MAHPERD "Voices From The field"
In this podcast, you will hear from educators and professionals in the field sharing their insights and experiences in the HPE (Health Physical Education) and allied fields. I hope you find this podcast informative, and inspiring. Learn about best practices and tools that you can implement in your teaching practice. We want to know not only what you do, but also the action steps you took to get you where you are. The Status Quo is not in our vocabulary folks, my guests are leaders in the field who are taking action to make an impact in their respective fields. If you have any questions or would like to be a guest on the show email mahperdpodcast@gmail.com
"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got" Henry Ford
MAHPERD "Voices From The field"
Teaching For Health, Movement, and Connection
What happens when a physical education teacher prioritizes relationships over rules and student choice over standardized instruction? Nick Morse, a health and physical education teacher at Hartnett Middle School, reveals how his innovative approach is transforming how students experience physical and health education.
Nick's journey begins with a pivotal childhood experience at summer camp that sparked his passion for physical activity and education. Years later, as a high school student working at that same camp, a mother's phone call thanking him for supporting her children after their father's passing solidified his career path. This foundation of meaningful connections continues to guide his teaching philosophy today.
At the core of Nick's approach is Self-Determination Theory – the belief that students engage most deeply when they experience autonomy, competence, and relatedness. This manifests in his classroom through competitive and recreational options for activities, walking-and-talking attendance procedures, music during class time, and free choice days that empower students to direct their own learning. His health classes feature project-based assessments rather than traditional tests, allowing students to demonstrate understanding in ways that resonate with their learning styles.
Perhaps Nick's most impressive achievement is the "Healthy Start" morning program he established, which now attracts 50-75 students daily (in a school of 450) for pre-school physical activity. The program serves multiple purposes – providing structured movement for sports enthusiasts, social time for friends, and early drop-off options for working parents.
Nick's story illustrates how physical education can extend far beyond sports skills to create lasting healthy habits. His advice for new teachers is refreshingly simple yet profound: build relationships with your students and get involved in their lives outside your classroom. As he puts it, "It doesn't matter how good your lesson plan is if kids don't feel safe in your classroom and connected with you."
Ready to rethink how you approach physical education and student engagement? Listen now to discover practical strategies for creating a PE program where every student can thrive – regardless of athletic ability.
Email: nkmorse@hotmail.com
Hello and welcome to Voices from the Field, a MAHPERD podcast where we talk with educators in the field to hear about their perspectives and experiences. My name is Jake Bersin, advocacy Chair for MAHPERD, and today I have the pleasure of speaking with Nick Morse. Nick is a passionate and dedicated health and physical education teacher for the Blackstone Millville Regional School District, where he teaches at Hardnett Middle School. Currently, Nick is responsible for teaching health education to students in fourth and fifth grade and physical education to students in sixth and seventh grade. Nick earned a bachelor's degree from Bridgewater State University in 2023 and has returned to BSU to complete a graduate program in health and physical education. Nick is also a member of the MAHPERD board, where he serves as vice president of the athletic division. In his personal life, nick enjoys golfing and snowmobiling with his friends and family members and loves to try new foods. Welcome to the show, nick.
Nick:Thank you for having me on the show. It's great to be joined by you and I'm really looking forward to connecting with other colleagues in our field.
Jake:Awesome. That sounds great. It's really good to connect with you, and thanks so much for saying yes to the podcast. Before we get started, nick, this is a question I like to ask the guests. What's making you smile these days?
Nick:Oh, what's making you smile these days. You know we're in summer, even though you know I have two graduate courses going on right now and I'm teaching a summer enrichment program. The pace of life is, just, you know, a lot slower and you can kind of sit back and appreciate, you know, the people, your friends, your. You can kind of sit back and appreciate, you know the people, your friends, your family members that are in your life and you know that you get to experience every day.
Jake:Definitely, it's good to have that, some of that downtime to just spend time with family. I get you. So, Nick, tell us more about who you are and how you started your education journey.
Nick:So, as Jake mentioned, you know my name is Nick Morse. I was born and raised in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. I've been here my entire life. I just wrapped up my second year as a health and PE teacher for the Blackstone Millville Regional School District. I teach specifically at Hartnett Middle School and I'm responsible for teaching PE to grades six and seven and then health ed to grades four and five.
