Innovation, Inspiration, and Impact

“In 31 years of teaching I have never worked harder than now,

everything evolves and that includes middle school P.E. classes.” Stephanie Mouse

Goddard Public Schools are intentional to educate the whole student.

Heart Rate Monitors allow for the students to see how their movement directly effects their heart rate, giving Ms. Mouse an opportunity to teach about the connection of exercise to health and fitness. Students have changed from standing still as they wait for the next instruction or play to running in place to keep the level up. As she is learning how this system works she is seeing how the students that are in top condition must work even harder to keep their heart rate up. As well as seeing there is an opportunity to identify a heart condition in a student that consistently is in the red without having been active at all.

Ms. Mouse said one of the most exciting things to watch has been the impact the monitors have had on the students with disabilities. At almost any level, a student can understand colors and then are able to associate it with their movement. The students are excited to show her as soon as their rate changes from blue to yellow to red. They have been more motivated to work harder in class to stay active and moving.

The learning curve has been huge. Not only all the new technology she is implementing, but learning how to wear them and finding the “sweet spot” on the wrist where it will read correctly and changing her curriculum as she sees what activities keep the girls moving and what has too much waiting/standing time. Stephanie claims that although she is nearing the end of her career, it isn’t a time to sit back and coast, rather she says this new challenge has been refreshing.

Thank you to all of you that have donated to the Goddard Education Foundation for helping put this game plan into motion. Thank you, Ms. Mouse, for looking towards the future and wanting Goddard students to reach their full potential!