Jog-a-thon-- NEXT WEEK
Our 10th annual Jog-a-thon is happening Friday, October 22. Forms went home last week for students to collect pledges. Please return the forms to Ms. Cori or your child's class teacher on the day of the Jog-a-thon. We are looking for volunteers to help mark laps and fill water cups throughout the day. Feel free to show up a few minutes before your child's running time to assist.
6th-8th grade: 9:00-10:00 am
1st grade: 11:10-11:40 am
2nd-3rd grade: 11:45-12:30 pm
4th-5th grade: 1:40-2:40 pm
I would like to clarify a few things about the Jog-a-thon, especially when it comes to participation in it. This comes up every year, so I wanted to share my thoughts after coordinating it for ten years.
The Jog-a-thon is more than just a fundraiser, it is an integral experience of Games class. Unlike the Olympiad and Medieval Games which students get to experience just once, the Jog-a-thon is an annual event they get to participate in every year throughout the grades. They get to reflect back on past experiences, look forward to future experiences, and see their progress year to year. The fact that it also makes money for our school is an added bonus.
A lot of what we do in Waldorf education is to help children build their will forces, and one of the best ways to do that is through challenging experiences. Games class is a great place for children to learn how to deal with challenging experiences: taking turns, getting tagged/being "out," working as a team, learning to move their bodies in a way that may not come easy for them, failing at something at first but continuing to try, and building physical endurance. All bigger lessons that will translate to other aspects of life.
The Jog-a-thon likewise is a great activity for students to challenge themselves, to push themselves to their limit, to do something they didn’t think they were capable of, to set a goal for themselves and try to achieve it, or to just participate even if they didn’t want to. Challenging experiences should be designed to not be too easy, but also not so difficult they can’t be completed. This is why there are different lengths of time for the different grades, all chosen to be achievable for the age of the students.
One of the most satisfying moments of every Jog-a-thon is when a student marvels at how many laps they did and how many miles it translates to, and their sense of pride in themselves for accomplishing it, whether they did 6 laps or 30. It’s also sweet to see the students celebrate each other’s accomplishments as well. They cheer the students who ran the most, but also cheer the students to whom they know 6 laps is a lot of effort. Even if a student walks the entire time, there is still a sense of accomplishment that they did something physical for a sustained period of time. I have seen what a transformative experience it has been for some students throughout the years, similar to what I see at the Olympiad or Medieval Games.
Games class and games activities/events are just as integral to our education as all the other subjects at our school and therefore shouldn’t be seen as something optional to opt out of. If a student has an injury or illness that prevents participation, they can still participate by cheering on their classmates. If families don’t want to participate in the fundraising side of the Jog-a-thon, that’s perfectly fine, there is no requirement to do so. Participation in the Jog-a-thon itself is expected for all students, in whatever form that takes (running, jogging, walking, or cheering.)
~Ms. Cori