Nick:I did earn a bachelor's degree in teacher licensure from BSU in 2023. And I immediately decided to go back for my master's degree in PE and health, with the goal of finishing the graduate program by the fall of 2026. At this moment in time, I'm a little bit about halfway through that program and it's been honestly, the program's been amazing being able to just take so many different courses related to a ton of different topics within the fields of health, phys, ed, kinesiology, nutrition, psychology it's just, it's really added to my teaching repertoire. In the spring of 2024, I joined the MAHPERD board as the vice president elect of athletics and currently I am the vice president of athletics and we are looking for presenters for our fall conference, so I know that's coming up quickly, you know, in terms of my personal life, you kind of mentioned a couple things.
Nick:I've always been an outdoor enthusiast, whether that's, you know, your typical sports. You know baseball, basketball. I played football and lacrosse growing up, but I'm also really into walking, hiking and more of your kind of woodsy type things and that's really grown on me over the last couple of years. And then you know, as you also mentioned, I also had this insane passion for food. I love trying new foods, especially seafood restaurants, whether it's down the Cape or down in Narragansett or the Newport area.
Jake:Well, we'll have to talk offline about that. My folks used to have a cottage in Rhode Island in Charleston, which is close to Narragansett, so we can share notes about the seafood restaurants down there. I love seafood too.
Nick:Oh, I love everything about seafood.
Jake:That's great. That's great, Nick. So, Nick, let's talk a little bit about your journey into the field.
Jake:What inspired you to pursue a career in
Nick:my journey into the field, it actually started from a really young age when my parents at the time I thought it was you know them forcing me to do something. But I went to summer camp for the town of North Attleboro Park and Rec when I was entering kindergarten and basically this summer camp was an opportunity to engage in tons and tons of different physical activities, from team building activities to icebreakers, to your traditional sports, to swimming, to hiking, to ropes courses and I really I was really in my glory as a kid playing these games. I loved it, I loved being there, I loved the counselors and I really looked up to the counselors as role models. And even from an early age of first, like a first or second grader, I told myself that you know what I wanted to be a camp counselor when I grew up, because I admired these people. And then, you know, as I entered middle school, I kind of started to stray, stray around. I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do. I kind of lost some of that passion for physical activity.
Nick:You know, it's the middle school years, but we got into high school and there was a job posting at my local park and recreation office and they were hiring camp counselors at the same camp that I had attended as a child. So I brought one home one day and you know my parents encouraged me to fill out the application. So I filled out the application I got I remember dropping it off at the park and rec department and a couple of days later I got an interview. So I went through the interview process and, you know, was fortunate enough to be given an opportunity to work as a part-time camp counselor. I believe it was going into my junior year of high school.
Nick:From day one everything about being a camp counselor kind of just came naturally to me, whether it was social interactions with the kids or their families, creating different games and activities, behavior management, activity instruction. I just loved all of it and quickly I rose from a part-time worker. I was originally scheduled Monday, wednesday, fridays to by the end of the eight-week program that summer, working five days a week alongside some rather veteran employees for the Park and Recreation Department. See me as a role model, much like I saw the counselors as a role model when I was a kid and I think what really solidified my choices to work in education to work with children is. One day I remember I got called up to the head desk, which is this is where the head counselors and supervisors kind of hung out during the, during the camp day, and, uh, this girl named kelly handed me the phone and said there was a call on a call on the line. And I thought, for sure, you know I had done something wrong. Some parent was mad at me for something you know.
Nick:Your mind starts to think of all the worst possible outcomes right and I had a you know, it was a mother on the phone and she had three camp kids in the program and she just wanted to say thank you for being such a positive influence to her kids. For that summer I had all three kids in our second grade group together and this was really the kids' first experience in public since their father had passed away experience in public since their father had passed away and it was.
Nick:It was that moment that that's what I. I knew I wanted to do this. I knew I made the right decision, filling out that application at the park and rec department, and I knew this could be a career that you know that was satisfying and you know that I deeply appreciated the opportunity to impact, you know, people around me, especially kids. So as the years went on, I continued working for the park and recreation department. I ended up working there for eight summers in total. As I neared the end of my high school career, I started touring schools around the New England area for their education programs. I had narrowed it down New England area for their education programs. I had narrowed it down at that point. You know I wanted to teach phys ed. I remember I toured Rhode Island College, uri and Bridgewater State. I had a phenomenal tour at Bridgewater State and ultimately I decided to attend there as a first generation college student. You know none of my family members had ever gone to college a first generation college student.
