Kickball, & Push-Ups, & Staying Active In PE

As a white ball bounced towards Monserrat Martinez, the Roberto Clemente school sixth grader locked eyes with it — and then kicked it with all her might, sending it across the gymnasium and giving her the chance to sprint towards the safety of first base.

That was the scene during a sixth-grade physical education (PE) class at Roberto Clemente Leadership Academy For Global Awareness Magnet School Thursday morning. 

The school’s gymnasium rumbled with music as students played a version of kickball called ​“Steal It” at the 360 Columbus Ave middle school. The class was taught by Clemente PE teachers Vivian Jefferson and Kareem Jackson, who have been a teaching team for the past 14 years. 

Jefferson, a New York native, has been teaching PE for 26 years. She left fitness training to step into private education for a year in Washington D.C. However, she didn’t truly fall in love with teaching PE until she moved to public education in Maryland’s Prince George’s County.

“Once I got into urban public education I knew I would die a PE teacher and wouldn’t go back,” she said. 

Fifteen years ago, Jefferson moved to the New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) district and started as an itinerant PE teacher for five schools. After a year of this she expressed a desire to have a home base and was transferred to Clemente. 

In 2021, Jefferson was encouraged by her colleagues to become the chair of the school’s School Planning and Management Team (SPMT). Then last year her building lost its teachers union building steward, and so Jefferson also stepped up to that role. 

Jackson, a New Haven native and graduate of Hillhouse High School, started at Clemente as a sub and worked his way up to PE teacher 14 years ago. 

“All these kids want is consistency when they come here to school. Stability means something,” Jefferson said. 

The two agreed that their goal for the past decade-plus has been to build relationships with the students and families. 

Jackson, who is in his 26th year at Clemente, teaches his students the same lesson he learned when getting into fitness: ​“It relieves your stress and emotions.” 

He encourages his students to start their days with push-ups or any workout to learn to ​“regulate yourself.” 

Jackson’s father also was a PE teacher at the former Jackie Robinson Middle School, now called King Robinson Inter-district Magnet School. He later transferred to Clemente to become an assistant principal. This exposed Jackson to Clemente as he visited while in college during his summer breaks. 

Jackson and Jefferson said they each strive to treat the students as if they were their own kids. 

They aim to be ​“real” with the students while also making it known that they tolerate no non-sense. 

“When you build that relationship with them where they know they can trust you because you respect them and they must respect you, they listen and care about what you’re teaching,” Jefferson said. 

Sixth graders and best friends Dazani Hough, 12, and Monserrat Martinez, 11, said they love gym class. They love being able to loosen up in the morning, Martinez, said and spend time with two teachers they consider to be like parental figures. 

“I love it because we can get muscles and get buff,” Hough said when asked her favorite part of gym class. 

Hough continued that she does just learn about health and fitness from gym class, but also about patience and teamwork. 

Jefferson and Jackson often give their students nicknames that suit their personalities. Thursday’s class included students nicknames ranging from ​“spice girl” to ​“Pinocchio,” and Martinez and Hough whose nicknames are ​“Maserati” and ​“Coce.”

“I love that they give us nicknames, they describe just how we act and shows they care to learn who we are ” Martinez said. 

Outside of gym class at Clemente, Martinez plays volleyball and squash and Hough runs track. 

They said they also love their gym class because they are given options for what actives they can do. 

During Thursday’s class, Hough scored the most push-ups on the fitness test. When asked how, she said ​“they told us to practice at home so I did and they taught us how to be confident. I learned my confidence from them.” 

The two agreed the educators helped them to break out of their shyness throughout the years. 

“If we cry or something, they don’t say ​‘stop crying you’re being a baby,’ they will tell us to ​‘calm down’ and ask what’s wrong.” Martinez recalled. 

While strict, the best friends agreed Jefferson and Jackson are like ​“parents who just want the best for you.”

“Nobody wants to get yelled at by their favorite teacher,” Hough added. 

Before Thursday’s class began, students changed out of their school uniforms and into athletic wear for what many described as their favorite class of the day. 

Once dressed, the students took at seat in a circle around their teachers at the middle of the gymnasium. 

Jackson laid down two foldable gym mats while Jefferson took attendance. 

Before class could get started Jefferson had to remind students of her ​“no-nonsense” teaching methods as one sixth grader laid down in the middle of the sea of other students. 

“Excuse me. Do you have a job, kids?” Jefferson asked the student laying down in the middle of her class. 

“My daughter was in the hospital last night and you don’t see me laying down, I’m up here and ready,” Jefferson continued. ​“If you was up YouTubing all night, that’s not my problem. Sit up. You don’t lay down in your other classes, so don’t here.” 

The sixth grader then sat up. 

The class then began with a portion of their fitness test. Thursday’s focus was on push-ups. 

“I taught y’all since the fourth grade to do push-ups so nobody should be saying they don’t know how to do them,” Jefferson said. 

A small groups of boys were called to the gym mats. 

“No laying on the mat. No rollercoasters. No downward dogs,” Jackson said while demonstrating the correct push-up position to the students.

Once all lined up, the students got into their push-up positions, then Jefferson played the fitness test recording which instructed the students through doing as many push-ups as they can. 

The Thursday record for the boys was 14 push-ups. The record for the girls was 16 push-ups. 

Rather than spending the whole 45-minute class doing the entire fitness test, Jefferson and Jackson split the test up during different days which allows the students to play for the remaining 25 – 30 minutes. 

“They need time to play, it gets them through their days,” Jefferson said. 

For the remaining half hour, students played ​“Steal It,” a newer version of kickball. Jackson split the students into two teams then kicked off the game. 

The students took turns pitching to each other and kicking then running laps around the gym to the six different bases. 

When asked about the importance of having a PE period during the school day for students, Jefferson said gym is essential, particularly after the ​“movement break” most students took during the Covid pandemic’s closure of in-person schools. 

“When they came back it was clearly evident they weren’t moving daily,” Jefferson said. 

For academic, emotional, and mental health, Jefferson said getting students’ blood flowing improves them. 

She recalled when she was in middle school, she would get dropped off and spend the first minutes of her school day with a recess period outdoors to get exercise and get students energized for their day. 

“You can see the joy it brings them,” Jefferson said. 

She added that gym is a place for all students to succeed. ​“When you’re not the fastest, you can be the best catcher. Or your height can be useful. There’s always something they are talented at and being here shows them that.”