You see them at schools across the entire country.
But this flag pole was different. I had to see this one.
I’d heard about this flag pole before embarking on the #Pedal4PE celebration in Louisiana last month. Along with the flag pole, I heard multiple stories about PE teachers in the Bayou struggling to make quality physical education happen. No gyms, sewage leaking up through the restroom floors regularly, using loofahs for balls because they had a $0 budget, and struggles to create quality lessons for their students based on these obstacles.
But the flag pole? Related to PE? Was this a cruel joke related to angleball?
At one of our #Pedal4PE stops, it was apparent that the work of OPEN and Eat Move Grow was in full effect. There were new opportunities all over the place for students. The gym or cafeteria or auditorium, take your pick depending on the time of day and weather, was changed into a place where students could move, learn, and thrive. Their PE teacher bubbled with enthusiasm that she had the chance to really teach PE thanks to OPEN’s curriculum resources. During a media interview, the principal spoke about the importance of letting students move during the school day and how it led to better attention, classroom learning, and behavior. The playground was made over with new equipment and painted stencils from Eat Move Grow. No longer did students have to wait in line to shoot one basketball or jump rope with the one rope. It was a remarkable transformation.
But I was drawn to the flag pole.
As we were departing for the next school transformation celebration, I could not leave before laying eyes on it and taking a photo. For this was a special flag pole and in my mind a symbol of this school making a comeback. Apparently, for the longest time this school had no flag pole. I never really heard how it came down whether it be a hurricane, age, or otherwise. However, I did find out that there wasn’t one and the school district could never seem to replace it. Now, with the media attention placed on this school due to #Pedal4PE, suddenly there it was in all its’ glory. It stood majestically on campus watching the daily happenings at the school. This was more than a flag pole in my eyes. It is a symbol of a rebirth of the entire school and community due to the gift of PE and physical activity. The spirit on campus that day was alive – parents proudly decorating the school with ribbons, hanging signs proclaiming the celebration, and making sure every part of the campus was just right. Local and district administrators were lauding over the work of these organizations partnering to help their school and the success it brought students. The bottom line was it was the quest and arrival of real physical education on this campus that led to this school rebirth.
To me, this flag pole was not a simple school ornament, but instead an opportunity for PE teachers across the nation to get involved. As a physical educator, we can easily have our thumb on the pulse of the entire school. School climate? In most cases, the PE teacher can break it down daily because we see everyone. We can be the most consistent adult in some children’s lives, especially at the elementary level. Elementary PE teachers get to see every teacher in the building at least once a week, if not more. By delivering quality physical education learning experiences, building a positive school culture towards physical activity, and being the champion for movement during the school day, we can be the leaders in creating a paradigm shift to value PE and physical activity for kids.
As we head into the second half of the school year, I ask you to resolve to be that leader in your school. Create opportunities for your students. Lead the charge for PE and PA throughout your school and even the district. Make someone come in and put up a new flag pole at your school.
Just think of the possibilities for everyone.