NEWS & PRESS RELEASES
BBC Students Teach Local Children about Health and Physical Education
If you've ever wandered onto Baptist Bible College's campus on a Monday during the lunch hour, you might have been surprised to hear the sound of children's voices and to see elementary children swarming the Phelps Student Center. During the academic year, BBC's Health & Physical Education department offers HPE 4 ME, a program designed for school-age children who are home schooled, to over 135 children from the area.
The three-year-old program exists to provide quality health and physical education instruction, to increase fitness and activity levels, to teach activities and games, and to encourage social interaction. This fall the program's emphasis is Health and Skill-Related Fitness Development, which includes coordination, speed, reaction time, and agility.
Children who attend the program participate in various activities. "I like getting balls," said three-year-old Isaac Vierling with a sparkle in his eyes. "He also likes the crafts and games," added his mother, Andrea Vierling.
Dr. Elaine Brown, a co-director of HPE 4 ME, explained that the program benefits both the children that attend and the college students who lead it. "Our students have the opportunity to develop lesson plans and implement them with the appropriately aged children as this program coincides with the Methods of Teaching Physical Education K-12 class," she said.
BBC students also find that participating in HPE 4 ME allows them to handle a variety of situations similar to what they will face during student teaching. "Teaching HPE 4 ME has allowed me to plan lessons, practice management skills, and experience a whole host of other "real life" teaching opportunities. I've learned that as a teacher you have to be prepared to give a lesson and encounter the unknown of what will happen as you teach your lesson," said Jon Konzelman, who is a senior in the Health & Physical Education program.
Another benefit for the college students is that schools looking to hire them feel it gives them added experience. "Our graduates receive feedback from potential employers as to the worth of this program for practical experience and preparation. Health & Physical Education students must accumulate 90 hours aiding and observing school-age children, and this program gives them on-campus experience toward those hours," Brown added.
Konzelman agreed,"I participate in HPE 4 ME because it is a great way to get aiding hours, practice teaching and management skills, and learn weaknesses and strengths in teaching."
Posted on: 11/3/2005 6:38:11 PM
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