Nick:You know none of my family members had ever gone to college and I was eager to take this opportunity. I graduated from Bridgewater in four years. I was one of those COVID the COVID era college kids and you know I love my Bridgewater experience.
Jake:So
Jake:it sounds like in your experience you had some solid experiences and solid events that really solidified what you want to do in the future, one being being a camp counselor. Were there any mentors or any teachers that stood out for you along the way? Are there any educators that kind of helped guide you and encourage you?
Nick:Yeah. So when I think back, you know, back to all the people that impacted me I mean there's so many, you know, I played Little League baseball. I had coaches, pop one of football coaches that impacted me. I had a high school lacrosse coach that impacted me. But I think there were really three teachers, you know, when I was thinking about this question that stood out in my mind and two of them kind of make sense based on our you know the field that I went into. And then one of them is kind of a little different.
Nick:So the first one was I had a high school physical education teacher, Mr. Chris Perrin, who also taught I. Actually he was the Bridgewater State University men's basketball coach for a number of years and he really afforded me a semi-student teaching experience before I even knew what student teaching was. You know, I had never gone to college. I had no idea what the teacher education program was like or what it was like to get a teacher license and to go out in the field for your pre-practicum and your practicum. But he offered a course in high school called Leadership and Sport Management and that was a class taken by freshmen and sophomores but it was run by the seniors. So the seniors would put together all the activities, they would lead the activities, they would help out Mr Perrin with the grading, the assessment activity, breakdown, activity setup. So it was really getting that firsthand experience before I even left high school.
Nick:And the same thing I can say about a lady named Melanie Bresson. She was a high school health teacher and her passion for health was unlike anything I've ever seen before. She could take even some of the most disturbing you know, worrisome, just kind of gut-wrenching and somber topics within health education and she would teach them in a way that gave us the skills and the confidence needed to make healthy decisions through our life. And I think she really showed us the passion of and the opportunity that you know, if you take your health seriously, here's all the positive things that can open up in your life. And then, finally, I had an eighth grade social studies teacher, so this was a little before high school.
Nick:Her name was Michelle Landermin and, um, yeah, you might ask how does social studies connect with PE and health? The reality is that it doesn't. But, Mrs Landermin, she had this ability to interact with all her students. She knew everything about every single one of her students, her students. She knew their academic strengths, their academic weaknesses, what kids did in their free time, how were they involved in the community, and she really built that connection of showing okay, you know, we're in school to learn and to get educated, but we can also do this in a manner that is compassionate towards everybody and that really, truly understands what all students are going through. And she, like she, did a phenomenal job connecting and just modeling how to be such a positive role model for all students. And to this day, I still remember, you know, her joking around with us and you know we had a good time and it was really just showed. You know she cared about us and it was extremely evident.
Jake:Wow, that sounds really amazing that you had those experiences. So it was Michelle, Ms Bresson you said and Mr Perrin right, those three individuals who really made an impact of their personal life, their hobbies, what they did for fun. And I think that's so important as educators, as teachers, that we get to know our students at a deeper level and it's not just the content we have to know about them before we can teach them the content you know, and you just outlined it perfectly why. So it's really good to hear that. So, nick, moving on to different types of skills that you teach in your setting, what type of skills do you teach?
Nick:I kind of can answer this question in two different ways. I'm going to start off with kind of what I believe, because obviously I teach you know the state standards and the phys ed standards, the health standards, but ultimately my goal is I try to teach kids to be happy and healthy. You know these are pretty broad ideas but they encapsulate kind of all the key outcomes of a quality PE and health program. In health class I'm trying to teach a skills-based approach, teaching kids how to make you know responsible decisions, refusal skills, seeking out information and resources. In.
Nick:PE. You know you're teaching them psychomotor skills. You're trying to get them cognitively aware of different strategies that can be used during all sorts of activity. But ultimately you're trying to create a situation where you're trying to teach students skills and give them the knowledge that later on in their lifespan you know they can go out with their friends and their family members and their kids and be able to participate in an activity and really value their experience.
