Today, we arrived at Woodstock Centennial Elementary School at the tail end of recess.  The playground was at the back of the school, but I could hear the shouts of excitement and laughter at the front of the school.  We were warmly greeted and had a chance to chat with Mrs. Purvis, the phys ed teacher at Centennial.  She had taught for 27 years and was currently teaching both phys ed and music… two of my faves!!  She shared with us that her students from grades 3-5 were now able to run 10 minutes continuously and the goal for the end of the year was to run 20!  We met with these 170 students and had a good time interacting with them.  Thanks to Christian and Abbey for volunteering to answer some important questions!

I was chatting with my parents the other day and my father has this knack of turning questions upside down.  I have spent the last decade of my “career” advocating the importance of teaching students outside, or at least having outdoor experiences.  The benefits of students learning outside seem convincing and it’s easy to find faults with 30 students learning at a desk enclosed by four walls.  But when my dad asked, “What is the value in teaching indoors?”, I was lost for a solid response.  And it’s not as though he had any firm answers he wanted to share, but instead thought it was simply an important question to ask.  Because there is value in teaching inside…

Balance.  I am learning daily about balance.
Every day I struggle to find balance, in so many aspects of my life.
And so it is with time outside.
North Americans spend 93% of their lives inside.
Is some of that time necessary?  Absolutely!
But the scale is tipped a little too far in one direction.
There is much value in some of the things we do inside, including teaching.
Making sure we don’t pit one against the other is part of finding that balance.