Well, I certainly agree with the philosophy that we are all works in progress. How boring life would be if we WEREN'T... right? Everyday, throughout our lives, we are working on some dimension of wellness. Even if it's a day spent solely on the couch because we just need the rest... to either physically or mentally recharge a bit. What is healthy is the fact that you ALLOW yourself that time.
I use to teach 8th grade health and we discussed the 6 dimensions of wellness. For a 13-14 year old, they had a hard time understanding that health doesn't refer to only your physical appearance. I think adults also sometimes forget this fact. Just because a person works out and eats healthy doesn't mean thy are truly healthy. It is important to find a balance among all dimensions!
I have a guidance counselor that comes into my classroom each week to work with the students on health related topics, but she has never really tied all her topics together by pointing out that they are all dimensions of wellness. I think that I will speak to her about this and have her do an introductory lesson on the 6 dimensions the first day she comes in. Then she can refer to them each time she starts a new health topic with the students. I don't think 3rd grade is too young to learn about the 6 dimensions of wellness. ( We already talk about alcohol and tobacco use, friendship, environmental issues and more - we just need to give our discussions a framework!)
I agree, 3rd grade is not too young. For all the things our young students are introduced to, health (all dimensions) is probably something we could discuss everyday. It's great that you already discuss friendships. That is one of the toughest areas for my middle-schoolers and they usually don't understand that their health is affected when friendships go awry or when they surround themselves with negative or troublesome individuals.
Well, I certainly agree with the philosophy that we are all works in progress. How boring life would be if we WEREN'T... right? Everyday, throughout our lives, we are working on some dimension of wellness. Even if it's a day spent solely on the couch because we just need the rest... to either physically or mentally recharge a bit. What is healthy is the fact that you ALLOW yourself that time.
ReplyDeleteI use to teach 8th grade health and we discussed the 6 dimensions of wellness. For a 13-14 year old, they had a hard time understanding that health doesn't refer to only your physical appearance. I think adults also sometimes forget this fact. Just because a person works out and eats healthy doesn't mean thy are truly healthy. It is important to find a balance among all dimensions!
ReplyDeleteI have a guidance counselor that comes into my classroom each week to work with the students on health related topics, but she has never really tied all her topics together by pointing out that they are all dimensions of wellness. I think that I will speak to her about this and have her do an introductory lesson on the 6 dimensions the first day she comes in. Then she can refer to them each time she starts a new health topic with the students. I don't think 3rd grade is too young to learn about the 6 dimensions of wellness. ( We already talk about alcohol and tobacco use, friendship, environmental issues and more - we just need to give our discussions a framework!)
ReplyDeleteI agree, 3rd grade is not too young. For all the things our young students are introduced to, health (all dimensions) is probably something we could discuss everyday. It's great that you already discuss friendships. That is one of the toughest areas for my middle-schoolers and they usually don't understand that their health is affected when friendships go awry or when they surround themselves with negative or troublesome individuals.
ReplyDelete