The title purposely has a double meaning. As an athletic director and PE instructor, as soon I knew we were going back for in-school instruction; I had mixed feelings. On one hand, I was so glad to see the children again and teach in-person outside or in a gym, with lots of equipment and space, and the students would get the movement and social interaction they desperately need. On the other hand, how am I supposed to deliver quality instruction when students have to stay six feet apart? Are all team-based games, all tagging games, and all games that require closeness gone for the year? Will wearing masks hurt their aerobic ability? What changes do I have to make with materials to limit potential exposure and ensure proper sanitation?

As I racked my brain with all these different questions, it sometimes felt overwhelming and isolating. However, I took solace in the fact that there were a whole lot of other PE teachers teaching in-person instruction who are in the same boat as me. Facebook groups have been helpful seeing others share questions and concerns. Seeing the hundreds of posts and discussions nudged me in the right direction or reminded me or reminded me of something I needed to discuss with the administrators. Consulting with my administrators has been extremely helpful, and I encourage you to reach out to them if you do feel overwhelmed.

Yesterday I had a Zoom meeting with my LMAIS (Lake Michigan Association of Independent Schools) athletic director and PE instructor affinity group, and it was great to see the familiar faces, and it was reassuring to hear that our practices were pretty similar coming into the new school year. I did not feel alone in that moment, talking and listening to my peers, and I felt good about where we are headed as a collection of independent schools. Because many of you do not have the luxury of speaking face-to-face with other ADs or PE instructors in your area, I want to give you some sense of reassurance with some of the meeting notes I recorded. Whether you have no idea what you are going to do for in-person instruction, or you just need to know you are on the right the track, I hope these meeting notes help you in whatever way you need.

Before I get to the meeting notes, I want to preface by saying that all of you need to be familiar with your state, city, and local guidelines considering your practices in the classroom. When in doubt, talk with your administrators, and be more cautious than the recommendations made by the state, city, etc. This is where everyone needs to start before moving forward. Once you have a good grasp on this (and be ready to adapt as the science adapts), inventory, logistics, and lesson planning can begin. Again, understand the guidelines of your state and local health departments because this is the framework that you must adhere to.

School #1

Meeting in person using a “pods” system
PE classes will be held outdoors as much as possible until the weather does not permit. Once PE moves indoors in a gym setting, using placing markers, opening windows, hand sanitizer before and after, and individualizing equipment become extra important
Some students have opted for at-home instruction, and will be synchronous with students at school
There will be no athletics in the fall, maybe affinity groups by pod if possible, which are open to stay-at-home students
Masks are to be worn everywhere unless they are eating

School #2

School is opening with a hybrid model of two days in-person, three days at home instruction
It is still unclear whether PE classes with students at home will be synchronous with in-person instruction, or they will have their own curriculum
The students would be attending PE in pods
Pods would also have “recess packs,” which are materials only for that pod during recess
Students are to wash their hands before and after each class
The students who are stay-at-home only would have workout-based lessons
The in-school students would focus on volley sports with implements (tennis, badminton, etc.)
In-person lessons will be held in the gym, but there is work for field access with the city, but that is pending. The cafeteria is no longer utilized for eating, so it will become an additional PE space
No after school sports, but affinity groups based per pod
Masks are to be worn everywhere, including outside during recess

School #3

Students will be coming to school in-person and online (hybrid model)
They are going to offer golf as a fall sport because appropriate social distancing can be observed, and they have competitive golfers who should do well in state level competition
They are looking into the feasibility of cross-country, but staffing presents a challenge, as many more coaches would be needed
All PE classes will be done in school
After School affinity groups will also be offered

School 4

Students can either come to school everyday, or stay-at-home, but there is no crossover
PE lessons are offered only to students who come to school, info packs are sent to at-home students
There are less PE classes offered per week, but each lesson is longer, keeping the equivalent amount of PE time
No sports in the fall
Looking into affinity groups for afterschool, but there are logistical challenges with getting to and from an off campus gym setting

Personally, my school will be meeting in-person five days a week for lower and upper elementary, while the middle school will meet four days a week in-person, with the fifth day being online learning (primarily co-curriculars). We have students broken into pods, which will not intermingle with each other. We do have students who are doing at-home learning for the year, as well as students who only attend the morning, and go home during lunch (they will join the online groups for co-curricular instruction). I will be meeting each lower and upper elementary pod once a week for 45 minutes. Keeping them socially distanced will not be so hard with only 15 (usually less) students per pod in the whole gym, and will enable more dynamic gameplay.

While I tried to keep as many PE games as I could from my three volumes, some just simply don’t work with the social distance constraint. However, many lessons can be tweaked and adapted to work, and some lessons can also work for the online setting as well. The biggest change for in class instruction (other than masks and social distancing) will be the absence of throwing, passing, and catching balls between participants. Even though it seems like surface contact is not the primary mode of spreading, we will proceed with an abundance of caution. To replace throwing and catching with hands, we can use scoop implements instead, as well as hockey sticks, which can easily be sanitized from class to class, and no hand contact with the ball is made. Movement with the students will need to be reduced at times so they do not get too close to each other, and some games I will have to create zones that students can move around in, but not out. Lots of the games may feel more “drill-based” because students cannot play active defense against each other (proximity), but will still be a lot of fun.

We will not have after school sports until after winter break, and that will be limited to pods and drill based individual instruction. We hope that there will be some type of progress with a vaccine in the spring, but I’m not hopeful. However, most of us agreed that if there is something in place for the summer, we could run certain sports in the summer to make up for the lost season. But we don’t want to get to far ahead of ourselves.

After reading the synopsis of my school, as well as some other private schools in the Chicago land area, I hope this information helps. Whether this gives you a starting point, or helps you make a decision you may have been on the fence about, the goal of this blog post is to reassure you that you are not alone in your journey, and that I will continue to support the Montessori and PE communities the best I can with sharing information and lesson plans.

Thanks everyone. Don’t forget that Volume Three was just released for $29, and all three volumes can be purchased for the incredible low price of $75 at the website store.