Blog #2

 On my first day with Coach Gold, I got to Orange and began my day at 8:50. Since Wednesdays are Coach Gold's busiest days, there wasn't too much time outside of classes. We had 10 PE classes that day, with each class lasting 30 min. The classes were all of different grades, and there were different activities for different age groups because of the different skill levels of the children. This was a very important piece to understand because it is something that I probably wouldn't have thought about: Kindergarteners should not be expected to perform at the same level as 5th graders. Typically, each class plays two activities, a warm-up, and a main game, both corresponding to the current unit. Additionally, each homeroom has gym class twice a week, and each unit lasts for two weeks, so 4 different classes have to be planned per unit. Furthermore, as mentioned earlier with skill levels, there have to be different activities for different age groups, so Kindergarten through 2nd grade does one set of 4 warmups and 4 games, while 3rd through 5th does another set of each. The current PE unit is baseball, so that means that Coach Gold and the other Coach have to come up with 16 different baseball-related games. As a former Orange student, I never would have guessed how much work goes into planning a single activity, let alone 16. I have learned to not underestimate the effort of a person based on their composure: Just because Coach Gold is always on top of things and leads a good class doesn't mean her job is easy. What surprises me even more is that on top of teaching a full, draining, schedule of young children, Coach Gold also goes up to the High School and coaches Varsity volleyball. I am honestly in awe of the energy and effort that she puts into every day, I am young and I still feel exhausted after a day of classes, and I am not even coaching after school.