Understanding Health Concepts: it is relevant for students
to assess their knowledge of Health concepts and define Health as we begin. We
start with their perception of Health and what has influenced its creation.
Then we investigate the Health expectations as defined by the modern National
Health Education model. Students are challenged to become experts on the
content of the Health class and are expected to teach someone outside the class
about the meaning of Health Education. From this discussion we recognize our
goal for the semester to analyze what has influenced who the students are today
(history), understand what is influencing the students decisions today
(contemporary), and anticipate the influences of the tomorrow (future), in
respect to individual, family and community Health (socially, mentally,
emotionally).
There is nothing is more important
than a persons Health!
Mental Health: Teen years are very dynamic to say the least. We spend a lot of time discussing the nature
of adolescence, the desire of independence, and to respect the responsibility of
the parents. There are too many influences to name in a young person’s life,
yet it is relevant for the student to reflect on their own life experience to
identify for themselves the mechanisms that affect their life today. Along with
the reflection we will share and practice methods to calm the elements of
psychology that can interfere with student mental and physical function.
Personal Fitness: students need to know how to maintain their own
fitness. They are asked to realize mental and physical fitness are truly
important to feeling good about one-self. In this study the students are taught
to evaluate their fitness and then instructed in the F.I.T method to create their
own Personal Fitness Program. They become their own personal trainer, set their
own goals and determine when time exists to work for it. Students are asked to
respect fitness not for looks, but rather for function for life, to be strong
enough to do for oneself. Students are expected to be aerobically active for 20
minutes 3-5 days per week to get an A in Health class. Look for the Healthy
Futures Fitness journals weekly!
Media Literacy: the ability to analyze, access, and create
influential media. Media and technology
have never been more powerful to captivate consumer attention and influence the
world we live in. Respectful to Health, it is our objective to learn what makes
media so captivating and persuasive (analysis). It is our objective to know
which form of media provides the best source of stimulation depending on the
consumers’ interest (access). It is our objective to use medias
power of persuasion to convey our own positive messages. Media is a Pandora’s
Box, full of potentially good and harmful messages, and students need to bridle
its power.
Here
we use the training tools of the New Mexico Media Literacy Project, an advocacy
project to empower students to become wise media consumers in a hyper-mediated
world. This is a multi-media using Cd-ROM, video,
magazines and music to demonstrate the power of persuasion prevalent within the
source. Students are taught to deconstruct media messages and interpret the
virtual meaning of the literal imagery. At the tip of the iceberg is the
objectification and degradation of females in media. “Sexy”
sales just about everything. What is the impact of a more demoralized
female image in the media on teenage girls and boys? Naturally, more
demoralized girls and boys. We hope this unit empowers our teens to see media
for what it is; a mega-commercialized fantasy machine that will stop at nothing
for profits. We are teaching students to control instant gratification and to
avoid the “hooks” of a “must have” lifestyle, as well as the potential risk of
a sedentary lifestyle.
Nutrition: It is the objective of
this study to get kids to live a more balanced diet. We concentrate
specifically on balancing caloric expenditure (daily activity) with caloric
intake (food quantity & quality consumed). We estimate Basal Metabolic
Rates (resting calories burned), 24 hours Maximum Metabolic Rate (maximum
calories burned) and compare these estimates with a diet analysis of habitual
eating patterns (calories consumed normally in a 24 hour period). We analyze if
the food intake balanced with, exceeded, or fell below the BMR-MMR range. We
hope we see a balance between the MMR and the diet intake to see the better
result. More or less indicates malnutrition (non-optimal). Suggestions are made
to balance energy-in vs. energy-out. The recommendations
of the Food Pyramid are supported with modifications to cut back on simple
carbohydrates, reduce sodium, and limit intake of saturated fats to 10%.
Knowledge of human energy systems are presented for the benefit of the students
to know how the metabolic process converts food to energy and to be better
informed of the principals behind contemporary diet versions differing from the
Food Pyramid. Students are also expected to comprehend the nutritional facts
regarding macronutrients and mechanisms believed leading to hardening of the
arteries, clogged arteries, colon cancer, and prostate cancer. Concerns for fad dieting are addressed.
Nervous System: a necessary step in the evolution of the Health Education
Curriculum toward Substance Abuse is that students learn the involvement of the
nervous system in alcoholic and addictive behaviors. We break the nervous
system down to its smallest component, the synaptic neurotransmission, and
analyze the mechanism by which the effect of stimulants and depressants
influence the transmission of messages between the sensory receptors, brain,
and motor response actions. We define physical and psychological dependency. We
recognize that people consume stimulants and depressants for its effect on
these neurotransmissions. Students are expected to draw, identify, and describe
the anatomy of the nervous system and the physiology of the sensory-motor loop
as well as the synaptic transmission in stasis (normal function) and explain
the influence of stimulants and depressants. Our intuitive desire is that kids
will recognize the harm
of these substances and be empowered to say no to harmful
lifestyles.
Substance Abuse: (alcohol/tobacco/illegal
& prescription drugs)
Our
objective is to prevent these substances from interfering with life desires,
goals, and ambitions. We recognize alcohol is legal at age 21 and is socially
accepted in our culture. We recognize smoking and smokeless tobacco is legal at
age 19 and is socially accepted in our culture. We recognize that illegal drugs
are not socially accepted and that medically prescribed drugs can be abused as
any other. My objective is that kids get valid, truthful, information regarding
the use and consequences of these substances. Knowledge is power and will play
a critical role in a situation of ACCESS and OPPORTUNITY. The pressure of peers
is relative to the knowledge, confidence, and support of the no-user to remain
drug free in the presence of ACCESS and OPPORTUNITY. Access; don’t associate
with people who have access to undesired substances. Opportunity; know &
rehearse how you will respond if ever presented with undesired substances. Be
confident and proactive, don’t experiment! Know what is important to your life.
Know your family values. Parents and students will have a required discussion
regarding parent/student perspectives about substance use and abuse. Parental
values reflect greatly on children. Make sure kids know what’s in your heart,
not just what they see you do.
Human Relations and Sexuality:
feeding off the social health and media sexuality, we draw ourselves
into the natural condition of dating and sexuality. Our single objective is to
prevent a relationship from interfering with student futures (emotionally,
physically, and socially). We want to educate kids that healthy relationships
maintain respect for personal boundaries and ambitions. Students need to
establish boundaries before engaging in relationships and find the will power
to stick to it. Demand parental guidance and peer support for individual goals
and expectations. Recognize abuse and know how to get away from it. Abstain
from sexual behavior beyond handholding, hugging, and simple kissing. The only 100%
way to protect your future is abstinence from high risk sexual behavior!
We have parent meetings one month
prior to the instruction of this study to review material and discuss
questions. I ask students to have parent permission to participate in this
study although it is not required to participate. What is required is parents
are given the opportunity to restrict their child’s participation and opt out
of this study. I make certain you are aware of this study date and opportunity.
Parents are included in this
instruction with a required student/parent discussion assignment to discuss
perspectives on dating.
There is nothing more important in life than Good Health!