A Practical Playbook For Elementary P.E. Teachers

If you’ve ever walked into a gym with 80 plus students and thought, “How am I supposed to teach real skills, keep everyone safe, and still meet state standards?” you’re not alone. I sit down with longtime educator Wendi Daniels to unpack what it actually takes to run a high-quality elementary physical education program and why  “just rolling out the ball” remains a damaging practice that continues to negatively affect kids. 

 
Wendi shares the story behind her book, Revolutionary PE, created when Texas TEKS standards changed and she wanted new and veteran teachers to have lesson plans that truly work. We talk through how she structures a year with clear expectations, warm-ups, cooperative games, and sport-based units that follow seasons while still staying flexible. You’ll hear practical ideas for differentiation by grade level, equipment modifications, and what it looks like to manage massive classes without losing movement time.

We also get specific about inclusive PE. Wendy explains simple adaptations like the “magic ball,” plus other strategies that keep students with disabilities participating instead of watching from the sideline. Then we dig into assessment and grading systems that reward participation and growth, along with documentation and parent communication that holds up when questions come in.

If you’re searching for elementary PE lesson plans, aligned PE curriculum support, health resources, or digital tools like clickable video demos, this episode is for you!

Please subscribe and share this with a colleague, and leave a review so more educators can find the show.🙏

Resources:

• Revolutionary P.E
• Game Videos
• You Tube Videos
• Book on Amazon
• The PE Specialist

Thanks for listening! 🙏🏼

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 Please take a second to follow the show and share it with another educator who’s passionate and let’s keep the conversation going!” 

🗣️PSA******

P.E Teachers: Are you currently seeking graduate credits or professional development hours toward license renewal?​If so, you can receive $25 off any self-paced professional development course or year-long virtual course from my colleague at  Distinguished PE by using the code "nextlevelpe" at checkout. 

Visit www.distinguishedpe.com to learn more and find the course that’s right for you.

Transcript

Welcome And Meet Wendy Daniels

Jake 0:05

Hello and welcome to Voices in 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 Wendi Daniels. Welcome to the show, Wendy.

Speaker 1 0:21

Thank you. I'm glad to be here.

Jake 0:23

Great to have you. Here's a little bio about Wendy. Wendi Daniels has been in education for 22 years, with 11 of those in elementary physical education. She has a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from the University of Houston. She also has an extensive background in sports. In her youth, she was in select gymnastics, ran track, played basketball, co-ed soccer, and water polo. In addition to teaching science and PE, she taught the Gifted and Talented Program and led the Oceanography Club for middle schoolers, and she is a Special Olympics basketball coach. Wendy has written detailed lesson plans for science curriculum as well as elementary physical education. She has a strong passion for getting kids moving and helping teachers navigate the Texas state requirements with ease. She works to make the gym a fun place for kids to make their body strong. So today our focus is going to be on the book that she authored called Revolutionary PE. So once again, welcome to have you, Wendy. Let's get started.

Speaker 3 1:24

Thank you.

Jake 1:26

You're welcome. Wendy, what inspired you to write the book?

Speaker 1 1:30

So um our standards for the state of Texas were changing. And I was going to retire in four years, and but I'm

Why Wendi Wrote Revolutionary PE

Speaker 1 1:40

a rule follower. So I thought, you know, I have to start working on these new lesson plans. And my aide at the time was going to school to be a certified PE teacher. So I was thinking of it from a perspective that if I was a brand new teacher, since I'm leaving, what could I do to make her job easier? And um, you know, so what would she need to know coming in to be a brand new teacher? So I wrote the book Lesson Plans for Elementary PE. Second edition is what's available because now it has all of the health teaks as well. But um my business is revolutionarype.com, it is the the website where people can go and get things even without buying the book and um get to all the links of all my videos. So that was really my purpose.

Jake 2:36

Very cool. And the the title is unique, revolutionary PE. What what was the thought behind the title?

Speaker 1 2:43

Um, so really I'm into the fact that we are not just conditioning kids to um come to physical education, but we're trying to make a lifetime available to them for fitness, you know, to love exercise, to to love being in the gym and to find out what you're gonna do and what's gonna be different today and try to keep it exciting. So um my girlfriend was helping me come up with a business game name. And so the business name is Revolutionary PE. And uh it's kind of fun because some of my students even told me they bought my books so they would have uh a copy of all the games that we play because we play so many. So and they play them on their street with their friends. I thought that was great.

