Kimberly Babau
Arizona Teacher of the Year
Flowing Wells Junior High School, Tucson, AZ
Grades Seven and Eight, Physical Education

My teaching philosophy
My philosophy of education and my philosophy of life are one in the same. The two cannot be separated. Plato said, "May the inward and outward man be one," and my instructional approach is how I live my life. I am a survivor; I persevere. I make obstacles in life into stepping stones for growth opportunities. As I began my teaching career, I could have never imagined I would be the sole survivor in a family of seven. In less than three years I lost my sister, mother, and father. These losses have taught me to persevere, to dig deep, and closely examine life and my commitment to teaching. I am constantly in awe that the storms in my life have produced rainbows. To explain my philosophy of teaching, I must share what has made me the kind of person and teacher I am today.

Rainbows have always been special to my mother and me. We would stop the car to watch them. On Christmas Eve of 2000, I sat with my mother at St. Mary's Hospital in Tucson. Her breathing was labored and her spirit fatigued. She asked me if it was okay to "checkout." My body was numb and I lost my breath. She said, "You know you'll be okay." I replied, "Of course." My Mom explained, "You know I'll be on the other side with Keith, Mark, and Kevin, waiting for you and your sister." She reminded me, "Remember, when you see a rainbow, I'm telling you I'm thinking about you. When the rainbow is a double, I'm watching you."

While waiting for my mother in surgery, my sister and I were having coffee, holding hands, and laughing. In mid sentence, Kathy went into cardiac arrest. I hoped I could save her, but my sister died that morning. I lost my mom eight days later. My father died in May of 2003. I continue to be a survivor. Three and a half years later, when I saw my name on our school marquee for Teacher of the Year, I was stunned. I was waiting with Sabra, my student, for her parents to pick her up. It began to rain. Sabra pointed to the marquee and said, "How cool, Miss Babeu, two rainbows." I wanted a camera, but my memory would have to serve me. My family could see it. I could feel it. For me, rainbows have a healing power and have permitted me to acknowledge the special gifts of the students I teach. Each one of my students taught me a life lesson. Some changed me in grand ways, others silently. All of them helped transfer my life philosophy into my teaching philosophy.

My strong personal belief that my life and teaching philosophy are one helped me create the Life Skills Program of S.P.O.R.T. (sportsmanship, participation, organization, respect, and teamwork). Two decades of teaching and learning from students taught me that S.P.O.R.T. is what students appreciate, accept, learn from, and give back. Long after students have forgotten how to serve a volleyball, these life skills enable my students to be resilient and successful. Not only does S.P.O.R.T. blend well with my teaching style, but I have shared S.P.O.R.T. with other teachers in my department and district. I have realized this is successful when the instructor believes in it, models it, and expects it 100% of the time from his/her students. Although S.P.O.R.T. has been extremely successful, another strong belief of mine is that students have to develop the tools necessary to live a healthy lifestyle. I was fortunate to receive total support from my junior high P.E. Department in developing two new courses, which will be offered to our students in addition to our mandatory P.E. classes.

Both of these new classes, Fitness for Life and Leisure Fitness, are trying to capture not only the students who are intrinsically motivated to stay active, but the students who do not excel in physical education and avoid competing in team settings. We plan to utilize pedometers to encourage walking and will explore how the body and mind react to physical activity and healthy choices. Our curriculum will also introduce students to non-competitive life-long activities such as water aerobics, golf, step aerobics, and yoga. The performance objectives of both classes meet and exceed Arizona State Standards in Physical Education and Health.

It is my strong personal belief that when life and teaching are one, outstanding opportunities can easily be developed, not only for students, but these programs can be shared with other colleagues. Experiences like these are the true rainbows of life. Perhaps we are not meant to freeze these moments. We are to feel them.

My philosophy in action
Ernest Boyer wrote, "To be fully human, one must serve." I share my passion for teaching and my passion for life with all whom I come into contact. My passion is demonstrated by my implementation of my teaching philosophy. This implementation is based on the acronym S.P.O.R.T. (sportsmanship, participation, organization, respect, and teamwork). S.P.O.R.T. not only has strengthened and improved my teaching, but also the instruction of the teachers with whom I have shared this approach. When a veteran teacher and wrestling coach of thirty years started his lesson utilizing the principles of S.P.O.R.T., I turned away with a smile and said to myself, "YES." Coach C's kids will benefit. I modeled for my colleagues as well as my students and that is a service to my profession.

