As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact schools throughout the world, one subject that has been hit particularly hard is physical education. By nature, PE classes need people to be able to make contact and interact with each other in tight spaces. Unfortunately, this kind of engagement doesn’t work out as one would hope amid a global pandemic, so teaching physical education has been challenging. Masks, gym clothes, and equipment are also other issues that come to mind when trying to teach the class. 

While the current trends of the virus continue to advance daily, some questions and concerns are going around regarding things like gym lockers and changing. To get more information on the subject, I consulted two of the physical education teachers at GW. Here are some words they had to say on the matter. 

Mr. Dechino, Physical Education and Health Teacher

Q: How long have you been teaching PE at GW?

A: Two years by this upcoming January. 

Q: What’s your favorite part of teaching physical education? 

A: Getting a mix of different students coming together to enjoy physical activities and seeing them progress in different skillsets throughout the year. 

Q: What are some of the most considerable difficulties teaching physical education during the pandemic? 

A: Last year, it was very difficult not having the students in person to be able to teach techniques. I think a large part of physical education is the comradery between students to motivate and help each other. This year, we are a little bit limited as to what we can do as far as equipment, but with the help of our staff and students, we are able to progress in all of our games. 

Q: What do you think about gym lockers being reintroduced? Do you think their reimplementation this year will be effective?

A: We are hoping to have lockers back by the beginning of the third marking period. Yes, I think having students change will get us back into a sense of normalcy. 

Q: What is your overall outlook for physical education this year? Next year? 

A: I think over time the physical education staff hopes that we can continue to progress back to where we were prior to the pandemic. Everyone has done their part so far in order to move forward. Students seem to be enjoying what we have been able to do over the past marking period and a half, and we hope that students continue to have fun while in physical education. 

Q: Any other comments on the subject?

A: I think after going through what we have experienced, everyone has gained an appreciation for being able to enjoy physical activity with each other, as well as understanding how important our physical and mental health is to us. 

Mrs. Tible, Physical Education and Health Teacher

Q: How long have you been teaching PE at GW? 

A: 27 years at GW. I’ve had my whole career at GW. 

Q: What’s your favorite part of teaching physical education? 

A: I love teaching the kids and watching them improve. I also love interacting with almost every kid in the school because we know every kid. I like the interaction and getting to know each other. I also love finding sports for kids that might want to do something in high school since they might want to find out what sport they want to do there. 

Q: What are some of the most considerable difficulties teaching physical education during the pandemic? 

A: The whole thing about physical education is hands-on interaction and demonstration, so it was hard to do it through a screen. I tried to do it through videos, but it’s not the same as interacting in person. Physical education is all hands-on learning, so the hardest part for me was to get the enthusiasm, and trying to do it through a screen was even more difficult. I also don’t know if they’re doing the exercise or not. Another challenge is the masks. It’s very difficult to exercise and be wearing a mask inside. People have been doing very well with wearing the masks, though. 

Q: What do you think about gym lockers being reintroduced? Do you think their reimplementation this year will be effective?

A: I do think they will be effective. I think we are going to start to do it gradually in the next marking period. I think that we’ll, knowing that we need to have space between the kids, be able to space kids out. We’re also going to start with a couple of classes at a time. I think it’s feasible, and it depends on the trends of the virus. It’s totally different when they’re changed and when they’re not changed, like if they don’t wear the right clothes or the right shoes. The whole atmosphere is different. 

Q: What is your overall outlook for physical education this year? Next year? 

A: I do. I’m an optimist, so I think gradually we’ll start to change into the uniforms, and we’ve already started to get back into more normal activities with the equipment. I like to look at the bright side and think that it will get better as more people get vaccinated. I think it will return to almost what it was before by next year, hopefully. 

Q: Any other comments on the subject?

A: A lot of kids didn’t know things that they normally would have known in physical education before. I feel like I had to look at this year and assume nobody knows anything, and that I’m starting from scratch. There was so much missed during all that time that when I teach, I teach from the beginning. I don’t even assume the kids know things from the years before, so I try to start slow in that aspect. The computer was like my whole thing last year, and now, I do see that the kids are using their computers a lot. I like to teach health with discussions and not use the Chromebooks as much as maybe other classes do. Physical education and health are where we can interact and be in contact with everything that we do. Everyone had their own things, like how I did Kahoots. I’ve done things that I wouldn’t have done before, so there’s always a learning curve, but again, I feel like the best thing for physical education and health is to do interactions and hands-on activities. 

Overall, it appears the physical education staff has an optimistic outlook on the future of PE this year. By the looks of things, things are slowly starting to ease back to normal. However, it remains to be seen how the current situation with the pandemic evolves and the continual impact it will have on teaching not just physical education but all classes. The safety regulations that have been implemented may be challenging to work around in some cases, but they are essential to ensuring the health and safety of the students, faculty, and others.