Jake 3:41

So that's really cool. And I actually stumbled across your book through a YouTube, your YouTube website, and you have a few videos up there, some great content. And uh I I really thought it was unique that you have demonstrations and uh the actual students playing the games, which makes it easy for someone trying to understand how the game works, so that's really unique. So our next question, Wendy. So many teachers spend a lot of time trying to look for different ideas and uh for content or just different ways to maybe teach something. Your book is unique in that you have these digital components and you it's very comprehensive. So how does your how does your book really help teachers in addition to the content? Well,

How The Book Is Organized

Jake 4:30

what in it you have the audio, you have the visual. Can you tell a little bit about your book? Sure.

Speaker 1 4:36

Um, so what I did is I organized it um in the order that I kind of run my gym. So, you know, like with student expectations and letting the kids set those expectations and warm-ups and um and then we go into cooperative games because then they learn a few games and how to follow rules and what we do when we have differences and talking about it. And um, I really love in Texas, I I'm sure he's national, is the PE specialist.

Speaker 2 5:14

Oh yeah.

Speaker 1 5:15

Yeah, he's awesome. Um, he introduced me to the conflict corner. So, you know, I taught I refer just to his website um if you're interested in finding out more about that. But it's it's really we we discuss, you know, how to deal with things. Sometimes students, especially with special needs, need a special corner just to go and to cool down. And um, I make sure all students know that if you're having problems, you can go there and take a minute and you could just let me know I need a minute. And um, but we can't just run out of the gym, you know. We're you have to have to be careful about that. And then I divided Texas is very into, I'm sure, as all states, competitive sports. So I divided my book into units. So we f we would follow the season of the sport with lead up games for that sport, and then I also broke it down into like what would a lesson in basketball be for like kinder and first versus second and third versus fourth and fifth. And then I looked at the standard. You have the standard, the equipment you would need to teach that unit. And then I bolded um the state requirements for kinder and first in Texas. But because it's divided by sport, anyone could pick up the book and say, hey, we're doing a basketball unit. What's something new? And then there's a glossary of games at the back, but they could also specifically look at how how would you teach um throwing? So then you look at the teacher's notes for a kindergartner, and it's much different um teaching a kindergartner how to do a bounce pass versus you know our older kids. So we have different skills and activities for them, different size equipment, you know.

Jake 7:19

Right. Yeah, that was gonna be my next question is what is some of the differentiation between the the younger ones and the and the older ones? But you answered that with the different size equipment or modifications, or if maybe the space, the the aware or the the size of the space is different, right?

Speaker 1 7:34

Right, right. And um you you want to keep them moving and but at the same time you might narrow for the younger ones, like you're gonna be practicing this over here with the aid, and I'm gonna go over here and we're gonna practice shooting, and we have portable basketball hoops, so they're lower than the other ones. But if you're you know, even if you're in kindergarten and you can, you know, we'd have three different sizes of hoops, so you decide which hoop you're gonna go to, and you get so maybe you're already shooting baskets from at the main hoop, you know, you can do that, but there's you know, this other child over here that's never even picked up a basketball, they can, you know, use the sidewall or the corner with the portable hoop. And so our our school had been around for 25 years, so I was very fortunate in having a lot of different equipment available.

Jake 8:32

Yeah, that's that's key, right? To have to have those options too.

Speaker 1 8:35

Yes, and then also having a supportive PTO because when our state standards changed, I had to go to them and say, Hey, I really need this year's fundraiser to go to the PE department because um we don't have the equipment for some of the new things they're asking me to teach. And they said, All right, you get it all, and that was amazing.

Jake 8:57

So that is amazing. Wow, that's that's really cool. And good for you for for advocating and reaching reaching out to them to do that. Um, because we all know how expensive stuff can be, right?

Speaker 1 9:08

Oh my goodness, yes.

Jake 9:10

So, Wendy, we writing a book is a big undertaking. What are some of the most rewarding parts of this process for you?

