On Thursday, the silence that had smothered this campus for nearly two months was whisked away by the laughter, giggling, and cheers of excited smiling faces. Morning duty is always fun, but on the first day of school it is especially joyous. Seeing how much the students have grown, listening to them recall their summer adventures, and sharing in their excitement is something special.
In PE class, we started the year off by going over rules and procedures. Special attention was paid special stop/start commands.
The first, "Dut dutta dut dut" - "DUT DUT" is used to get the children's attention when they are in close proximity to the teacher. The teacher loudly calls out the first part and the students respond with an emphatic, "DUT DUT!" This signals it is time to stop, look, and listen to the coach.
Whistle commands are also utilized. These often take place when students are dispersed over a large area. One whistle signifies that it is time to stop, look, and listen to the coach. Two blows of the whistle indicate that the students are to hustle in to the teacher.
Lastly, music is used to start and stop movement. If music is involved in an activity, the start of the music indicates that it is time for the students to begin. When the music stops, this indicates that it is time to stop, look, and listen.
We also revisited locomotor skills and body positions that are used throughout the year. Students were instructed to skip, gallop, jog, or dance within the boundaries. When the music stopped they were given a position to take. The four covered on this day were: Superman, bear, crab, and turtle.
Welcome back! We are off and running to a great start!
