliver close to that through the computer, but it's certainly not the same,” Dunlap said.

Attendance is mandatory on the Zoom classes, and Dunlap documents the participation of each student. It's still tough for Dunlap to monitor his students' progress. In fact, it's hard for him to know what the kids are doing apart from their Zoom lessons. He said he relies on parents to help ensure that their children are doing their assigned lessons like they're supposed to.

'Assessing the kids is pretty hard,” Dunlap said. 'I'd rather have my kids in front of me. All of us teachers would. Hopefully, the kids are growing, but this is not as effective as having them in the gym.”