Nick:You know, I want to be able to, you know, give the kit, give these, give my students the opportunity to live a life where they have, you know, quality physical health, quality emotional health, quality social health, you know, and I think that's ultimately that's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to teach students those skills. I know we sometimes, you know, I'm sure you know, as an educator, we kind of get bogged down and thinking about oh we're, we're going to teach this specific skill because this is what's in the framework and all that. But at the end of the day, I'm trying to teach students how to use what we learn in PE and health to bring value and enjoyment to their life.
Jake:Happy and healthy, and I think what you said about the value is key. I mean, if we can get students to really appreciate and value their own health, it's just going to benefit them throughout their life. So kudos to you for doing that work and for having this approach. I really like that. Also, the research states that exercise and activities are so important, but also not only that, but having the leisure and the recreation. It's not just about the psychomotor skills, but also how to, how to have fun, how to how to maybe play disc golf, doing different activities that are not your typical content areas that might be offered. So that's really good. So, nick, take us through a typical day in the life of, of yourself, of your school. What happens at eight o'clock on?
Nick:oh, my days are crazy. Um, you know I'm an early bird, you know I do a lot of stuff before school, but my day really starts at 7 40 every every monday through friday. Um, that's when the first set of kids walk through those double doors. At HeartNet Middle School I run a Healthy Start morning program. So this is 20 minutes.
Nick:At 7:40 to eight o'clock Parents can drop their kids off and this is an opportunity for students to kind of get some energy out before the start of the day. And typically I offer a couple different activities. Most of them relate to whatever unit we're doing at the time. But just to keep it simple, say we're doing a unit on pickleball and forehand striking and all that. I will set up some nets in the gymnasium and any student that gets dropped off early can have the opportunity to, you know, practice their forehand strike skills, practice their backhand, practice serving and ultimately just get some movement in before the start of the school day. And then, once eight o'clock rolls around, it's more of.
Nick:You know, it's your standard school day for me. I, you know I have four, six or seventh grade phys ed classes every day, with one fourth or fifth grade health class. I do have to share the gym, so most of my free time during the day is spent switching around activities in the gymnasium, cleaning up my workspace, trying to finish up any leftover tasks. Usually I'm out of school by 3 30 and I always try to stay after school for half an hour. And I understand that. You know most middle school students are not seeking out their phys ed teacher for help on their health work or you know it's not like math or english where they have questions. But I always try to make myself available and at least let students know that I'm after school if they ever need something, whether that's related to pe or health, or if they just need to talk to me about something that you know. Some students that you know they build a relationship with you and they feel comfortable coming to you if they have a concern that's good.
Jake:Have the students ever taken you up on that?
Nick:I have. I've had a couple over the last two years. A couple of them were for, you know, your standard. I have a question on this material from health. Can you explain it to me?
Nick:But I remember I had a fifth grade boy who was just having he was having a tough time on the school bus but he didn't know who to talk to because, you know, he didn't really have a connection with his, with his classroom teacher, I see. But I saw him in the morning, in my morning program, I saw him during class and I'd see him after school because he also did an after school program through the school. So over time we built, you know, we built a pretty solid connection. So he came to me and, you know, brought his concerns about the bus and then ultimately that led me to, you know, just bringing those concerns up to administration and, you know, kind of resolving the issue. So you know, it does feel good knowing that. You know, yeah, not a lot of kids take advantage of, you know, staying after, but for those students that need it I am available.
Jake:Right, they have that option, which is good.
Nick:That's good.
Jake:Go ahead.
Nick:Most days, once I get done with school you it's it's crazy time I try to get to the gym every day at about uh 3, 30, 4 o'clock. I'll work out for an hour and then it's home, shower, spend some time with family, and then I am in grad school. So most of the second half of my day is spent doing some grad work, you know, trying to finish up this master's degree. And then my goal every night is a 945 bedtime, which rarely ever happens, and then we start the next day all over again.
Jake:It's a cycle right.
Nick:It's a cycle, All right, and it's, it's like clockwork during the, during the school year. But once I tell you, once summer vacation hits, it's, you know, initially it is hard to break the cycle. But once I break the cycle, it you know, things change drastically.
Jake:Absolutely no. I totally understand Nick. Just going back to a little bit about the students, so you see, fourth and fifth once every two weeks for health, and then sixth and seventh once every week for PE how long are the classes? And then 6th and 7th once every week for PE.
Nick:How long are the classes? So I have, I think our standard class time is 58 minutes.