When a teacher can utilize the principles of S.P.O.R.T. and blend them with his/her own philosophy, this model can be successful in any subject area. Our Physical Education Department at Flowing Wells Junior High now uses S.P.O.R.T. as a foundational springboard for classroom management, and it is a basis for student assessment. When I taught Physical Education at Picture Rocks Intermediate School, S.P.O.R.T. and the accompanying HONOR Pledge were shared school-wide. Classroom teachers began rewarding student behavior based on S.P.O.R.T. principles and school-wide competitions occurred comparing each classroom's tally of successful S.P.O.R.T. assessments.

S.P.O.R.T. has become for me, not merely a classroom management model, nor a teaching style, but a belief system and a way of living life while expecting and receiving the most out of every one of my students. S.P.O.R.T. is a philosophy of working with students that makes classroom management virtually student-centered by empowering them with the skills and tools necessary to foster a learning environment that is safe, powerful, positive, and filled with active participation. With respect to student and teacher accountability, I have successfully integrated S.P.O.R.T. into both physically active classes and traditional knowledge based classes. I have used this program in traditional classroom settings as well as in our after school 21st Century Grant Funded Program called Skills For Success. We were able to achieve an enrollment success of 403 out of 950 students last year. This program includes classes in recreation, martial arts, fine arts, literacy, technology, and robotics. In all of these classes, activities are integrated with S.P.O.R.T. , and students are graded individually and as a group at the end of the lesson. Students strive for earning all five letters in S.P.O.R.T. which will earn them a perfect score. Students are taught to organize and self-analyze their lesson and behaviors and decide as a group what their class earned that day. If a letter is not earned, student-centered brainstorming elicits improvements. A beautiful competition between classes develops as perfect five out of five's are displayed on the gymnasium or classroom wall. In an ongoing effort to integrate content knowledge, students are asked what fraction of five they earned that day. The focus is on the positive. The focus is on what letters they did earn.

One of my biggest challenges has been to integrate S.P.O.R.T. with the Arizona State Standards in P.E. and Health. I firmly believe this accountability is critical. When I teach this model to other professionals, I model and teach life skills, which promote all three domains of learning (cognitive, affective, and psychomotor) through professional development and follow-up coaching.

Through my coaching, I am able to impact the elementary school students, who also have a Skills for Success Program. I maintain accurate records of individual and class performance. I observe students making healthy choices for their lives and diverse groups of students engaging in dynamic well-run lessons. Students, who otherwise would not make choices to be active, are enthusiastically participating in class. Arizona State Standards in Physical Education are being met and exceeded. Bell-to-bell planning, students on task, having fun while learning and students making the choice to participate in school activities is the norm. This magic can happen any time a connection is made with a student who is ready. The magic can happen when everyone sees the vision and little steps are made toward achieving success. To truly serve our profession, it is not enough to have one great classroom with one great teacher. Our students need many great classrooms with many great teachers.

My greatest teaching accomplishment
I was struck by her smile; equally noticeable was that she knew my name. She was at the gymnasium door greeting us, and she loved to have fun. Ms. Betty Mann, now Dr. Betty Mann, Director of the Physical Education Department at Springfield College in Massachusetts, was my elementary Physical Education Teacher. She wore shorts and a three-button, collared shirt and tennis shoes. She wore a cool whistle around her neck, and she drove a '64 corvette convertible, red of course. She was never in a bad mood, or if she was, we never knew. She sang songs with us and made us laugh. We never kept score. "If you had fun Kim, you won." Miss Mann is why I became a teacher.

Then there is my mom. Winters in New England were brutal. I had the 4:00 a.m. shift. I was twelve years old. I drew the long straw that night. My brother had the midnight shift, and my sister had the 2:00 a.m. shift. Our jobs were to go outside and start the cars for our mother and father. We had to keep the cars running for at least five minutes to warm their engines. That way, the cars would start when my parents had to go to work. As I ran in from the driveway, my mother was preparing breakfast. The oven door was open, and she was warming her hands. The thermostat was set on 62 degrees. "Babe, when you get older, please do a job that you look forward to every day...Don't do what your mom and dad do every morning. We dread going to work." Mom is why I became a teacher.

My friend Sue had just received her license in 1975. We were cruising, looking for cute boys. We saw a car full, and Sue slammed on the breaks, trying to pull a "UEE." I woke in the hospital with a fractured cervical vertebra, several hundred stitches in my head, and a concussion so severe I would vomit continuously for a week. I was thrown through the front windshield. Months later my doctor asked what my plans were for college. I told him I was going to become a physical education teacher. He advised me to change my mind. "You will never be able to be a P.E. teacher with these injuries." Therefore, in May of 1981, I sent him a framed copy of my Bachelor of Science Degree from Central Connecticut. He wrote to me and sent a picture of my degree hanging in the waiting room of his office. His message was clear and succinct, "I stand corrected; you can do whatever you set your mind to do." The accident is why I became a teacher. Not only did I survive, but through this experience I became physically, mentally, and emotionally stronger as a person. How fortunate I am to be blessed and influenced by three of life's greatest teachers: Miss Mann, my mother, and a life-changing experience.

