Off-Campus PE

You hear all those stories about how Middle School is so hard. How all the bad stuff in the locker room is where it all happens. After having one go through middle school without too many issues, I figured everything would be fine when it came to sending Camie to Middle School.

Well, then came those feelings. Those prompting. The ones that sit in your gut and make you feel kind of sick if you don't do something about it. The ones that would be so much easier to ignore than to do.

I had that feeling about Camie and the locker rooms and PE. Had the same feelings about waiting a year to send Spencer to kindergarten. Not sure why I had those feelings, but I couldn't ignore them. Same with Camie and PE. I just couldn't ignore the feelings I was having. And I didn't want to find out what would happen if I didn't listen.

So I made a few phone calls to friends who have done the off-campus PE. Talked to the school counselors. Met with the guy in charge of an off-campus PE program at our gym.  Talked to Camie about what she was interested in. And then prayed. Prayed some more. This wasn't going to be easy. Camie would have to do 5 hours of workouts a week AT the gym. Anywhere else didn't count. That's kind of a big commitment. But I felt it was something we needed to do. I couldn't not do it.

And then I got excited. The PE at school has its value, but nothing like working out at a gym. PE is a lot of sitting around picking on each other. A lot of wasted time. And that is coming from Taneal who just went through the school program.  Camie is learning to use a gym. She takes an off-campus PE class once a week that teaches her team sports such as basketball, soccer, volleyball, track, etc. So she will learn how to do those. But she is also learning to use the weights. The treadmill, the elliptical. And she has to do all this 5 hours a week for the whole school year. If she doesn't get those hours, she doesn't get the PE credit. She has to do it.

Right now she is really enjoying the Zumba class. She takes that once a week. And Camie has the moves. She can shake it, follow the footwork, and move right along with the teacher. And she looks so good. She didn't get that talent from me. I love that she has found something that is hers, something she is good at, better than anyone else in our family.

Once a week she does the off-campus PE class. Yesterday she started a volleyball class, which will get her 2 hours a week. And then she does weights. She is really enjoying doing this and I am thrilled that she is learning how to use a gym, something that will help keep her moving and healthy the rest of her life.