Jake:Okay, so almost an hour.
Nick:If you have a lunch period class it might be 106 or 107, so an hour and six minutes or an hour and seven minutes. So I do have pretty long classes but there's no denying it. That's a that's a tough schedule to teach quality pe and health. And I mean once a week for health for fourth and fifth grade. I mean, yeah, once every two weeks for fourth and fifth grade health. That's nearly impossible to build any continuity between the material. I mean, if a kid is absent, or there's a holiday or if there's a holiday.
Nick:I mean I could go over a month without seeing certain kids in health, right, I mean pe is not as bad with you know them having class once a week, but but still you have a Monday holiday or you have a vacation or you have a student.
Nick:That's you know out, it could be two or three weeks before you still see them in PE. But I think the good news is is, you know, this upcoming school year, the 25, 26 school year, we have a new, new schedule that's being implemented, you know, and while it's not perfect, it's's not ideal, it will help create more continuity between health and phys ed. So this upcoming school year, all students in grades four through seven are going to have one quarter of pe and health. So that means three, three days a week are going to be dedicated for phys ed and two days a week will be dedicated for health. Is that enough, based on state guidelines and all that and national recommendations? Absolutely not. But it is a step in the right direction from administration, from our district leaders, from our PE wellness department, to really emphasize the benefits of physical activity and a quality program for our students. You know, physical, mental and social well-being.
Jake:Absolutely, so they're moving in the right direction. So maybe a couple of years down the road they'll increase the time and decrease the lapse in between when you see the students. So that's good to hear. That's the silver lining, right.
Nick:Yeah it just you know, know, as most things in education needed to happen faster I agree.
Jake:So, uh, nick, uh, let's talk a little bit about how you engage and support. How do you include all your learners in class?
Nick:you know, I I really base a lot of my instruction, especially in physical education, using self-determination theory, and this was a theory I learned in a psychology of exercise class at Bridgewater State by Dr Jennifer Vose. Self-determination theory states that basically students will engage in a learning experience, whatever that might be it could be a social studies class, could be English, could be physical education or health ed when three things are met Autonomy in the experience. So basically, students have choices for how they want to engage in the material. Number two competence the ability to improve their craft or their skill. And three, relatedness, opportunities for social support.
Nick:So I try to do this a number of different ways in PE. Number one I always offer a competitive and recreational opportunity for whatever activity that we're doing at the time. So I'll go back to the pickleball example that I used earlier. Regardless if we're doing the forehand, the backhand or working on different you know talking about creating space in the front of the court, the back of the court I always offer students the choice of recreation or competitive. And what this means is if students select the recreational opportunity, they're still doing the exact same activity as everybody else in class, but oftentimes it's at a much slower pace and with students of their likability. Meanwhile, if students select the competitive option, they're still doing the same activity. They're still learning all the same psychomotor skills, all the same cognitive skills, but it's a faster pace. It's with students that want a challenge and I found that by offering students this competitive and recreational option, students are buying into the program because they know they're not going to be put on a spotlight. You know if they're struggling or if they're excelling. They have options for how they want to participate in the experience. It's almost like a semi-challenge by choice from adventure education, but really just kind of taking out the adventure ed part and just keeping the challenge by choice, offering them opportunities to participate how they feel will best suit them.
Nick:You know other ways that I really embrace this philosophy is I always do a walk and talk for attendance. Typically this is actually outside, so at the start of the period all the kids come in. I have them sit down for attendance. I always like to do that because I think it sets the tone for the class and then we'll go outside as long as it's you know, my district has a pretty lax policy as long as it's 40 degrees or above outside, outside you can take the kids out so I'll do a lap around the building it ends up being about a little over a quarter of a mile and I just let the kids walk and talk with their friends. You know, most of these kids spend all day in a classroom and they're, you know, traditional class experience, so you know they're expected to be, you know, rather quiet, listening to the teacher, kind of following along. They need opportunities to just have discourse with their peers, figure out what's going on in in their friends lives, what video games are they into, what sports are they in? Do they, you know, did they go someplace last night to a new restaurant? So I think that really builds the social support and the relatedness. I found that the students have had more acceptance and a greater desire to work with one another now that they've built that connection on those walks.