Speaker 1 9:20

I think it was uh doing some workshops and uh actually going in and seeing teaching some of the teachers how to use the book and demonstrating some of the games and how appreciative they were for the fact. I was thinking it was going to be for a new teacher, and there is a a lady in the class, she goes, Nope, these are for older teachers too. She said, We all need new ideas and um be able to have some of the work already done for us because we spend so much time of our own time and family time writing lesson plans. It's nice to have a set done where I could just say, I'm just gonna do this unit and and run with it and have everything you need there, right?

Jake 10:12

Yeah, the the YouTube link. So now how can you talk a little bit about uh can you get to the digital component through the book or is it in is it it's embedded in it or or is it separate? How does how do how does one get to these other resources?

Speaker 1 10:27

So anyone could go to the web page and um or the YouTube channel and they they could access those uh games and ideas, but to be able to have the lesson plan in front of you and the book is also an ebook. So if you go to the publisher, which is Cienna Publishing, and um go under their education on the second page is my book in an ebook form. And if you put in save 20, the book only costs $66, and every link is clickable. So you would be able to click, if you're in that unit, straight to my video to see how I did the warmup, watching the kids do that warm-up or play that game, or if it's a health lesson and you're going to show a video clip of what I used, then you could click on the video and get to the right video because we know sometimes you might type in a topic and you come up with six different videos and you don't know which it is. And then I have already had discussion questions from watching that video ready for you to talk to your kids about to learn that topic. So, and and you have the answers because I I watched it for you.

Jake 11:54

So um, you know, you've done all the work, right?

Speaker 1 11:57

I I tried. It was like it was so much work. I was like, oh my gosh, this would be a waste if I didn't just share it with them. And I had to really argue with the publisher the first time when I published it, the first edition, it was self-published, so I had to pay for it to be published. The second time I a publisher said he wanted to publish it, and then he just share splits the the revenues with me. So, but um the thing is is that it it's just I had to bring down the price because I told him teachers are gonna be paying for this out of their own pocket.

Speaker 3 12:39

Right.

Speaker 1 12:40

You know, it occasionally a district will say, Yes, I'll reimburse you for that, but it's not always the case.

Jake 12:47

So it's not that common. And so I mean, it's definitely worth the money. I I I don't have the book, but I've seen the resources and from talking to you, I mean everything's there. I love the fact that you can click the ebook and click on a link and it brings you right to what you need. And uh I think a lot of us a lot of folks could benefit from that. So that's awesome.

Speaker 3 13:07

Right.

Jake 13:08

So Wendy, let's just talk a little bit about the classroom. Um, what are some of your favorite modifications either in the past or currently that you've used utilized with students to ensure that uh everyone was

Clickable Videos, Ebook, And Pricing

Jake 13:20

included?

Speaker 1 13:22

So I think maybe my favorite thing is the magic ball. And you if you're playing a ball, one of the cooperative games, and you could give them one of the soft like uh gator balls, and it in their own color, you're not using that color for anything else in the game. So if they're in a wheelchair or if they just um have some kind of disability, either our special ed students or they have that ball and no one else can have that ball. But if they throw it and it's on the ground and it's near you, depending on the rules of what the game is, you could pick up that ball and you're safe while you have it, and you can't you can only keep it for five seconds and you have to return it to its owner, and then they have to wait five seconds before they can get you out. So it's kind of fun because you know, the kids that have are in a wheelchair, they're they come to PE and they're so sad, you know. And what do you do? Give them a health sheet to color or a book to read, or they they love being able to keep score or to have be in the game where it's the magic ball where they're still sitting on the sidelines and they're safe, but they can get someone out or they can throw, or so I think that's kind of fun because I know even my students that would come in with an aid. Um, you know, sometimes we have fantastic aides that are there and helping, but they're not gonna want to pick up a ball and retrieve it for them. So right.

Jake 15:03

No, that's that's that's a good example, and it it it makes that student, whoever it might be, included with the other students. Yes. Yeah. Um, no, I hear you. I I know in my class I have a few students in chairs that have limited use of their hands and feet, and so with the assistant of the paraprofessional or aide, and they come in and they're great, but um just having them included somehow is so important.

Speaker 1 15:28

So you can also get the you know, like the um the wrist straps or ankle straps where the ball uh you put it in the little pouch like for soccer trainers.

