I am passionate about classroom physical activity! I came by my interest in physical activity in the classroom genetically as my mother has her master’s in child development and my father has his master’s in physical education. My own credentials as a classroom physical activity promotion specialist include classroom teaching experience, a master’s in education, and a doctorate in health behavior and health education with a focus on classroom physical activity.
I taught in the classroom for over ten years, ranging from kindergarten through seventh grade, in Oregon and in Texas. In my teaching, I noted that when I engaged students in activity, my classroom climate was better and my students were more productive and ready to learn. Yet I struggled to locate information that would help me simply and easily offer physical activity opportunities to my students. After considering my options, I decided to pursue a doctorate and was admitted into a program at the University of Texas in Austin. Upon returning to academia, I discovered a plethora of research about school-based physical activity, and a wonderful core group of researchers passionate about the topic, just like me. While exciting, I was dismayed that this information did not seem to be easily accessible to classroom teachers.
As such, it became my goal to bridge the communication gap between the research world and the education world. I want to share information with classroom teachers about classroom physical activity, the background and foundation, the benefits, and the implementation strategies. And I want to help you, as a classroom teacher, to embrace a culture of physical activity in your classroom.
Enter this website! I am excited to launch Classroom in Motion™ as a resource for classroom teachers. I hope that it will help you learn more about physical activity in students and strategies for quick and easy implementation of activity in the classroom.
Classrooms in Motion™ also offers professional development trainings for schools or districts and will work individually with you to promote and adopt healthy practices in your classroom.
For more information, please email: info@classroomsinmotion.com