Because of these strong forces in my life, I have realized my greatest contribution and accomplishment in education is my commitment and passion in being a positive role model. Honoring these memories daily, I feel compelled to model for my students. Equally so, I remember my students must model for me. I greet my students at the door as I greet each day, with enthusiasm and a smile. I embrace the opportunity to teach them and to share another day. I model for my students exactly what I want from them. I sing with them and for them. We never keep score. I wear a cool whistle around my neck that my mother gave me when I graduated in 1981. It still works and my students are amazed how old it is. Many of my former students, who are now parents, ask their children about Miss Babeu's black whistle. I, too, wear shorts and a three-button, collared shirt. I haven't quite been able to obtain that red corvette. Not yet, anyway. But I do drive to work each day as if I am driving that convertible, with hope instead of dread, and with the knowledge that I overcame tremendous adversity to earn this opportunity.

I have come to the realization I am not only a P.E. teacher; but also a teacher of life skills. Fortunately, P.E. is the ideal content to teach and model life skills. My modeling sets the tone for my students to always actively participate in life, not just in a P.E. class. They know they have choices. They understand the importance of having those choices. I have imparted to my students a respect for learning, and they recognize I learn much more from them than they ever will learn from me. They, in turn, strive to learn more. After twenty-four years in the profession, my enthusiasm for teaching and learning is stronger each year than ever. If a student asks me what the score is or who won, I echo the words of Miss Mann, "If you had fun...you won." Like her, I have attempted to influence and direct the lives of many young human beings. Role modeling a positive outlook, I feel has been my greatest contribution. For that, I am honored and eternally grateful. Hopefully, when I greet my students at the door and call them by name, they feel the same connection I felt 40 years ago with Miss Mann. Our nation has been forced to become hyper vigilante. We are compelled to be on edge-to never let down our guard. We are reminded to look for closest exits and report any unusual behaviors. Our daily lives are colored by the level of threat our nation perceives. Not only do we practice fire drills, we practice danger-on-campus procedures. Our memories preserve the images and sounds of Columbine, Oklahoma City, 9/11 and the war in Iraq. Keiler wrote in his book Lake Wobegan that our schools need to be storm centers for our students. Our challenge today is for schools and classrooms to be safe havens for our kids. Our students must be able to relax, feel safe, and be infused with positive energy. Children must be provided with consistent reinforcement of emotional, intellectual and physical well being.

The most critical issues facing educators today
Our nation has been forced to become hyper vigilante. We are compelled to be on edge-to never let down our guard. We are reminded to look for closest exits and report any unusual behaviors. Our daily lives are colored by the level of threat our nation perceives. Not only do we practice fire drills, we practice danger-on-campus procedures. Our memories preserve the images and sounds of Columbine, Oklahoma City, 9/11 and the war in Iraq. Keiler wrote in his book Lake Wobegan that our schools need to be storm centers for our students. Our challenge today is for schools and classrooms to be safe havens for our kids. Our students must be able to relax, feel safe, and be infused with positive energy. Children must be provided with consistent reinforcement of emotional, intellectual and physical well being.

Ways to resolve this issue
I challenge every educator to recognize the need in the eyes of all our students to feel safe, and work in a calm, non-threatening environment. In order for our students to relax in the classroom, teachers must model a caring and secure environment. Safety for kids means a teacher who provides clear and consistent high expectations for all students. An environment where sarcasm and discounting is replaced by the freedom to make mistakes, take risks and laugh with each other. A safe environment is critical, so each student's unique self can surface and excel in all areas. Students will know their teacher will "have their back." This means their teacher will support them 100% during both the good times and the most challenging situations. Over time, mutual respect builds a sense of security and safety in the classroom. Relaxed students have a greater capacity to learn and be productive citizens.

The hyper vigilance in our nation must make a delicate shift to embrace the students within our classrooms. We must focus not on the color of threat, but to the yearning of our children for security. We must plant seeds of safety in the hearts of our children. Only when our students' hearts, minds and bodies relax for tiny moments can the magic of learning take place.

One thought to inspire teachers to succeed
The eyes of the child need to recognize respect and feel honor. Teachers must model what they expect from their students.

One lesson every student should learn
Every student should learn that they are the best teachers for their teacher.

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