Remember to BREATHE!

If you would have told me two years ago I would be teaching PE to elementary students I would have laughed and said, Yeah…right!”. For twelve years I worked with special ed 5^th and 6^th graders, specializing in Literacy. I worked with the same 5-7 children every day.  A year and a half ago my husband took a position in Dallas. “Oh my god,” I thought. “What am I going to do?”. I sent out a few resumes and two days later Jennifer Speicher called me. I had a phone interview and was so excited to become Watkins new PE Assistant.

Fast forward, first day of school. Talk about overwhelming. Fifty plus students at one time! Julie Sandy, the PE teacher, welcomed me, taught me and showed me that I had a gift to give every day to the children. YOGA. I strongly believe in the mind body connection. I tell the children to breathe. To focus their minds. To quiet themselves. We focus on core strength. It amazes me to see our classes come to complete silence as we start our stretches and build their confidence as they become stronger. Physically and mentally. They will say things like, “Wow! I couldn’t do this when we first started”’ or “I love these stretches, they FEEL so good”. They are nonstop all day, its stressful. I teach them to breathe. It’s something we all forget to do, yet it is so important.

I feel extremely blessed to have this position at Watkins Elementary. Julie Sandy and I have the same values and teaching styles, which is why I believe we are such a good team. It is a privilege to work with the children and staff members of Watkins. It is never too late to make changes or to try something new.  Remember to Breathe!

Randi Campbell

PE Assistant