Jake 15:41

Oh, right, yeah.

Speaker 1 15:42

Yeah, I've done that too, where it comes right back to them, but it also does limit how far they can throw it. It just depends on the skill level of the student. So right.

Jake 15:52

I mean that the but that's probably their skill level, right? They're not gonna throw probably over six or seven feet. And so that's it cut it's good because it it goes a certain distance that it comes back to you. So it's a lot more repetition of quality, quality throwing, right?

Speaker 1 16:06

Exactly.

Jake 16:07

So Wendy, grading is is discussed in your book, right? Or assessment. Do you have any suggestions um for assessment in general, or how does it look like in your book?

Speaker 1 16:20

So um, first of all, I don't think that you know, assessment is just because we have to give them a grade, and you you really do want to reward them with the grade that they've earned. And um when I had 85 students in my gym at a time, it's it's really hard to um, I and not everyone is athletic, and I really wanted to stress the fact that in this gym, um, you're rewarded for participation, not not on your skill. So I don't have to be good at something. Um, I would like you to try to improve and but be better at it, but the only way you're gonna get better is through participation. And what I really want you to do is just try to have fun and play. So if you're doing that, then you're doing what you're supposed to be doing and following the rules. So uh we had two ways of scoring. So, like kinder through second grade received a one through a four. So in the first semester, all students started at a two. In the second semester, all students started at a three. And you had to either earn your way up or you were marked down based off of participation. And then for our older students that were in third through fifth, um, they received either a U, an S minus, an S, S plus, or an E. Well, you have to work really hard to get an E. And but everybody starts in an S plus. So if I have to write up and I try to um do little certificates that are positive reinforcement, like I saw you doing, you know, being a good sport, or I love how

Inclusion Tools Like The Magic Ball

Speaker 1 18:20

you saw that someone was injured during the game and you stopped what you were doing and brought them to me to check to make sure they were okay. Or um you stayed after and you helped me pick up equipment, you know, all the kind things that our students do every day. But we also have that student that is always trying to possibly not participate or is uh causing some problems, then I would have a little slip that would go home that would be a warning, you know, and communicating to the parent that um either they're not wearing tennis shoes or they're not participating in their warmups or their exercises, or during the game, after me trying to redirect them, they just don't play. They stand at the back of the gym and I need them to participate. So at least I'm communicating with the parent. So if they do get marked down, then um, and then when they do warmups, I would um I make a warm-up video filming my students that were my film crew actually doing the exercises because I like to do the exercises with them at the beginning of class. But there's times where I need to do grades. So we will put on the video and then they see their peers or older students leading them in their exercises. And why they're doing that, I'm able to look to see if this class can actually do a push-up and whether they have good form, especially when we get into in Texas, they do fitness grant testing. And um so you want to kind of correct them and you know give them hints about their form. But there's times where even if you tell them a hundred times, they they don't really do that. But when they're seeing their peer do it and they have good form, that that's kind of a visual to them that wow, okay, I can do that, or you know, I'm gonna try to do as many as they do.

Jake 20:31

And right so it's kind of a natural incentive um for them to see that.

Speaker 1 20:36

Yeah, and I can record like if they could do it or not. And then if that parent says, Well, why did my child get marked down? I could go in and say, Oh, well, they're really struggling with. So if I put a star that by their in by their name in the gradebook that day, then I know that um above if I put that they we were doing warmups that they did a really good job. Or if I put a minus, I could put a note next to it, either they weren't doing it or they can't do it. And and then when that parent calls me, I actually have a reason why, you know, or I sent home three notes to you about this behavior, no tennis shoes and not really working out. And um, but I really like it when if I have to send that note, that I've also sent one of my positive notes saying what a good sport they were today, you know.

Jake 21:35

Yeah, that's and that's important, I think, to have a positive initial experience with the caregiver or parent. I think that's huge. But you touched on a couple of things that are evident to me but might not be evident to the lay person, and that's how important it is to communicate with folks, uh, both caregivers and administration, and the fact that you have uh positive reinforcement and I've Course with over 70 students, you said you had up to 85. That's I mean, a typical class is 25. So I mean, just think about that for a second. That many students in a gymnasium, even with a paraprofessional or two, trying to get them moving safely, uh with standards. I mean, I it's it there's a lot to it. It's not just uh it's not as easy as people think. So kudos to you for for doing that. But um yeah, those are all great, all great ideas and suggestions. So Wendy, moving on. You you taught for a long time, uh, even before publishing the book. So was there a specific moment that made you say, I have to write this book? I have to take the next step.