Nick:Other things I like to do I play music during class. I am certainly one of those teachers I have a hard time teaching in silence, sometimes even while I'm given directions. Not that this is ideal teaching. I'll have the music going, it might just be turned down. I think it creates an atmosphere. When done correctly, that takes a lot of the stress off the students because the reality is first, you know, for some students the gymnasium and phys ed is really not their cup of tea. It makes them anxious and stressed out. But I think having the music on helps to establish an environment that's like not necessarily carefree that we don't, you know, as a teacher doesn't care what's going on but just helps, lowers the stress level.
Nick:And then, finally, for PE, at the end of each unit I always do a free choice day. And this isn't a typical free choice day where you know your classic example of the teacher rolling out the balls mentality. This is a free choice day based on what we've covered. Balls mentality this is a free choice day based on what we've covered. So say, for example, we've done a unit on pickleball and we've done a unit on badminton. Maybe at the end of the month the free choice day would be I set up six courts in our gym because that's the most we can have based on space and students.
Nick:You need to select one of the options. You can play badminton with your friends or you can play pickleball. I don't really care which one you pick, as long as you are active the entire period, you're following all the rules and you're working on your skills. So you could have some students playing badminton. You have some students playing pickleball and I think this has been an opportunity to really incorporate student voice, because they have a say in how they want to once again experience the material. You know, if you're working on a tactic of creating space on the court, you can accomplish both of those by playing pickleball or in a badminton unit. But in this opportunity or in this situation, the students at least have a say in. You know which type of racket do they want to use. Do they want to use a ball versus a birdie? You know which rules do they prefer, et cetera. And then you know how do I use this approach in.
Nick:You know, in health class I mean, health is a little, a little more structured. You know you have to make sure you're following the students IEPs, their 504 accommodations and all that, but I just try to keep it. You know you use inclusive language all the time, use learner friendly materials, make sure you have multiple modalities of expression. You know, have your visuals, have your auditory explanations, have your demonstrations.
Nick:Still, I always do project-based learning and health and I and one of the reasons I do so is A.
Nick:I don't think a test is a very good indicator of whether students have have learned the material, but project-based learning placed to students at the forefront of their own, of their own learning and how they once again want to show that they've crafted something.
Nick:So I'll do give students, you know, a choice board. They could do a jigsaw for a final project. Maybe they're doing non-vertical permanent surfaces, which is I don't know if you've heard of that, but it's just a fancy thing of standing up and kind of like a gallery walk in a sense. Maybe it's a hexagonal thinking project, but it's really. I try to give the students as much freedom and empowerment as possible within the classroom and, at the end of the day, even in health, whatever I can do to get them out of their seats and moving around the classroom. More I will always do. You know, there's been a plethora of research that shows that students spend too much time sitting and staring at screens throughout the school day and not enough time moving. So you know, that's where the PE teacher in me really comes out within health.
Jake:You know, and Nick, you have a unique situation because you're not only teaching PE but you're in the class and teaching health and, although there's two different content areas, there's some similarity between the two of them and you, like you said, you're making sure that they have, when they're testing, they're doing these project-based lessons, this learning experience. That's really putting them at the forefront of the content. It's not your traditional style. Quote unquote. So that's really good to hear. Nick, what advice do you have to someone entering the field?
Nick:Well, where do you start in this one? I mean, as you know, there's so much advice you could give somebody entering the field, but I mean I'm going to give the advice that back. You know, as I told the story about getting my first job at the parking wreck, the director told us told all of us new hires on our first day. Build relationships with your campers. In this case it would be build relationships with your students. Take the time to truly get to know all of your students, academically and out of school. Figure out what they're strong at, what they're you know, what they struggle at. Figure out their hobbies, their interests, their favorite foods, their favorite music, what they like to do in their free time, you know. Figure out a little bit about their home life. You know, you don't have to go crazy and be some investigative detective, but just build a solid relationship with the students. Give them high fives, give them a fist bump, let them like. Show them that you care. It's one thing to ask them, but it's another thing to show them. You know, and it doesn't really matter how good your lesson plan is at the end of the day or how well you can teach the material or assess the material or communicate with the parents if the kids don't feel safe in your classroom and feel connected with you. So my advice, ultimately, is to number one, build relationships with your students.
Nick:And my second piece of advice and this is something that you know, we tell all our students all the time you need to get involved. I mean, I don't know how many times I heard that when I was a high school student by the guidance department, by the, you know, by administrators. Like you need to get involved, because college is like that. In the same sense, we, as teachers, need to get involved. You know some of the best teachers I had growing up.
