Challenges of teaching PE!

Unfortunately PE (physical education) is marginalised in Kenyan secondary schools. The focus on academics, coupled with lack of space and resources means that PE often gets neglected. 

Having studied human movement for four years I was super keen to get PE happening in this school, and had brought with me a large amount of sports supplies. Initially I was told I would have to do it during lunchtime but after a bit of negotiating and persuasion I finally managed to wangle one lesson per class per week to do Lifeskills or PE on an alternate basis.

The kids absolutely love it and get super excited when it is time for our lessons and they get a chance to get outside and do something physical. I love teaching them sports like Ultimate Frisbee, Oztag, badminton and Australian Rules rather than the traditional soccer, netball and volleyball as they have never even seen many of these sports and love learning new games.

Teaching a class of form 3s Australian Rules Football last week took an unexpected turn... As usual the kids were getting super involved, the unique and unfamiliar nature of the game was a cause of great hilarity and noise levels and excitement were high. What I hadn't factored in was the fact that form 4s were in the middle of their National Kenyan Examinations (a very big deal). I am racing around refereeing when suddenly I notice a man brandishing a large rifle on the side of the field!

Security for examinations is tight and armed guards come to ensure there is no cheating or adverse examination conditions for the candidates.

It appears my PE lesson is causing the latter.

My usual default is to do whatever men with guns tell me to do, but on the other hand I really don't want to abandon the only PE lesson with this class for the fortnight... so I decide to negotiate with gun-toting-grumpy.

He finally agrees that if we make no noise at all we can continue.

Anyone who has ever played or watched Aussie Rules with a group of novices will know this is next to impossible, however an absolute credit to my students as they are able to play the rest of the lesson in complete silence- a testimony to how keen they are for PE lessons!