My name is Tom Horner. I am a licensed health, physical education, and adapted physical education teacher. I taught eight years of physical education, and am currently building a brand new role as the Mental Health and Wellness coordinator in a school district.
Health and wellness is what I live by. My goal is to influence others to find something they enjoy doing in order for them to be active and healthy for life. In my opinion, a modern physical education program is essential for motivating students on a daily basis and giving students the knowledge and resources in order to want to stay active.
With my free time I enjoy spending time with family and friends, and staying active of course. I compete in full marathons, triathlons, and love to cook and eat good food!
As a health, physical, and adaptive physical education teacher, introducing students to activities that prepares them for overall lifetime wellness is my priority. Lifetime wellness contributes to emotional, physical, mental, social, spiritual, and environmental health. Balancing these throughout life will ultimately result in the healthiest individual. Like the wellness spectrum, students should not weigh 90% of their effort into one specific subject or interest; I believe students should balance these out in order to acquire a wide variety of educational knowledge that one can use for their future.
I also believe that having an educational environment that closely relates to the real world is how to best prepare students for their future and keep them interested. The experience that I bring to the table for teaching includes an understanding of the wide variety of abilities the students have. I believe it’s essential for each student to be challenged yet, have a fair chance to be successful in any activities that I teach. This involves understanding that there are introductory, competent, and proficient students in every class and therefore I challenge myself each day to create FUN and unique lessons that meet the needs of every individual in the class.
As obesity and inactivity continue to rise in the United States, it’s essential that by high school, students should have been introduced to as many sports, fitness, and health activities as possible. Because of this, it is important in the middle school years for the students to identify what interests them most, what doesn’t, and from here progress into the end in mind goal. My end in mind goal as a health and physical education teacher is to provide students the opportunity to find interest in physical activity in which they can carry on for the rest of their lives. Often times this does not include playing pick up basketball, soccer, or floor hockey in adulthood, but rather a structural lifestyle change. Examples that fall into this category include walking and biking instead of driving to work, walking upstairs instead of taking the elevator, choosing homemade and local farmers market groceries rather than going to a convenient store, racquet sports at a local gym, jogging, biking, swimming, dancing, and interests in participating in exercise activities through work, home, and community events. I am confident that the passion and motivation that I have each day to live a healthy lifestyle reflects the way I teach my students to help them reach their full potential.
Health and wellness is what I live by. My goal is to influence others to find something they enjoy doing in order for them to be active and healthy for life. In my opinion, a modern physical education program is essential for motivating students on a daily basis and giving students the knowledge and resources in order to want to stay active.
With my free time I enjoy spending time with family and friends, and staying active of course. I compete in full marathons, triathlons, and love to cook and eat good food!
As a health, physical, and adaptive physical education teacher, introducing students to activities that prepares them for overall lifetime wellness is my priority. Lifetime wellness contributes to emotional, physical, mental, social, spiritual, and environmental health. Balancing these throughout life will ultimately result in the healthiest individual. Like the wellness spectrum, students should not weigh 90% of their effort into one specific subject or interest; I believe students should balance these out in order to acquire a wide variety of educational knowledge that one can use for their future.
I also believe that having an educational environment that closely relates to the real world is how to best prepare students for their future and keep them interested. The experience that I bring to the table for teaching includes an understanding of the wide variety of abilities the students have. I believe it’s essential for each student to be challenged yet, have a fair chance to be successful in any activities that I teach. This involves understanding that there are introductory, competent, and proficient students in every class and therefore I challenge myself each day to create FUN and unique lessons that meet the needs of every individual in the class.
As obesity and inactivity continue to rise in the United States, it’s essential that by high school, students should have been introduced to as many sports, fitness, and health activities as possible. Because of this, it is important in the middle school years for the students to identify what interests them most, what doesn’t, and from here progress into the end in mind goal. My end in mind goal as a health and physical education teacher is to provide students the opportunity to find interest in physical activity in which they can carry on for the rest of their lives. Often times this does not include playing pick up basketball, soccer, or floor hockey in adulthood, but rather a structural lifestyle change. Examples that fall into this category include walking and biking instead of driving to work, walking upstairs instead of taking the elevator, choosing homemade and local farmers market groceries rather than going to a convenient store, racquet sports at a local gym, jogging, biking, swimming, dancing, and interests in participating in exercise activities through work, home, and community events. I am confident that the passion and motivation that I have each day to live a healthy lifestyle reflects the way I teach my students to help them reach their full potential.