Torch, Fall 2004

the class has been offered ever since. “The program has been a win-win situation,” Clark summarized. “The Cedarville students gain a valuable teaching experience, equipping them for their future student teaching experience, and the homeschooled children are able to have physical education training experience with other children their age. The teacher wins and the student wins.” JoAnn Davis agrees with Clark’s assessment of the program. Her husband, Brent, is the assistant men’s soccer coach at Cedarville University. The Davises, both CU alums, homeschool their four children and have been participating in the program for four years. JoAnn said, “I appreciate the homeschool physical education program: my children are being exposed to what it’s like to be in a classroom-type setting; they get a good workout, make friends, and have fun; and the CU students are exposed to running a physical education class.” JoAnn’s 10-year-old daughter, Caitlin, says she looks forward to participating in the program and admits that her favorite part is playing soccer. “I like the homeschool PE program because I get to be with other homeschoolers, have fun, and get out of school for an hour and a half,” she remarked. “I also like learning new things like sports and other fun things.” This is the second year that CU alumna Leah Terrell has had her children participate. A mother of four, Leah is homeschooling her five-year-old twins and says the program has been a real blessing. “It is wonderful to be able to bring our girls to such a nice facility where they can participate in structured, age-appropriate activities,” she shared. “The twins really look forward to it and enjoy it.” The CU students involved in the “Physical Education in Elementary School” class meet five days a week. For the first 10 weeks of the semester they learn about the many facets of teaching physical education (class organization, class management, lesson plan format, assessment, etc.) and how to critique teaching styles. During the last six weeks of the semester, each student makes a lesson plan which Clark evaluates for age appropriateness and fitness level. “It is a requirement that every lesson includes fitness training as well as a motor skill focus,” Clark explained. The student then teaches the approved lesson plan to the homeschooled children who come two days a week. When the children arrive, Clark opens with a pep talk that emphasizes the spiritual importance of their activities. “The children are then divided into age groups,” Clark said, “and every week a different part of the physical education curriculum is addressed. Each week the Cedarville students rotate and teach a different age level so they gain experience with all the ages.” At the end of the term, each child is awarded a certificate for his or her successful completion of the course. Clark says the success of the program has ensured its continuance, as it is not only popular with the CU students, but with faculty/staff families as well. Physical Education and the Christian Life P hysical fitness and focus on the body can be done well but for many wrong reasons. To help students understand body stewardship from a scriptural perspective, Cedarville University developed the “Physical Activity and the Christian Life” class, or PACL, in the mid-1980s. In developing this required physical education course, the exercise and sport science faculty wanted to enable students to develop knowledge, understanding, and skills about what they should do to care for their bodies, how to do it, and, most importantly, why as Christians they should do it. The class investigates the scriptural and physiological bases for practicing good stewardship of the body and provides both intellectual and physical experiences for students to care for their “earthen vessels.” The text used in the course is Physical Fitness and the Christian: Exercising Stewardship , co-authored by Cedarville’s own Dr. Pamela D. Johnson (senior professor of exercise and sport science and dean of the School of Health and Human Performance), and Dr. L. Delyte Morris (adjunct professor and certified physician assistant). The textbook is currently being revised for its fourth edition, with the major revisions aimed at providing a learning resource for use of the new Fitness Center’s equipment. As is presented in the text, “… for those who are His children, we encourage you to praise Him with every aspect of your life for His indescribable gift to you.” Cedarville University is committed to helping students learn how one part of our praise to God is caring for our bodies as He would. T Fall 2004 / TORCH 9