grove city YMCA

Today my friend and I drove up to the YMCA in Grove City to do our service learning for fitness ed class. We got there around 2:15 and I wasnt sure what to expect. I wasnt sure what we were going to be doin i just knew it was helping kids out at the Y. About 50 kids showed up and it was an after school program for kids to be active until their parents picked them up around 5. We played flag football and basketball with them. We helped the counselor control them and get them rounded up because some kids from Grove City high school were going to talk to them about bullying. It ended up being a great experience because i had a lot of fun playing basketball with some 5th and 6th graders. I enjoyed practicing working with kids like a phys ed teacher would. I used to not want to teach in the elementary school but after this i want to. I saw how pumped they were to play football and basketball and you dont get that in secondary schools.

scheduling

I dont know if its just me but scheduling always sucks. Every time i make out a nice schedule for the next semester of all the classes i want and then they fill up so fast. Monday i looked at Math as a liberal art and half the seats were already filled. I need a math to get into the college of ed next semester and now im going to have to take a higher level math because i need one. Im also going to have classes through out the day instead of all at once. I might have class at 8 then not again until 10. I hope some of the classes i want will still be available because i dont want to end up taking only 12 credits.

Pirates Game

Right now i am watching the home opener of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They were down 7 to nothing going into the 5th inning. They scored 3 runs and gave up another run to make it 8 to 5. in the 6th inning the pirates scored 2 more runs to make it 8 to 6. If the Pirates can pull out a win they will be 4 and 3 on the season and please a sell out crowd at PNC Park. Im definately going to watch the rest of this game while i eat because i love the Pirates and i hope they win.

The Final 4

This Saturday college basketball will play the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas. Kansas, North Carolina, Memphis and UCLA will all play for a chance to compete in the National Championship game on April 8th. Kansas beat Davidson in the elite eight to make it to the Final Four. North Carolina beat Louisville. Memphis beat Texas and UCLA beat Xavier. On ESPN.com's national polls the majority of people have North Carolina and UCLA playing in the Championship game. Personally i think Kansas will beat UNC and UCLA will beat Memphis but thats just me. If UCLA wins the championship game it will be about their 12th or 13th national championship ever. If your not doing anything saturday night i suggest you turn on CBS around 6 to watch two great games that will be played

backpacking trip

Yesterday was supposed to be my outdoor pursuits backpacking trip. When we got to the the field house with all our stuff Jeff told he had to resort to "plan C". When he rented the vans for saturday we were supposed to get 2 vans but somehow someone screwed up and all the vans were taken. So instead of going somewhere we went to the high ropes course and set up our tents there. It was fun but i think going to Minister valley would have been a lot more fun. The ropes course was fun because we got to ride the zip line and do the triangle course. I think they need to make the zip a little longer or steeper because it wasnt as much fun as i thought it would be when i got up there and started going down it. It takes a long time to set up all the stuff at the ropes course but i hope we get to do it again.

Pryor picks Ohio st.

last week the highest recruited high school football player decided he would go to ohio st this fall to play football. I thought for sure he would pick michigan because ryan mallet transfered and rich rodriguez has an offense built just for him. I dont know who ohio states qb was last season but i know he was a freshmen and did pretty good so i dont know who will start. I knew he wouldnt go to penn state but thats where i wanted pryor to go. He said penn state was too country for him. State college is a big town so i dont know what he was talking about. I guess because all around state college there is nothing.

outdoor pursuits

This weekend my outdoor pursuits class is going backpacking in minister valley. Most people in the class have never been camping or dont spend time in the woods. Unlike others i am very prepared to go backpacking because i spend a lot of time in the woods because i love hunting, fishing, camping, and just being in the woods. I have all the equipment i need to spend a couple days in the woods. Hopefully it wont rain because no one likes being in the rain especially if its cold out.

red sox go to japan

tonight the red sox will fly to japan to play a baseball game. It almost didnt happen. The red sox decided to go and then found out they were not going to be compensated for it. They werent very worried about theirselves but they wanted the entire staff on the red sox to get paid for the time it will take them away from the states for a game. I feel for the red sox because travelling across the ocean and dealing with the time change can take a lot of energy out of the team.

spring break

We recently had spring break for 10 school days. I dont think they could of screwed it up any worse. We dont even get a day off for good friday. I know this is a public school and easter is a religous holiday but everyone should have good friday off. Last year they gave us 3 days off for easter. I think they should at least give us the day after easter off or good friday. People that live far away are not going to be able to celebrate easter with their family.

