A Culture of Leadership and Helpfulness in PE

“We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”

Helpfulness is a virtue used on a daily basis in PE class in order for us to function at our best. Students are guided to find what their individual strengths are and use those strengths throughout lessons to help their peers in a variety of ways:

• A student who is strong in one particular sport in PE can use those skills to help another student improve.
• A student whose sportsmanship qualities shine through can help guide another student who may struggle in this area.
• A student whose social and emotional skills are blooming can help a peer communicate more effectively or find ways to include a quieter student who may hold back socially.

In PE we consider ourselves teammates and teammates must always help build each other up for the betterment of the whole team. When someone is having an off day we all try our best help that student and put them back on track.

Being a Montessori school, mixed level interactions is very important, and the PE Program supports many leadership initiatives at the school. Helpfulness is one of the qualities needed for these programs to function. This term the Grade 5 and 6 students were invited to sign up for ‘Grade 1 Transition Assistance.” This is where the Grade 5 and 6 students could attend the Grade 1 PE sessions and interact with students who needed extra support as they transitioned into being Elementary students. They helped guide and support the Grade 1 children not just in sport skills but also social skills and class management.

Next term the Upper Elementary students will begin Toddler leadership. The students will be given an opportunity to sign up to assist teaching the Toddler PE lessons. They will be guided to design a five minute section of the lesson which they will lead on their own.

The final initiative will be in the last term; the Upper Elementary students will participate in Casa lunchtimes. Their goal is to introduce and teach the Kindergarten students some of the games and sports played during Elementary recess. They will be taught the communication skills needed to organize these games so they have the confidence to lead the charge once they join the Elementary Program.