“What do you do…?”
Shared by Breanne Smedley
When people ask me “what do you do?” and I tell them I teach Physical Education and Health, I always wonder what flashes through their minds.
Is it the stereotype swishy tracksuit wearing, whistle around the neck “gym” teacher from Glee?
The drill sergeant barking out orders?
The one who just “rolls out the ball” and lets kids have at it?
Images that are reinforced by what we see in movies.
Stereotypes that I love to use as a chip on my shoulder, to prove to my students, colleagues, and inquiring minds the true value of the content area that I am so passionate about.
And the reason I don’t wear tracksuits or carry a whistle. 
I wonder, though, if the image of what happened in my class yesterday comes to their minds when they think of “Physical Education.”
Yesterday, 38 students in my 4th-period class made a circle around one student.
A student in my class with special needs. It was her birthday, so the kids wanted to sing to her.
She was so happy that she burst into tears, then hugged each of her classmates.
Or how about the student who told me today that my class is what she looks forward to because it’s improving her mental health.
She shared that she is having a hard time at home, and this class has helped her mindset as she faces unimaginable circumstances every day.
Or the former student I ran into while she was on break from college.
She told me she uses the workouts and movements she learned in class to create workouts for herself and her friends every week at the rec center.
These are the things that go beyond learning what primary and secondary muscles are activated in a front squat or how to calculate your target heart rate.
So, when people ask me, “what do you do?” I find it hard to answer in a way that they expect.
I create opportunities for students of diverse backgrounds, skill sets, and abilities to build relationships with each other.
The student with special needs.
The varsity athlete.
The freshman.
The senior.
The student who has never stepped foot in a weight room
The student who can deadlift 300lbs.
It’s rare to find each of these students in one class outside of PE.
But this is how community and culture is built.
By helping students realize how much more alike than different they are. By giving them chances to connect with someone they might not ever cross paths with.
Then work with that person to achieve a goal together.
When this happens, I get overwhelmed with joy.
I see visions of what our world could become if adults did the same thing.
“What do you do?”, people ask.
I empower students through movement.
Helping them become addicted to the post-exercise endorphins that help them thrive for the rest of the day.
To realize that this mind-body connection will be the foundation of every other area of their lives.
“What do you do?”
I help students realize that they are far more capable than they think.
The student that couldn’t do 1 push-up at the beginning of the year can now do 20.
And now thinks, “If I can do that, what else am I capable of?”
Relationships. Mind. Body.
Building the foundations for life.
It’s what I do.
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#InspirationallyImpactful
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