Gym class is often students’ favorite class of the day. It’s a chance to get out of the classroom and spend some time playing games like dodge ball and soccer with their friends.
However, most students who are home-schooled miss out on this experience. They lack the company of a classroom full of students, and their parents don’t exactly have a gymnasium in the back yard for their private to use.
However, APSU hosts a physical education class for home-school students ages four to 14 years old. The students of HHP 3210 (methods and materials for teaching elementary education), under the instruction of Marcy Maurer, currently teach this program, which has existed for over 10 years.
Maurer’s students are interested in teaching physical education at an elementary, middle or high school level Maurer said, “We want the Austin Peay students to be able to experience what it’s like to teach students activities and work on class management skills.”
The focus is skill-based learning, not recreational like soccer or basketball leagues that are offered in the community. While these programs focus on a single sport, and are often very competitive, the skill-based learning program focuses more on a wide range of activities and sports, as well as focusing more on camaraderie than competitiveness.
The program, hosted by APSU, is the only educational, or skill-based, program in the community, and “This has been a big success for the home-school students to be in a structured physical education class,” said Maurer. “The feedback has been very positive.”
In order to meet the needs of every student, those enrolled are divided up in to four groups by age. From there, the classes participate in many different basic-skill activities, such as throwing and catching, as well as playing soccer, basketball and volleyball.
Some of the activities are exclusively for certain age groups, such as the rhythmic activities with the younger age groups, while some of the activities are for all ages, such as soccer, throwing and catching.
Classes start on Oct. 7, and will continue for six weeks, ending on Monday, Nov. 9. Registration for the classes starts at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7, in the Dunn Center, Room 282. The cost of the class is $10 per student and $5 per additional sibling.
– Erin Upshaw, Guest Writer
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