teacher talk tuesday

Running with Students: Post Thanksgiving Run! (Week 13)

December 8, 2015 by Tam Leave a Comment

I told my students we had to run now that we had indulged during the Thanksgiving holiday! I know I needed to get back on track. 😉

I love that the students are motivated by other students and want to push themselves.

The students still enjoy running and I could tell that they/we all were a bit more sluggish on this day–probably from the Thanksgiving holiday.

I chatted with students about their Thanksgiving break and I love the time we have to talk about non-academic stuff when we run. The school days are so busy with standards we have to learn, tests to take and data to show what we have learned. I treasure this time to just wind down, relax and be with my students.

Your path, your pace, Tam

Running with Students: Turkey Trot (Week 12)

November 24, 2015 by Tam Leave a Comment

My students were very excited to have our very own Turkey Trot! I always tell them about the races I run and one day during running club, a student said we should have our own fun run. It was a great idea, of course, so we planned it! They liked the idea and we even brainstormed ideas for our next holiday fun run. I told the kids we’d have a Turkey Trot before our Thanksgiving break and have pumpkin pie afterward!

I wore my turkey hat and the kids loved it!

Many of the kids tried to run 2 miles since I gave us extra time to run, about 30 minutes.

This student ran 13 laps which is just over 2 miles!

I love that the students enjoy running with their friends, just like I do!

We had pumpkin pie afterward, with whipped cream, of course! I made it into a fraction lesson as I cut the pie, of course. 🙂

I made badges for the kids and for each fun run we have, I’ll make a badge and they can collect them! The kids loved the badge idea and are excited to collect them. I’m excited that they’re excited about running and it’s fun to do something a little different than I’ve done in previous years. Our next fun run will be the Santa Sprint!

Your path, your pace, Tam

Running with Students: Post 50K Run (Week 11)

November 17, 2015 by Tam Leave a Comment

Last week’s run was just after my 50k so I was fatigued but glad to have an opportunity to move and loosen up my muscles again. I was especially excited to sport my coveted INKnBURN Out-n-Back Ultra Runner shirt! The kids loved my shirt!

I spent the whole day teaching in my owl slippers that a fellow teacher gave me. So my pep talk for this run was, “You know what to do! Just run!”

During the run, the kids asked me about the 50k and wanted to know how it went!

This student finished running a half marathon’s worth in miles!

I love that this student wrote about how she beat a boy in our class by running slowly and steadily! And she felt no pain at all! I love this!

I always tell the kids to push themselves!

I love that this student wrote about how she ran with her friend, who encourages her and waits for her. “She inspires me to keep on going.” I think they’re really getting the message, right? 🙂

This student wrote about being excited for next week’s Turkey Trot! Yay! Next week, we will have our own Turkey Trot and I have special things planned for the kids!

Your path, your pace, Tam

Running with Students: Running to Make the Stress Go Away! (Week 10)

November 10, 2015 by Tam Leave a Comment

This week’s theme for our running club was running to clear the mind and release some stress!

My students knew I was stressed for my upcoming 50K. Students even said, “You’re stressed! Just relax!” Haha. I said, “I’m trying!”

I shared with my students that running can release stress. Many times, runners have to go for a run to pound out the stress and think about things.

I love that this student was happy with 10 laps even though his goal was 11 laps. We didn’t have as much to run today with the way the day went.

I love this student used the word fatigue in her journal since we had just learned that word earlier that day. I explained that I am sure I will be very fatigued after my 50K!

I was glad to get in a short run with my students and I did feel better afterward. Running always makes me feel better, most especially during stressful times. I was stressed last week, as the 50k neared. I hope my students learn to run when they need to release some stress!

Your path, your pace, Tam

Running with Students: Running Strong (Week 8)

October 27, 2015 by Tam Leave a Comment

I was already in the Halloween spirit with my students! I wore my mummy outfit and chased them a bit as we ran our progressive marathon.

It was Red Ribbon Week at school and this running club day was Scare Drugs Away (wear Halloween colors or clothing) so many of the students were dressed up, too!

This week’s running theme was running strong! I love that this students wrote about how she feels stronger since she didn’t have pain in her stomach.

I talked to my students about how running a marathon isn’t about sprinting or running fast the whole time. We discussed how running strong is powerful because we can’t all run fast, but we can all run strong.

This talk was for my students who are like me. They may not be natural runners but they can keep working on feeling strong. I told my students that although I am not fast, I keep on running and I walk when I have to but I keep going. I explained that strength can be measured in many ways. People feel strong with they are fast. People feel strong because they keep moving. People feel strong because they don’t give up. We can all feel strong in our own way.

This student wore her running club shirt that I gave her and I shared that I was running that same race that weekend. She was excited me show me her running sticks!

I can tell that my students are getting stronger by their level of excitement when we run and how proud they are when they share how many laps they ran. 🙂

Your path, your pace, Tam

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