Stuck in the Middle: Come Dancing!
As the holiday season approaches at North Saanich, our Physical Education classes participate in a social dance unit. This is a great way to head off into the winter break. Students get to learn a few dance steps, they learn how to appropriately socialize in a formal situation and it is a wonderful change of pace from a competitive to a cooperative PE environment. It is a valuable unit for all our students.
This morning I was upstairs and noticed three grade 7 boys working on their math in the breakout area that looks down on the gym. They were engaged in their work and they each proudly showed me the questions that they were working on. While chatting with them, I happened to glance out the window. I saw that the gym was packed with students doing the ‘Tennessee Wig Walk.’ This presented me with a teachable moment to talk about the importance of participating in the dance unit. I thought these might be the type of students who might hesitate to participate in dance. They were baseball/hockey/biking kind of guys! So I thought I would set them up for success for the dance unit by positively building it up.
As I spoke they each joined me in looking out the window. I said, “Isn’t it great that every single person is participating!”
One of the boys enthusiastically announced, “I know how to do that dance.” He quickly retreated into an open space in the hallway and started demonstrating. The other boys immediately joined him. They were soon in perfect rhythm. I let them finish the dance and then in my best principal voice said, “Great action break guys and now back to your math!”
The vast majority of our students buy into social dancing because our teachers do a great job teaching this unit. They set clear expectations for behaviour and attitude and then they make it fun. As a result our students love it!
“And when they, (PE teachers of North Saanich), said come dancing. Our students always did” It makes me, and I am assuming the Kinks, proud of our school.
At North Saanich Middle School everyone participates in a social dance unit in the gymnasium. This is then often carried into the halls and on to the playground. Not a bad way to gracefully transition into the Christmas holidays.
Go Hawks!
Come Dancing by the Kinks -
