ISU alumna is elementary PE teacher of the year
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - PE classes at Wanamaker Elementary School have come a long way from what parents and grandparents of today's young people may recall from their own younger days.
Students use pedometers to monitor their steps and heart rate monitors to assess the impact of a workout. They also have access to a climbing wall that doubles as a chalkboard.
Kindergarteners through fourth graders at the Franklin Township school on Indianapolis' southeast side also learn about the importance of sportsmanship and teamwork from teacher Cindy Huffman, who holds a master's degree in physical education from Indiana State University.
In recognition of her efforts to secure grants for innovative equipment as well as her leadership and program development - and for simply being an outstanding educator, the Indiana Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance named Huffman its elementary physical education teacher of the year.
"We're very proud of Mrs. Huffman. She very much deserves this award," said Russell Wright, principal at Wanamaker. "She not only makes physical education fun, but she is very good about incorporating academic kinds of things into her lesson plans. It's pretty amazing what the kids are learning and they don't even know that it's happening at the time."
A climbing wall dominates one end of the gymnasium at Wanamaker Elementary. It took three grants for Huffman to accumulate the funds necessary to construct the wall that, while kid-sized, is still impressive.
"We do a lot of upper body strength items but I wasn't seeing the improvement that I wanted and I knew (the climbing wall) was a way that everyone was going to be able to find a level of success," Huffman said. "It also works on teamwork, on socialization and sportsmanship."
The wall is also magnetic, allowing Huffman to incorporate language arts and math into her PE classes, she said.
Huffman said her undergraduate education at Franklin College provided her with a strong foundation but her graduate work at Indiana State enabled her to reach the next level.
"It showed me different ways to go outside the box. It made me start thinking that I can reach any level I want to get to. There were a lot of research classes and a lot of equipment that enabled me to put myself in the students' position and learn what would work best for them," she said.
Huffman particularly praised the work of Barbara Passmore, who recently retired as dean of ISU's College of Health and Human Performance, as well as two other emeriti: Edie Godleski and Robert McDavid.
"He really pushed you to the limits," Huffman said of McDavid, who taught exercise physiology. "I worked really hard in his class. I was determined."
An elementary PE teacher for 25 years, all at Wanamaker, Huffman plans to continue her efforts to help students achieve their best.
"My biggest goal is to take the kids as far as I can and I don't think I'm ever going to be able to top that," she said. "The kids are coming to me more advanced than they used to so I don't think I'll ever reach the end. The award is very nice but my main goal is not to get awards, it's to make an impact on the kids and that's where I'm going to keep heading."
-30-
Contact: Cindy Huffman, Wanamaker Elementary School, (317) 862-4100 or cindy.huffman@ftcsc.k12.in.us
Writer: Dave Taylor, ISU Communications & Marketing, (812) 237-3743 or devtaylo@isugw.indstate.edu
ISU Communications and Marketing: (812) 237-3773 or http://www.indstate.edu/news
|
