The way that we view our students should constantly be on our mind as educators. Privilege is a word that continually comes into play when we talk about what makes a “good” student. Traditionally christian, white males have been viewed as “good” students regardless of their learning and intellectual abilities.  Unfortunately, some of these privileges continue to be seen in present day schools. Furthermore, “good” students are often seen as those who do not challenge the status quo and conform to what people believe to be common sense. Ideas such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and social class continue to set students apart. In order to close this gap we have to get students to challenge their beliefs. This process can be frustrating, confusing and disorienting for some students who have created “common sense” beliefs on these issues. For this reason it is vital that teachers properly structure these crisis situations to help their students successfully work through these experiences and open their mind to the many different view points that exist in society.

For this reason some might argue that the “good” students are those who step away from “common sense” and open their mind to acknowledge the different viewpoints on societal issues.  In my eyes discrimination does not have a place in todays society. We are a free nation and people should be able to express their identities freely without any judgement.

The changes that have been made to the physical education curriculum, as well as other subject areas with more recent curriculums, have been designed to accommodate a culturally diverse society of learners. Examples of this can be seen throughout the sections that include: the broad areas of learning, cross-curricular competencies, and the aim and goals of k-12 physical education. Therefore, I believe that this curriculum is best represented by the Ideological frame of literacy.

The current curriculum was designed to focus more on guiding students to develop a better understanding of their own identity as well as work towards becoming more socially respectful and responsible (culturally sensitive).  The new curriculum also stresses the importance of getting students to become more involved in their community and build relationships with people who they interact with on a regular basis. I truly believe that these are crucial steps that need to be taken in order to close the cultural gap that exists in todays society.

Physical education is often included in a list of subjects where advocates are constantly having to prove its importance in the education system. It is important for people to understand that physical education goes much deeper than just developing physical literacies. One could argue that physical education is one of the only classes where students work on developing their communication, conflict management/resolution and relationship skills. Furthermore, the cross-curricular competencies that are included in the new curriculums provide educators with the opportunity to really hit home the big ideas included in the broad areas of learning (building life long learners, building a sense of self and community, and building engaged citizens).