Nick:They weren't just teachers, they were teachers and coaches. They were teachers and club advisors. They were teachers and fitness instructors after school. They were teachers, but they also attended students music and band conferences after school hours. So I think you know and I know this isn't the case for everyone, everyone has different family situations, so it might not be possible, but when possible, get involved in your student's life. You know, show up the things that maybe a student might not expect you to show up to, and it completely changes everything. They immediately start buying into your program and kind of what you're projecting on them, and so those are my two things, and ultimately they're kind of the same thing in a sense. Build relationships with students and get involved with what your students are doing, obviously in an appropriate fashion.
Jake:All right, well said, nick. I agree 100%, nick. What's an initiative that you've started at your school? You mentioned earlier about the Healthy Start Club. Let's talk a little bit more about that.
Nick:Yeah, so the Healthy Start Club. I got hired at Blackstone Middle School for the fall of 2023. And at the time of my interview, the principal asked me what is one initiative that you could start? And you know, I had no idea at the time, to be honest with you, I was sitting there. I remember that question completely stumped me during my interview. But at the the end of the interview I was like what if we, you know, do you have a before school program or an afterschool program where kids can come in and just really play? Obviously, there needs to be structure, there needs to be a, you know, adult supervision. But is there something where it's not really recess, where they're just running around aimlessly, but a more structured setting where students can practice what they're doing in PE? And she said no. So I'm like what if we do a four school program, kids can get dropped off early. It'll be a stipend position, but they'll have an opportunity to further engage with the content. And I thought and she thought it was a good idea, I really liked it. I didn't know what to call it. That was actually the Healthy Stot name was actually crafted by my co-teacher at the time.
Nick:But you know this, like I said earlier, this is a club where students, you know they get dropped off early by their parents in the gym with the goal to kickstart their brain and their body positively for the day.
Nick:You know, as I mentioned earlier, typically students will receive an activity At the start of the week that has to do with the PE content. So if we're working on our overhand throws, it's going to. Maybe it's an activity related to something along the lines of practicing your overhand throws hitting targets, or it could be, if we're working on a backhand strike and badminton or pickleball, doing some more net exposure activities. But nonetheless it's this enrichment opportunity where, okay, students can make their own teams. Students can pick how long they want to play. Maybe they want to play for five minutes and then kind of just relax and get their head on straight for the start of the day. Maybe they want to play the entire time, but at the end of the day, this program has grown to roughly 50 to 75 kids attending daily. Wow, which, for context, we are a school of 450 kids.
Jake:So I mean yeah and you. So 50 to 75 kids attend daily and they are they the same students or does it vary depending on can they? Can they just be dropped off or do they have to sign up ahead of time?
Nick:They can be dropped off. Or do they have to sign up ahead of time? They can be dropped off. Okay.
Nick:So any student that does not want to engage physically while all are encouraged, it is a. You know I can't. You know I can't make them all participate in the activity. They can sit on the bleachers. So some of them are simply parent drop-offs that parents have to get to work early. This is the only option for them. Some of them are kids that their friends actually started coming to the program and they wanted to spend extra time with their friends, so they asked their parents if they could come early as well. They don't even engage with the activity, they just simply want to spend some extra time and be social with their friends. And then there's the. I call them them. They're the heavy hitters. These are the kids that they think they're on the competitive United States Olympic roster from 7.40 to 8 o'clock every morning. They're there strictly to show off their dominance in whatever activity we're doing, because they simply love sports, they love athletics, they love they just love movement.
Jake:That's really cool. So it sounds like you have a wide variety of students coming to you, but you also offer something to those students, whether it be a social experience or, like you said, an said an enrichment opportunity for the students to practice what they've been learning in physical education class. So that's really great. I love that. So, nick, how has phys ed and health changed since you first started? What are some things you've seen?
Nick:Well, I mean, there hasn't been, you know, a whole lot of change. I've only been in the field really, for two, I would there hasn't been, you know, a whole lot of change. I've only been in the field really for two, I would say, main years. But I would like to, you know, take a minute and just say, you know, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education introduced the new, updated, comprehensive health and PE framework and I, you know this was a big change for our district. And I, you know this was a big change for our district because prior to me coming into the district, our district still used the curriculum from 1999. So they never even made any attempts at following, you know shapes guidelines for PE or for health. They were strictly and solely focused on the 1999 mass curriculum right so it was.