Speaker 1 22:47

Well, I I think it was uh my husband was having hip replacement surgery, and I was not in the meeting where it was an in-service day. And um, I was working on the outline of the what would the data table look like for all these new standards and how could it be clear, and then I'll divide them up because there are six elementary schools in our district. We could all work on it, and they're at the in-service right now. I'll, you know, send it to them and see what happens. So I sent it to them and nothing happened. So then I was like, oh, okay. And I had I was close to a couple of the girls on the other campuses, and they're like, Yeah, if we had time to get together, we could probably work on that. But they're, you know, our district isn't paying for us to do this. And um, so I started working on it at home in the evenings and on weekends, and my husband was like, Wow, this you're putting a lot of work and time into this. And I just felt like, you know, there's a lot of teachers that are either just going to say, I'm gonna wait until we receive something from the state or from the district to follow these new standards and um make changes. And but so I started thinking, okay, well, instead of just the standard, I should divide them into units like baseball, basketball, volleyball, football, lacrosse, golf. Um we they added outdoor

Grading That Rewards Participation

Speaker 1 24:31

um games where we have to teach using a compass like orienteering and bocce ball and um we already had tennis, but we so we added pickleball. And um, so I added all those things to the book, and then I was tested playing them in my gym for a year and published the first edition, but it didn't have any health in it. It just had the teaks written down and some vague suggestions. So in the second edition is where I really worked on the health teaks, but it was kind of like if I'm going through this much work, I need to share this. This it's not fair to other teachers, or and and why wouldn't I? Um, but then when I found out how much it was gonna cost just to print it, it was ridiculous. So um, but I wanted to kind of add some color because I have like uh whatever the sport is in green, and then I have the lessons in yellow, so it separates it, and then under blue is all the teacher's notes, and then it's divided into days, and I tried it, you have like two to three days in a unit, and sometimes into into like it's continued, so it might take us two weeks to finish. But because we go through so many different units of sports that are sports related because we're we're just elementary, it's just lead up games. Um I couldn't focus too much time, but it's kind of like okay, if we don't get to, you know how that is in in if I don't get it get to it, then next year after we do expectations and introduction, we're gonna start where we didn't get and start at that part of those units, and then go back to the the beginning. And so yeah, so it was kind of more, I just wanted to help other teachers. Um it I didn't really think of it as a business or a um or that I was trying to make money. It was more like we help each other, that's what teachers do, like we share, and um it's you know, the links to make because we spend our own money, it's like having links to things that are already out there and available that have been tested and notes taken on is really just a suggestion. It's you know, I when I couldn't find what I want, I made it right, but and like on my web page, um, all those four corners or anything that needs to be printed for stations are there for you to print because it was too expensive to put in the book, but they're on the webpage, so you don't have to make anything. If it says to do like you need to make these station signs, no, you don't. You go to my webpage and print them.

Jake 27:31

So so you you did all the work, you thought about all this ahead of time and knowing what teachers might benefit from and what they could utilize. And this it's not like you get the book and you have to spend 50 more bucks, everything's right there on the website. That's awesome. And I love I love the fact that you you did it from a place of trying to help others. And you're like, right, you're doing the work. Why not help other people are in the same boat, right? Especially SP teachers and health teachers. We're all we're all kind of in that same that same boat we're trying to move up in. So right.

Speaker 1 28:04

Especially if you're coaching, because you don't have you don't have the time after school, and then if you have a family and kids, it's it's tough.

Jake 28:12

Oh, yeah, it is. And if you're involved in on committees or or whatever it might be, extracurricular activities, then it's even harder. So so kudos to you for for doing that. And so how did you decide what to include versus exclude from the book? I know there's a lot of information in the book, but yeah.

Speaker 1 28:32

So I just kind of started at the beginning, and like, you know, when I got to track and field, it's like, wow, how do I even tell anyone how to organize this? Because we have close to 900 students at our school.

