Personal Fitness: The Required Class that Doesn’t Feel Required

Personal Fitness is one of the eleven physical education courses offered here and taught by teacher Ann Edkin. This class is most likely taken by sophomores through seniors, to fulfill their Physical Education elective requirement. This class allows students to have the freedom to do what they want within the parameters of class guidelines and expectations.

“Personal Fitness gears someone toward their own personal goals while in other [phys ed] classes the teacher generally makes the goals for the students. In this class the student makes goals and works to achieve them,” said Mrs. Edkin.

This is a unique offering from a traditional gym class. For almost all physical education classes throughout school years, teachers dictate everything done everyday. If the class played dodgeball, students played dodgeball. The Personal Fitness option of choice gives a new perspective to personal health. It can be similar to going to the YMCA to workout.

“Students can choose the exercises performed during class, whereas in other classes the teacher is dictating what happens every single day,” said Mrs. Edkin

This isn't given to students automatically however. Their access to freedom is earned over a period of time.

“At the beginning of the semester, students perform the workouts that I create. These workouts focus on technique and teach students how to perform specific exercises correctly without risking injury,” said Mrs. Edkin.

“As a teacher I'd like to think that I am energetic, and I like to motivate students. I also like to help students reach their goals. I might challenge students and they might get mad at me sometimes, but sometimes that's what it takes to get them out of the box. I like to challenge my students because I feel that that is where the most growth and progress occurs,” said Mrs. Edkin.

Mrs. Edkin as a teacher desires for students to enjoy Personal Fitness and want to go every day.

“I also like to have fun and I like to build relationships with my students and get to know them on a personal level, more than a teacher-student professional level,” said Mrs. Edkin.

Mrs. Edkin’s class is one where you can learn a lot of personal health information and exercise principles. Progress checks are used to not only keep students accountable and aware of how they are performing in the class, but also ensuring that they are focusing on their overall health instead of just focusing on one area that they would prefer.

“My goal is to keep the scale balanced. I think I would be a poor P.E. teacher if I let students come in and just do strength and not care about their heart health,” said Mrs. Edkin.

Even though it is called Physical Education, when taught correctly, students are more apt to see how the required class benefits their own lives that they carry with them to adulthood - when it is not “required.”

“I feel the things that I teach and the things that they can learn are things that can make them successful in life. Health is something that we should value because without it we can't accomplish our other life goals,” said Mrs. Edkin.