The start of a new year has a funny reputation. It’s supposed to be a reset button. A fresh start. A new era. A moment where you suddenly become more motivated, more organized, more disciplined, an…

The start of a new year has a funny reputation. It’s supposed to be a reset button. A fresh start. A new era. A moment where you suddenly become more motivated, more organized, more disciplined, an…

One constant during my 30 years of teaching is that the break from school at the end of the calendar year – winter for me and summer for my Southern Hemisphere friends – comes at just the right tim…

One constant during my 30 years of teaching is that the break from school at the end of the calendar year – winter for me and summer for my Southern Hemisphere friends – comes at just the right time. Leaving for school in the dark, arriving home in the dark, the end of a long semester of teaching (and the behavior of a few students) all have me yearning for a few weeks at home with family, seasonal fun, and the opportunity to reflect on the 12 months that came before me.

In a recent #Slowchathealth post, Andy Milne, shared a story about a “classroom moment” where his students took control of the learning environment and taught each other. The topic was menstruation and how to be supportive. A young man asked what more could boys do to be supportive, and this is what happened: “As I began to answer, I realized something: the class didn’t need…

As the days get shorter and the air gets cooler, it’s the perfect time to curl up with a good documentary. This fall, I’ve pulled together a list of films and series that caught my eye. Some are br…

To those who work hard to de-stigmatize sex education, to normalize sexual behavior, to promote pleasure, make lessons inclusive, and have the confidence to do all of that while injecting in some h…

Every semester, after introducing the content of my sexuality education unit, I conduct an anonymous question activity with my sophomore health class. I ask them to ask questions they have about an…

Every semester, after introducing the content of my sexuality education unit, I conduct an anonymous question activity with my sophomore health class. I ask them to ask questions they have about any of the content, but I also take this a step further. I ask them to suggest content that they think their peers definitley need to hear. Perhaps they are advocates for greater consent awareness and have a resource to share, or a message that simply must be included.

As the days get shorter and the air gets cooler, it’s the perfect time to curl up with a good documentary. This fall, I’ve pulled together a list of films and series that caught my eye. Some are br…

As the days get shorter and the air gets cooler, it’s the perfect time to curl up with a good documentary. This fall, I’ve pulled together a list of films and series that caught my eye. Some are brand new, others a few years old, but each one touches on themes of resilience, justice, identity, or community, all topics that feel especially relevant for those of us working in schools.

How good does it feel when someone tells you they loved something you created? Maybe it was a teaching idea you shared online, a presentation you gave, or even a simple resource that helped a fello…

How good does it feel when someone tells you they loved something you created? Maybe it was a teaching idea you shared online, a presentation you gave, or even a simple resource that helped a fellow teacher. Those small words of appreciation can make your whole week. Now imagine all the creators, writers, and podcasters out there who might never hear that feedback, even when people love what they’re doing.

With World Mental Health Day upon us, it’s a good moment to reflect on how our mental well-being is connected to movement. In a world where stress and anxiety levels are rising, we often look…

Every October, educators, health professionals, and communities mark Health Literacy Month which is a time to shine a light on the importance of understanding and using health information to make informed choices. At its core, health literacy is about more than reading a pamphlet or following doctor’s orders. It’s about giving people, including our students, the confidence, knowledge, and skills to access reliable information, ask good questions, weigh options, and take positive steps toward making, and encouraging, health enhancing behaviors.

A recent Instagram post summarizing the ‘impact of smartphone use on athletes’ sleep and performance’ caught my eye and got me wondering about the research that supports my intern…

Outside of the Health Education classroom, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has been relegated to the realm of “extras” – a separate curriculum, a few isolated lessons squeezed into an a…

Teaching my students the 10 Dimensions of Wellness opens their eyes to the holistic nature of health. It allows them to appreciate the many ways in which they can take strides towards enhancing the…