Week 8 - Fitzpatrick - Putting it all Together

For the final week of the class, the reading was chapter 13 of the LifeSmart text, Lifespan Development in Action. Throughout the chapter, discussions mentioned include topics such as the two types of concepts putting theory in to practice, inquiry and action research (300), and the development of lifespan psychology from its roots as a field dedicated to the study of developmental psychology (300) to addressing the stages of human development and society’s effect on it (300). Also discussed are current concerns and controversies surround human development (I/e standardized testing) (303), how history has changed the way society views human development – most notably, the way government has changed their view on developmental programs such as Head Start as not what the program does for the participants lives, but rather to the visible outcomes from the participants, such as comparable math and literacy scores (303). Change agents, leadership opportunities, professionalism in the lifespan development field including careers, compensation (financial versus emotional), and advocacy for the lifespan development field are also discussed in chapter 13 as well.

            One thing I found interesting that I never thought of in such a perspective until I read it in this chapter is the idea of technology, specifically social media and the right to use it, being used as a rite of passage to adulthood in middles childhood and adolescence. My son just began junior high this year, and at the beginning of the school year, a big subject for my wife and I was is he ready for his own phone and snapchat account. Until this year, my son has had no need for such technology. He attended a small elementary school with all his friends within walking distance or a small bike ride. Parents conversed with other parents on the phone about hangouts and other events like online gaming, etc. However, being in a larger school farther from home and with new peers encompassing a vastly larger environment, we knew it was going to be much harder to contain out son to the small area we knew. We could already see the changes coming, with him asking us to go to friends’ houses more often and losing content with what he has been accustom to. He began showing maturity and independence in areas he never had before, completing his homework without being reminded, taking care of personal possessions better, etc. As a result, we chose to give him his phone and snapchat account. With that, he also gained the freedom from us to be able to travel outside our comfort zone and take on more adult-like responsibility independently. While not thinking of it as a rite of passage, looking back, that is exactly what the phone and snapchat account were treated as.

            As a future educator, there was a lot of insightful material within this chapter to keep in my when developing my identity as a teacher. One key topic that sparked my interest was that of the Dalai Lamas’s idea of acting primarily for the benefit of others (301) and doing what is right for humankind as opposed to our individual interests, aka “universal responsibility” (303). Being a teacher is undoubtedly a selfless responsibility one can put onto themselves. While entertaining, it is important as an educator to remember always that the primary responsibility of the profession is to benefit the students’ lives. Not just by cognitively increasing content knowledge but increasing the students’ social/ emotional morale and physical lifestyle. Our actions as educators are the initial image, outside of the family, that our students will inherit as authority figures, and their self-worth and self-acceptance will be dependent on our actions and the environment we create.

            Lastly, on page 305, the text defines helping professions and professions that relate to people’s physical, cognitive, and social-emotional well-being. This struck me on a personal note because throughout the duration of my time studying to become a physical educator, I have come across many peers and others who have, both consciously and unconsciously, degraded the role of physical education in the educational system. Referring to the curriculum as “gym class,” many people consider P.E. as a second recess for the students. However, what others do not consider is that while other subjects must consider a student’s physical, cognitive, and social well-being when teaching to the content, Physical Education’s main content is teaching physical, cognitive, and social-emotional well-being along with providing the necessary knowledge to the students to guide their personal thoughts, actions, and feelings in a positive manner. It is not about the art of how to properly kick a soccer ball, but to teach students how to take care of themselves, work together, assess and manage actions in times of stress, and critique one’s own ability and figure out how to develop the necessary skills – physically, cognitively, and emotionally – to create a successful image, both in movements and in self. A physical educator is much more than a glorified recess monitor or recreational coach. In an essence, more than a physical educator, they are lifestyle educators, promoting positive self-awareness and management.