New Shoes New Problems

Since it was a nice day out I decided to hit up the outlets with a couple friends.  Ever since I chose to pursue a degree in Physical Education, shopping has been focused on buying athletic shoes and clothing.  It gives me a great excuse to buy new shoes every so often and other athletic wear. 

Today I got a pair of running shoes at Nike that were on sale for 30% off.  They're that popular bright highlighter green color that I'm not a huge fan, but I am a huge fan of 30% off.  One of the many perks of being a Physical Educator is your every day attire.  I'm not one to put on some khakis and a belt and sit in an office for 8 hours.  If you can wear shorts or athletic pants to your job, that means you're doing something right.

Of course the comfortable clothing isn't the reason why I chose to go the Physical Education pathway but it sure is a plus. 

I hope everyone had a great Sunday and enjoyed the Green Bay Packers getting a win against the Vikings.  It wasn't pretty but it was a win.

So long, farewell, Happy Thanksgiving
-Dave Ryan



 

Youth Basketball

Had a good time at youth basketball this morning at the YMCA in Grove City.  It was a long day and my dogs were barkin' but put in some good time in with the kids.  Today was picture day for the kids so I snuck into a few team pictures that I wasn't suppose to be in.  I forgot I shaved my beard into a mustache so I probably looked pretty creepy in those team pictures.

The first age group for youth basketball is 3-4 year olds.  We set up four stations-dribbling, passing, shooting, and running.  Some of the kids have a great time being there but there's a few who are all over the place.  The next group are five to six year olds and they actually play games on shorter hoops.  There are a few of them that actually get the concept of the game and have proficient basketball skills.

I referee all of the games until the oldest group.  I coach a team of 11-12 year olds, The Warriors.  We have a 3-0 record and I'm looking towards an undefeated season and national championship.  Just kidding but it's nice to see that these kids aren't just sitting around on Saturdays playing video games and watching cartoons. 

Until next time bloggers and blogees,
               - Dave Ryan

No School = Afterschool

Since everyone is at the state convention and I didn't have any classes today, I got to work all day.  I work at the YMCA in Grove City for the after program and it just so happened to be a half-day for the elementary kids so they showed up early.  During half-days the kids show up at the Y at 12:30 instead of their usual arrival time of 2:30.  We showed "The Lego Movie" and sold pizza to the kids and also had flag football available in the arena. 

Working at the Y as an afterschool staff and also a sports staff gives me a lot of experience working with kids.  As a sports staff I coach and referee youth sports.  Tomorrow morning I'll be referee and coaching basketball from 8:30-3:00.  I know it limits what I can do Friday nights but that's probably a good thing. 

I may even get some homework done tonight.  I have a lesson plan due for 452 on Saturday and have another lesson plan due for Health class on Monday.  The semester is coming to an end which means the school work is piling up.  I'm trying not to procrastinate but that's easier said than done.

 I'm David Ryan, Stay classy Slippery Rock

Field Experience

This morning I got a text message from my mentor teacher at New Wilmington Elementary around 7:00 am that said he was not going to be there for the class I teach and hopefully there's a substitute.  Well there wasn't a substitute so I was on my own.  Luckily I had a full lesson planned and everything went smoothly.  My second graders were pretty well behaved and didn't run into any problems throughout my lesson.  All the students were well behaved just like their regular teacher had been there.  I wish I could say the same for my partner Garrett who had to teach the next class.

The next class was a rambunctious first grade group who have a lot of behavioral problems.  As soon as they noticed their teacher wasn't there, they went wild.  I don't blame them though because I would have done the same thing at that age. 

This morning allowed me to realize I am capable of running a classroom and made me look forward to that experience for the rest of my career.