What Would Students Miss If Your PE Program Vanished Tomorrow?

Feeling stretched thin or stuck on autopilot? We take a deep breath, slow the pace, and work through five reflective questions that help teachers, coaches, and PE leaders move from scattered to intentional. 

We start by unpacking a lesson that landed: teaching cardiovascular endurance with relevance, clear cues, and a visual pacing scaffold that helped students focus on sustaining effort rather than chasing speed. From there, we confront resistance—why some students seem to give up fast—and how psychological safety, calibrated challenge, and behavior processing can turn frustration into growth. You’ll hear how tiny shifts in structure and language create space for every learner, including those who carry past setbacks or fear of judgment.

Next, we zoom in on feedback as the habit that drives change. With limited contact time and large classes, specific, actionable feedback on movement quality can still be done if we start small, track it, and build from one class outward. We also explore what students would truly miss if a PE program disappeared: variety, voice, choice, and purposeful fun. Real student notes remind us that positivity and options are not extras—they are the engine of engagement. 

Finally, we take aim at a stubborn myth: that quality PE is easy. We break down the real craft—biomechanics, motor learning, progressions, cueing, and real-time diagnosis—that separates unstructured play from effective instruction for diverse abilities and needs.

Expect clear takeaways, time-bound actions, and a renewed respect for the complexity and joy of quality PE. Subscribe for more reflective tools, share this with a colleague who needs a reset, and leave a quick review to help other educators find the show. 

What’s the one habit you’ll improve first?

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If you picked up a new idea or felt inspired by today’s episode, I’d love to hear from you and if your interested in being a potential guest on the show; email mahperdpodcast@gmail.com

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Check out our advocacy video about quality health & physical education

Chapters

• 0:29 Why Reflection Matters Today
• 1:15 What Lesson Truly Worked And Why
• 2:28 Facing Resistance And Building Safety
• 3:46 Upgrading Feedback, One Tiny Step
• 4:57 What Students Would Miss Most
• 6:24 Debunking The “Easy PE” Myth
• 8:09 Resources, Gratitude, And Next Steps

Transcript

Speaker: 0:16

Welcome back to the show. Today's episode is a little different. I don't have a guest this time. Instead, I'm going to turn the microphone inward. I'll be walking through five reflective questions that I believe every coach, leader, or PE teacher should be asking themselves on a regular basis. If you've been feeling busy, stretched thin, or like you're teaching on autopilot, this episode may be your reset button. These are not fluff questions. They're the kind that uncover what's truly working, what needs attention, and how we can grow with intention. Each question also comes with a practical call to action and something that you can implement immediately. Alright, let's get to it. First question is, what's one lesson I taught this week that truly worked and why? For me, it was a lesson focused on pacing ourselves. Students and I explored the components of fitness with an emphasis on cardiovascular endurance. What made the lesson effective was I believe the relevance. I provided clear, concrete examples and invited student input throughout the discussion. Many of my students participate in sports or lifetime activities outside of school, even if it's just pickup basketball. So the concept connected to their real lives. The students also participated in the pacer run. I used a real cool video on YouTube that features a rabbit running across the screen. The visual provided pacing, timing, and something students could easily relate to. The instruction was simple. Keep up with the rabbit. It wasn't about how fast they could run, but it was about how long they could sustain their effort. So here's the call to action. Think of one lesson that worked well for you this week and share it with a colleague.

Speaker: 2:13

Question number two. Where did I feel resistance or frustration in my teaching and what did it teach me? In my classes, I consistently emphasize teamwork, inclusion, and perseverance, just like most P teachers do. However, I sometimes feel resistance when students appear to give up quickly, at least from my perspective. I try to scaffold tasks into different levels of challenge, encouraging students to adjust when something feels too difficult. After reflecting on this, I realize that some students may not actually know how to challenge themselves appropriately. Additionally, each student has a different level of readiness when it comes to trying something new. This is an important concept that we all need to remember. Prior experiences, confidence, or fear of being judged all do play a role. This also reminds me of how critical it is to create a psychologically safe learning environment and to intentionally process behaviors with students, especially those who may be struggling. So the call to action is identify one friction point or pain point in your practice and write down a plan to address it within the next 48 hours.

Speaker: 3:32

Question number three. What habit do I want to improve as a teacher, and what's my first tiny step? I was thinking about this a while, and I think one habit I want to strengthen is providing specific, constructive feedback. With back-to-back classes and seeing students only one time per week, this feels important and realistic. As educators, we know there are many elements that contribute to a successful lesson. Clear goals, behavior management, performing assessments, but feedback is where growth really happens. My mini step is to start with just one class and intentionally focus on giving meaningful feedback about skill development and movement quality. Since they already use a digital attendance system, this is something I can easily track and implement. So here's a call to action. Choose one habit you want to improve and share your first step publicly to hold yourself accountable.

Speaker: 4:39

This next question is a good one, I think. If our PE program disappeared tomorrow, or in my case in my PE program, what would students miss most? If the program disappeared tomorrow, I believe students would miss the variety. I work hard to offer a well-rounded, skill-based program that's both purposeful and fun. Students also have a significant amount of voice and choice, from who they work with, to the equipment they use, to the level of challenge they attempt. Reflecting on this reinforced how essential those elements are. A few years ago, a colleague had her students write down one thing they enjoyed about my class. She typed up the responses and gave them to me. It was an incredibly thoughtful gesture and a powerful reminder that we don't always hear enough about what is going well. There were over 50 responses, however, I'm just going to share a couple. Here goes. I look forward to PE class because Mr. B makes it fun and gives us options. Mr. B is very positive and I love the different ways he lets us exercise. Thank you for believing in us and pushing us to do our best. Those are student voices and those words matter. So the call to action is write down your program's signature experience. What makes your PE program uniquely yours?

Speaker: 6:11

The fifth and final question I want us to look at is what myth about PE do I want to debunk today? There's definitely a lot of myths out there. The myth I want to challenge is this. That teaching quality PE is easy, and that PE teachers are simply here to help students burn off energy. If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me to burn off their energy, I'd be rich. The truth is, teaching quality PE is anything but easy. It's far more complex and dynamic than many folks realize. Quality PE teachers must have a thorough understanding of biomechanics and motor learning, skill progressions and age-appropriate modifications, as well as how to break down complex movements into clear, effective teaching cues. As you know, effective PE isn't just about playing games, it requires intentional instruction, diagnosing movement errors, and adjusting tasks in real time. Without that expertise, lessons quickly become unstructured play with little learning. Additionally, PE teachers must serve students with a variety of different skill levels, students with disabilities or medical needs, and students who may carry negative past experiences in regards to physical activity. Those are all things to keep in mind. Teaching quality PE requires training, empathy, and strong pedagogy, not just athletic ability. So here's the call to action. Share this episode with someone who needs to hear this message, and remember, PE is for everybody, but anybody cannot teach PE, and you can quote me on that.

Speaker: 7:55

Thanks for joining me today. If you'd like a printable PDF of all five reflective questions, email me at mahperdpodcast@ gmail.com. I'll send it your way. I truly appreciate you taking the time out of your day to listen. If this episode resonated with you, please share it with another educator andor leave a review. Have a great week and until next time, keep doing the important work you do.