Written by: Abby de Riel

Our Coach for Kids program partnership with Exos continues this year through Coach Connect, an initiative specifically designed for New York City’s physical education teachers and coaches. Coach Connect addresses a critical need for access to comprehensive wellness programming: coaches and teachers instruct students in physical activity and serve as mentors, motivators, and role models, yet they often lack the tools and resources to prioritize their own wellness, let alone effectively instill these practices in their students. 

Enter CoachCamp: the newest component of our Coach Connect partnership. CoachCamp learning sessions are immersive, three-hour workshops tailored to the needs of NYC PE teachers and led by our esteemed Coach Council, Exos subject matter experts, and WITS Coaches. We launched CoachCamp last month in Queens with 80 NYC PE teachers (who reach about 40,000 students) coming together to learn, move, and reflect. We travel to Brooklyn this month and wrap up the year in all boroughs.

WITS Senior Coach Kit Greenberg reflected on this rare in-person opportunity for a professional development session. Leading the fitness break and speaking alongside Exos Performance Coach Ryan Permaul, she had the opportunity to hear from dozens of PE teachers who are passionate about their jobs and are not often gathered with their peers to discuss the successes and challenges of the school environment. 

Kit focused on two major challenges she saw PE teachers facing from over a year as a WITS Coach in schools: the need to create inclusive PE practices and the need to build community and engagement across the whole school. PE teachers leaned in as she shared simple steps toward an inclusive gym experience: assessing your needs, modifying activities (such as changing the equipment or altering the environment if one scenario is getting out of control), using peer support, providing clear instruction and demonstrations to students, and creating a positive and supportive environment among students. Coach Kit also had teachers discuss Universal Design for Learning in breakout groups — a practice that all teachers learn in training but may not often reflect on how they can use it in their day-to-day work. PE teachers shared their thoughts on its implementation with each other, such as providing multiple means of engagement, different methods of representation (such as visual or verbal instruction), and allowing for many means of action and expression from students when they demonstrate skills. 

On building community and engagement, Coach Kit shared that fostering relationships with parents, school administration, and community organizations can help PE teachers create a school wellness environment. Within a gym class, techniques like incorporating students’ voices when choosing activities, promoting the development of social skills through team-building activities, and celebrating achievements of students’ wellness goals can engage students in creating their school’s wellness environment, too. PE teachers received a journal at the start of the training so they could jot down thoughts on practices that stood out to them the most. 

Exos Coach Ryan showcased a variety of mental and physical strategies PE teachers could use in their daily practices, talking about stoicism and resilience and then leading everyone through power breathing and box breathing exercises. He encouraged teachers to put these practices into action even when they seem impossible; by focusing on what you can control, otherwise very challenging aspects of being an educator or coach are easier to manage. Plus, a tool like breathwork requires no equipment and can be done almost anywhere! 

CoachCamp would not be complete without Coach Kit demoing a live virtual fitness break and moving with the PE teachers. What’s exciting about CoachCamp is most of the PE teachers have not seen Wellness in the Schools’ programming before, so after seeing an exercise like fitness breaks modeled in person, they understand how it could be implemented with their students right away. PE teachers began to talk amongst themselves to ensure their peers had the resources necessary to start implementing these techniques, and if not, they were improvising a solution on the spot. 

“When we can allow PE teachers a day to move, have fun with each other, and laugh like the kids they teach on a professional development day, we show them their work matters and that we’re there to support them,” shared Coach Kit.

After CoachCamp, PE teachers reflected on their confidence moving forward: “I am confident in feeling that I am not alone,” “I am confident in my breathing techniques and using breathing exercises with my students,” “I am confident in addressing my challenges,” and “I am confident in my community.” NYC PE teachers, we are excited for you to shine and build strong, active school communities!