Before COVID, Fridays were for line dancing and gliding on scooters in the Haddix Center gym.
Friday was the day to practice catching with handkerchiefs and beach balls. 最重要的是, Fridays were the day for students in 克里特岛 Public Schools Life Skills classes to spend time with their favorite Doane students and vice versa. In the time between the sessions of the Unified Doane/克里特岛 Adapted Physical Education Course, 克里特岛 High Special Education Teacher Jessie Meinke heard the same question many times from her students:
“今天是十大网络娱乐平台注册体育日吗?? 我们什么时候再去十大网络娱乐平台注册?”
She is hopeful COVID restrictions will ease and allow the course to resume next fall. “这对我的学生来说意义重大，”她说. The unified course got its start on the bleachers at a Doane basketball game. 辛迪·迈耶, 体育与健康副教授, 坐在丽莎·菲的旁边, 克里特岛中学校长.
Bleacher talk turned to Meyer’s changing role at Doane after retiring from 26 years as its head volleyball coach. Meyer had more time to devote to her courses now and wanted to create new opportunities for physical education students to gain practical experience, 特别是通过与克里特岛公立学校的合作. 这次谈话激发了统一课程的想法和计划.
The Adapted PE class pairs Doane students - many who are studying physical education, 运动科学, or therapy - with CPS students with varying disabilities that make it harder to learn the fundamental motor skills of sports and fitness activities. “我们称他们为‘红衣主教的朋友’，”迈耶说. “这是一次奇妙的经历. 不仅仅是教学，还有友谊和由此形成的纽带. 双方都获益良多.” It’s where some of the Cardinals learn to throw, dribble, bat or exercise for the first time. As Doane students learn how disabilities influence motor performance they also come to realize that some lesson plans can’t be one-size-fits-all.
Technically, the 克里特岛 students are learning the fundamentals of sports and fitness, Meyer称. 适用于中小学生, 每项活动都教授跑步等基本技能背后的形式, 投掷和跳跃, 同时也提高了协调性. 初中和高中的学生也参加体育活动. “Cindy is so fundamental about teaching the correct form, whether it’s shooting or running. All the foundations are very well taught, but it never feels like a lesson to my students. 这很有趣。.
她说，她的学生永远不知道他们会在校园里找到什么活动. They might toss rings, try the low balance beam or take their turn with baseball tees and bats. They might pull a parachute into a tight circle and try to fling a toy tiger and cardinal in the air. The “Hungry Hippo” game -- racing on scooters to retrieve tennis balls -- is a favorite.
“I can’t imagine how much time (Cindy) spends setting all the stations up and teaching her students the preparations behind the class,梅克说. “She has high expectations for her Doane students and how they should interact with (克里特岛) students and it shows.”
这就是为什么, Meinke说, 克里特岛的学生感到很受欢迎, 理解, 得到他们的榜样和朋友的关心和支持. The activities adapt to the challenges the 克里特岛 student faces in a PE setting. A student with a cognitive or behavioral challenge may simply need a little extra time to learn form and strengthen motor skills, while a student who uses a walker for support or an iPad to communicate may need one-on-one or two-on-one instruction adapted to their needs.
如果他们的一个红衣主教朋友在小组会议上不知所措, a Doane student may pull him or her off to the side for individual instruction. Meinke shared how one young boy didn’t have an interest in any of the structured activities, 但十大网络娱乐平台注册的学生们意识到他喜欢滑板车. 所以他们在一节课上拉着他骑滑板车, 让他享受运动，锻炼平衡.
成功是个人的，总是被庆祝的. Meyer notices the growth and improvement in each student, even from year-to-year. One 克里特岛 student didn’t want to participate in activities or interact with the Doane students his first year but now tries many of the lessons. Another student liked playing with a ball but not sharing or playing a game with it. By the third year, he rolled it back to one of the students, which was cause for celebration. “这是巨大的。!梅克说. “他学会了与他人分享和玩耍.”
这就是为什么梅克不喜欢用“残疾”这个词的一个例子.’”每个人都有能力，我们对他们有很高的期望. For some kids, throwing may take hundreds of repetitions, but they will get it.”
When Meyer learns that a 克里特岛 student gained confidence through her course that now helps them in other settings, 这是一个亮点, 她说, 以及由此形成的关系. “孩子们可以和大学生和大学运动员一起工作, 这些学生成为他们的榜样和朋友. My students get just as much or more back and admire the 克里特岛 students, too.”
Doane students wouldn’t have this important teaching opportunity without the support of CPS, Meyer称. “You really can’t teach adapted PE at a university without giving students the opportunity to work with individual kids like we do. 所以我真的很感谢克里特岛的学校系统.”
不过，费伊把功劳归于迈耶. “这(当然)是因为她的远见. She truly takes pride in this class and how well her students are prepared to go out into the real world.这种伙伴关系是特殊的.
When Fye gets to observe the Unified course, she’s always struck by its energy and enthusiasm. “孩子们之间的兴奋, the Doane students and the adults when someone succeeds - it’s so rewarding.”
统一课程以威尔伯的保龄球结束了它的一年. 迈耶带来了美食，这对每个人来说都是美好的一天. The 克里特岛 students return to their school “tired, happy and thirsty,梅克说. And almost as soon as it ends she knows the questions will start again like clockwork.
“我们什么时候再去十大网络娱乐平台注册……?”