Speaker 3 28:45

Wow.

Speaker 1 28:46

And um half of them go to track and field one day and the other half the next day. How do I manage that? So I did kind of like a checklist. How many months in advance do you need to start? You know, what what um what funds do you have? How can you, you know, get like maybe your PTO involved and um just drawing your diagram, putting in a work order to have them come out and I have to paint a lot of my own lines, but I had a guy that could at least come out and paint the field to get me some lines going. But I had to get on his schedule because he's doing everybody's track and field, and you know, so just those kind of things, just what is going if I've never had a classroom before, what do I need to know, or what would help a teacher, you know, with like with grading, or because you always hear, okay, teachers struggle with classroom management, so dealing with behavior, class size, and that's another thing. They're like, Well, you have games and stuff, but how many kids are in your class? And it's like, well, average 85, but I've had 98 in a class, and it's like, well, you don't, I can't do a game inside the gym safely with 98 kids. I've got to go outside and have half of them doing one thing and the other half doing the other. So maybe we're our warm-up is outside if we're doing a game that's pretty intense, or maybe it's a lacrosse game outside because it's beautiful weather. But um, and if it's not good weather, you know, what do I do? So I have can I get another classroom and uh do some health? And you know, you hate I even though I mean I know teachers that just decide not to teach the health, and I don't have time to do that. I don't have, but at the same time, um those kids are missing out and are getting such misinformation from um YouTube or AI isn't always right.

Speaker 3 31:01

Right.

Speaker 1 31:02

So, you know, it's still correcting. So I just went through, you know, things that I thought as a teacher would help me. And um new I we always are looking for new ideas. That's why we go to state convention, right? And um, it helps to see it, and that's why I did the film crew to film some things, and even though I am not a good actress, or like it's it was really like here here's how we do it, and you know, get the kids and uh to show the warm-up and then show the game and try to make it as concise as possible. But um, you know, it it's really about having a visual aid because if I can see it, then it's like, oh, that's what she's talking about. Because uh it's in physical education, it's really easy to demonstrate something, but then to put it into words, um, you have to really have I had to have uh I had to have my aide uh spell check my work and make sure she understood what I was saying because she already was in the gym, so she knew. And she would, you know, sometimes she would say, you know, correct some things like reword it, but she, you know, I think that as teachers, we need to hear and see and read. So it's kind of like having everything just makes a clearer picture.

Jake 32:26

So I agree 100%. I mean, that's so important, especially for our ELL learners or people from you know, students from other cultures or countries where they need to hear it and see it and even speak it too, and listen. So you get in all those all those domains. That's fabulous. So, Wendy, just a couple more questions before we close out. Um, the next one is what's something you would wish caregivers or administrators understood about the our content area, PE? I'm sure there's a lot, but what do you what do you what are your thoughts on this?

Big Class Logistics And Health TEKS

Speaker 1 33:00

Well, I would have to say it would really be nice if they understood a little bit more that it is a curriculum, that it is required by the state, and that it doesn't mean that you could just come into the gym and just say, Oh, I have to discipline this group of kids for 20 minutes, and now your lesson is uh take half take, you know, half of the time is taken away. And I I think sometimes in physical education they they think of us kind of as the lesser education or it's an optional, it's like recess when it's not. And um, I I've been really fortunate that my um principals have respected what I did, but I still we have the biggest spot in the gym and you with the gym and they want to borrow it sometimes, and you know, have to you have to kind of really stand up to that a little bit and negotiate and you know, schedule, okay, if you want to do science fair in the gym, I think that's awesome and I understand completely. And I'm a ex-science teacher, so I know that um that's important, but let's let's look at the calendar and make sure it's not, you know, if it is during fitness testing, you know, is is there a spot that I can share and still do some of my testing and then we go outside for a game? What is the weather like outside? If it's raining, what's the next plan? Where are you going to put 85 to 95 kids? So I think just the for teachers and administration to really respect more of what we do. So um I I invite them to come into my gym and to watch and be a part of it. So and parents as well. Like we I would have parents sign up for volunteering for um being extra set of eyes. Now, uh, for instance, when we do gymnastic stations, um I do not want them to come in and touch the kids and spot them, but it sure would be nice to have them standing over at this station where um they're they're doing uh you know stretching or they're do walking on a low balance beam to make sure they're just not being silly and getting hurt. So I could be spotting the forward roll and or the cartwheel, you know, and my aide that, you know, they're watching another station. And so I think when parents see what we do and how many kids they they really respect you and tell other parents, like, wow, it's great that they're doing that. We I taught students, we had uh a field trip in the gym where we taught roller skating and these carts got ordered and shoe sizes, and and then so then I had a student say, Well, um, if you're going to teach me how to roller skate, can I bring my bike next? And it's like, no, I think that's your parents' job. But having parents there to volunteer for that and it talking back to your administration and letting them know every how positive your program is, um, and getting people to see that because they they don't know what we do when those gym, the gym doors close. They think, you know, maybe it was like when they were in school and someone just rolled out the ball and they sat on the sideline.