Nick:So I guess for our entire p. e and wellness department in the district it was a massive learning curve. I was the I'm the newest member in the district so a lot of it came naturally to me because, you know, I did my student teaching, in which, you know, bridgewater prepares us. We were kind of, you know, we were bouncing back but back and forth between the mass curriculum from 99 and then shapes guidelines that were more updated. But it was that I would say that's where the field has changed the most. We now have a, you know, a solid, foundational, updated curriculum for phys, ed and health that is skills-based, that looks to address, you know, the entire, the entire student, their physical health, their mental health and their social health.
Nick:And I think the passage of that framework, at least for our district, had ripple effects everywhere. So I think you know, on the outside of it you look at it as oh, look, the PE and health department, they got a new framework. You know like, kind of, what's the big deal? It's just, you know, it's just updating to reflect, you know, 2023, 2024, you know our times. But for our district specifically, it changed PE and health. You know.
Nick:I know I talked about earlier how, you know, students only have health once every two weeks and only had PE once a week. But the passage of this curriculum by DESE really kick-started conversations in our district from, specifically, school leadership, curriculum leaders and district administration about starting to truly, you know, create a schedule for students where they have daily health and PE, and ultimately we needed the new framework to reinvigorate that conversation. If that framework hadn't been passed or hadn't been created, you know, I mean it's tough to tell where we would be, but we most likely probably wouldn't be pushing as hard, for you know your daily health and you know phys ed.
Jake:Interesting. Yeah, no, now that we have this guidance document, we have something to kind of refer to and, as you mentioned, it's so important to have the holistic framework. It's not just about the PE, but it's also about the mental health and the social health as well, which is equally as important. So that's really cool. So, nick, we're coming to a close on this interview, but a couple more questions. What's something you'd like to see in the future? It could be personal or professional. I know that's kind of a big question.
Nick:You know I think it comes back to you know what type of skills I teach.
Nick:So I said earlier, I teach students to be happier and healthier.
Nick:I would like to see an educational system from DESE all the way to school districts, superintendents, pe teachers, guidance secretaries that truly value the importance of PE and health and what it can do for students and how the research clearly shows that an individual's health is immensely benefited physically, socially, emotionally, academically by engagement in exercise and activity.
Nick:And you see all these kids playing outside again, really running around, not sitting on their tablets, not sitting on their phone, not sitting behind the screen, because they received a quality PE program that gave them the skills they needed and the confidence they needed to be able to go outside and enjoy life, enjoy what life can offer. And I think you know like we're working towards that, but we're not there yet and I and I just want to get back to that. I'd like to see where every single person values and gets enjoyment out of. Some sort of physical activity could be walking, could be playing team sports, it could be more of your team building activities. It doesn't matter to me personally which one people select. It's that they select something and that they get benefits from it.
Jake:Value. You know we've been speaking for about 40 minutes and the word that keeps coming up and that you keep mentioning is relationships and value. So important, and it sounds like I know you've only been teaching a couple years, a few years, but you definitely have a lot of the wisdom of a veteran teacher. So I appreciate you, your, your expertise and knowledge in this and sharing what you do. It's really important. We keep up the good work, nick, nick, so kudos to you. So, nick, how can our listeners connect with you?
Nick:So my listeners listeners can connect with me via email. My personal email is nkmorse@ Or you want to connect with me more for you know phys ed materials or health materials and have questions about the curriculum per se I have my school email as well. It'setet nmorse B-M-R-S-E net from there I'll be more than happy to set up a Zoom, or I can share my phone number out with individuals who would like to discuss things further.
Jake:Thank you, nick, and we'll make sure to have those uploaded in the show notes. Nick, thank you so much for sharing your experience and expertise with us. We'll have this episode uploaded soon. We're also asking our listeners to rate and share the podcast if it has helped you in any way. Nick, thanks again so much. We really appreciate your wisdom, your expertise. We're also asking our listeners to rate and share the podcast if it has helped you in any way. Nick, thanks again so much, really appreciate your wisdom your expertise and your time today.
Nick:Thank you for having me, Jake, and thank you to MAHPERD for giving me the opportunity to be on the podcast.
Jake:Thank you.