Line Dancing in phys ed class?

Every saturday night me and some of my friends go to Ghost Riders in Butler. It is an all ages country music club. Everyone there line dances. After line dancing my heart rate is increased and im normally sweating. i think that line dancing should be taught in physical education classes. It is a lifetime activity because my grandma danced til she was 70. i think that if you teach the kids some easy dances then they can learn more if they like. you may not think it would raise your heart rate much but it is almost like jogging on the track.

Videos in phys ed class

Even though i have never used video cameras in any of my physical education classes in high school i think they would be very useful. I think that if you are trying to master a certain skill video taping yourself and seeing what you are doing right or wrong is excellent. i hear that instant feedback is key to learning a with video cameras you can get instant feedback. You can have partners record each other and then assess each other and tell each other how to improve or not. I think that when i am teaching phys ed i will use video cameras to help my students improve their skills.

get active stay active

i was recently informed about a website call getactivestayactive.com. This website is a place for students to record how much physical activity they participate in each week. This is a great way for teachers to view how much physical activity their students do outside of class. For my class we have to put all physical activity we particapate in outside of our classes for bonus points. Obviously you can lie about what you do but it is a great tool to use for honest students. As a student you can track your activity and see if you are getting enough activity and what days you arnt. I will use this website when i teach someday.

Nintendo Wii in phys ed

If you have never played Nintendo Wii you are really missing out on a great experience. I have played the Wii many times and love the Wii Sports game it comes with. You can play tennis, ping pong, baseball, boxing, bowling, and other games. Since you have to stand up and move around the Wii keeps kids from just sitting around while they play video games. i think bringing the Wii into phys ed class is a good idea. I think kids will enjoy playing the wii in class. If you are doing a lesson on tennis you can have the kids learn the rules and basics of the game by playing it on the Wii first. Then you can teach them the fundamentals and play for real.

ddr in phys ed

I think that dance dance revolution is excellent to use in physical education classes. DDR makes you move a lot and gets your heart rate up if you play it correctly. I think every phys ed class should have one. They are not very expensive and every school should be able to purchase a few. It is a good game for any age group. Students can have fun while they work out. I think all phys ed teachers should persuade their school boards to purchase Dance Dance Revolution.

technology in hunting

Yes i said technology in hunting. Hunting may be centuries old but technology has improved it just like any other sport or activity. From scopes on rifles to gps navigation technology has made hunting a next generation thing. I use technology everytime i hunt. When i hunt somewhere i have never been or when i go to the mountains to hunt i take my handheld gps. With this i can walk anywhere i want and i wont get lost. Since its dark when i walk into the woods in the mornig i use a flashlight with led light bulbs. I have a scope on my rifle and shotgun. The group i hunt with uses 2 way radios to keep in contact and cell phones when the radios are too far. Hunting will keep getting better now that technology is taking over.

A cool piece of technology

I recently received an awesome gift for x mas this past year. Its called a hummingbird portable fish finder. It is a green football shaped thing that you cast into the water. (e.g. a creek or stream) Then there is a watch that shows you what is in the water and how deep the water is. Traditional fish finders have to be wired to a battery on your boat and are expensive, but i can take this with me while trout fishing and see where the fish are on my watch. I will use this a lot this spring when trout starts. Sometimes while fishing I wonder if there are any trout left in the creek but now i will know for sure.

About Me

My name is Justin Sukala. I am a sophmore at Slippery Rock University. My major is physical education and health. I want to be a phys ed teacher because I love sports and love being active and helping others become active. Hopefully I will find a good job somewhere in Western Pennsylvania because its where i grew up and i love living here. If not im sure i will be happy somewhere else but i will always miss home and living in the country. I like being at Slippery Rock because i have a lot of friends here and i wouldnt want to go to any other school.