Jake 36:40

But I think they they definitely they definitely have that perception of what what their experience was and they think it's the same, like you said. But no, it's not it's not like that. And that's great to get um the parents involved in those units, especially with the gymnastics where there's more chance of of a but potential, right? I I do gymnastics too, I think it's great, but there is more chance, they're rolling, they're stretching, they're moving their bodies in different ways that aren't aren't necessarily um your typical ways of moving, right? So it's it's really cool that you got those extra set of eyes, and and like you said, they they share the good news of what's happening in the in the PE room, classroom, with with the administrator, with the parents, and it's just word of mouth and it just snowballs from there. So that's great. So, Wendy, how can our listeners connect with you? I know you have the website, right? What other ways can can somebody reach out or listeners?

Speaker 1 37:34

So um well, on my website it has my email. So um it if they go, the easiest way is just to go to rev revolutionarype.com.

Speaker 3 37:48

Okay.

Speaker 1 37:48

And then it has contact me and it has email. I uh and then in my book, I actually got a book, a call yesterday. My phone number is in there because uh if a teacher has a question or needs to talk to me, um, I know that I had a call yesterday because uh a teacher had bought my first edition, but came to my workshop and where I talk about getting equipment from the

Getting Admin And Parents On Board

Speaker 1 38:20

high school and the middle school passed down to us. And he was starting a golf unit. And if you go to firstt.org, uh the it is a golf program where they're trying to promote golf in schools and so you can get some free equipment through them. So he's he just called me. So I he left me a message and I called him back. So I don't mind that. Just uh I want to be accessible, I want people to find the book helpful or the anything on the web page. It's really about us working together and helping each other. It's not it's not much of a a money maker, it's more of a I think I spent more money getting it published than I did publishing it.

Jake 39:09

Well, we want our listeners to go out and get your book. I I know I'm gonna get one, so I think it's great. So in that first e program you're talking about, I did that years ago in one of my districts. It's it's wonderful. They they come out, they have the book, they have they have a curriculum, they have a bag of, I don't know, I think they have 10 putters, 10 chippers, and it's the velcro ball, right? So it sticks to it's all very kid friendly. So I can definitely vouch for that. It's a great program. So that's wonderful.

Speaker 1 39:36

Also, um, there's right now in June, you can go to uh US lacrosse and write a uh fill out their grant proposal and they'll give you a startup lacrosse set for your classroom that's plastic. So all the games are in my book. And if you go to the pub, the book is on Amazon, but you pay $79 for it. But if you don't like it, you can return it, right? It's Amazon. But um, if you buy it digitally, the ebook from the publisher, Sienna Publishing, make sure you put in save S A V E in Capital 20, and they give you 20% off. And then the book is only $66.

Jake 40:21

So yeah, that's reasonable. And yeah, that's that's my route, I think. I like the digital components.

Speaker 1 40:26

Yeah.

Jake 40:26

So that's awesome. So thank you so much, Wendy, for sharing your work with us and your expertise. It was it was great to have you on.

Speaker 1 40:33

Oh, well, it was great talking to you. I love what you're doing. So I listened on your uh I followed

Connect With Wendi And Wrap Up

Speaker 1 40:40

you now.

Jake 40:40

So thank you so much. I appreciate that. So, listeners, 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. Thank you all for listening. Have a great week, and we will be back soon.