Game Changers: Kids Have a Field Day Learning Leadership in PE

Key Points

• In an innovative leadership program, third, fourth, and fifth graders encourage connections with younger students.
• Their responsibilities include getting to know the students in their assigned classes, arriving on time, and attending monthly meetings.
• Leveraging self-assessment and celebration throughout the year, the program had an immense impact on student agency and leadership.

It’s the second to last Monday of the school year at Manzanita Community School (MCS) in Oakland, and the Physical Education (PE) room is full of vibrant third, fourth, and fifth graders conversing and laughing. The students, who are part of the school’s PE leadership program, are writing appreciations to their fellow PE leaders, while a slideshow of memories is projected on the whiteboard.

Celebration is vital in many aspects of education, learning, and growth—and that spirit of celebration is central to the program. From veteran educators to fifth-grade PE leaders, being celebrated and celebrating others helps build a positive and rewarding environment.

Boosting Agency and Leadership Skills

After a post-COVID revival, the PE leadership program at MCS is in its third year. Twenty-eight third, fourth, and fifth graders were selected to participate and take on leadership roles assisting lower-grade classes during PE. In this program, each student is assigned a specific class with two or more fellow PE leaders to encourage connections with younger students. Their responsibilities include getting to know the students in their assigned classes, arriving on time, and attending monthly meetings.

The growth and success of the PE leadership program has resulted from collaboration, curiosity, and intentionally investing in students’ social and emotional skills to boost their agency and leadership abilities. When I became curious about how to increase PE leaders’ agency and leadership skills by tending to their SEL skills, my school district’s social and emotional learning (SEL) elementary inquiry group in partnership with Lead by Learning gave me the opportunity to dive into this question. The districtwide community of practice is facilitated by Lead by Learning to support SEL educators from elementary schools across our district to think deeply and support each other through collaboration to better integrate SEL and academics in support of student success.

The year prior, I had engaged in inquiry with Lead by Learning focused on my African American students, and I wanted to build upon my learning. So for my second year in the inquiry group, I set the inquiry goal of increasing agency and cultivating student leadership skills. I realized that indicators of success might look different for each student leader, and I wanted to be more intentional about celebrating and appreciating the PE leaders to build student self-awareness of their strengths and areas of growth.

I began the year by ensuring students were acknowledged and identified as leaders by the community. We posted PE leader photos and names on the PE bulletin board in the main hallway and on the wall of the PE classroom. I added monthly meetings where students not only got a chance to connect with fellow PE leaders, but also to celebrate, evaluate, and brainstorm ways to improve their own leadership skills. Each meeting included attendance shoutouts and acknowledgment of the PE leaders of the month.

Setting Expectations

I then realized that to excel as a PE leader, students must have a clear understanding of what effective leadership looks like in this role. We collaboratively established four evaluation components during our early meetings:

1. Classroom Expectations: Are students meeting the expectations of their teacher and classroom?
2. PE Class Expectations: Are students being safe and respectful during PE? Are students trying their best during PE? Are students contributing to the joy of PE?
3. PE Leadership Expectations: Do students come on time? Do students engage positively with their class? Do students make PE fun for their class?
4. Leadership Elsewhere: Are you a leader outside of your role? (e.g., in the cafeteria, at recess, at home, after school program, etc.)

Initially, assessments were mainly supervisor-centered, meaning only my opinion was considered in evaluating each leader. As the year progressed, and I continued to collect data and collaborate with fellow SEL colleagues during our Lead by Learning community of practice sessions, I realized I wanted leaders to have more ownership of their development. We then established one-on-one meetings during lunchtime where PE leaders gave themselves scores for each leadership component as we discussed goals for improvement. This practice proved to be more meaningful and fruitful in identifying each student’s self-awareness and self-management skills within their role as PE leaders. Additionally, it provided more opportunities to celebrate and appreciate each leader.

The Impact on Student Leaders

Self-assessment and celebration throughout the year had an immense impact on student agency and leadership. Students knew what to strive for and how to develop as leaders. That year, the PE leadership program at MCS saw remarkable engagement. To begin, there was a strong interest and enthusiasm for the program with 25 percent (43/172) of third, fourth, and fifth grade MCS students applying to be PE leaders. Among those selected, PE leaders showed a dedication to school with a combined attendance rate of 95 percent. Notably, three of the six students with perfect attendance at Manzanita were PE leaders, highlighting the program’s positive impact on student participation and responsibility.

I look forward to continuing the student-centered approach of evaluating leadership skills as I expand leadership opportunities for students on campus. Similarly, I appreciate the space provided in partnership with Lead by Learning to collaborate with other SEL leaders across my district. Having a space to look at student data, such as student self-assessments, student interviews, and community feedback, was invaluable in helping me improve my own self-awareness of the impact of my practice and intentionally integrate SEL into academics. 

The views in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of CASEL.

Jared Crayton-Thomas brings 16 years of experience at Manzanita Community School during which he has held the roles of Playworks coach, fourth/fifth grade classroom teacher, assistant principal, and his current position as PE teacher. He also served as the leader of the Culture and Climate team, fostering collaboration with community members to enhance student learning and joy. Outside of school, Jared enjoys spending quality time with his wife Steph and their beloved dog Ryder. In the summer, he is owner and director of the Oakland youth baseball camp, East Bay BALL Summer Camp. He is a huge Golden State Warriors fan and can be found on the golf course in his free time.

Related Posts:

• Olympians, Paralympians, and Youth Athletes Agree: Great Coaching Is More Than X’s and O’s
• From a Torn ACL to Coaching With SEL
• How I Found SEL on the Basketball Court

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