Dear Teachers
Dear Teachers,
First off let me say what an admiration I have for teachers. I am personally so grateful for the sense of wonder and tools for learning that you have shared with my children. They have been inspired and encouraged and both of them have such supportive yet propulsive platforms to head off into life with.
Because I know first hand what a vital role you have being with our children 5 days a week I was hoping you might see the value in also helping them with the life long gift of posture.
Research is showing conclusively the health challenges associated with poor posture. Not only the obvious sore neck and back, but also digestion, circulation, respiration and confidence challenges. We know that it is rare for a 7 year old to complain of any symptoms from poor posture (although I am seeing it more and more!) but habits as a child turn into habits as an adult and how exciting if we were able to introduce small changes to make those habits good ones.
I would love to be the “pebble in the pond”, share ideas with you so that you can share them with the children in your classes.
1. When the children are sitting encourage them to sit all the way back in their chairs.
2. Cues like, an invisible crown on your head, a helium balloon lifting you up or someone has cast a fishing line and hooked your chest and is reeling you in are great to make an abstract postural thought more concrete.
3. As available utilize sensory cushions, higher desks to stand at, ball chairs to interrupt prolonged sitting and get postural muscles firing.
4. If age appropriate, “tummy time” working on carpets is great as it creates an extension in a normally flexed upper back and neck.
5. If you teach children with cell phones why not teach them how to avoid “text neck”? Standing tall lift elbows so phone is at eye level. (Maybe this one applies to you too ; )
Here is an entertaining YouTube video explaining more
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0uNmXW5km64&sns=em
6. If your classroom has access to IPads, a quick set of forearm stretches before using it will help the children swipe while never experiencing elbow or wrist tendinitis.
7. After time forward flexed writing or on a computer the children should get in a routine of backwards stretching (hands on the back pockets, look up and lean back and count to 10) and pectoral stretches (thumb up in a door frame and pushing shoulder forward).
8. Incorporate core work into your PE classes and, if old enough, help them understand the value of a little core work every day to build postural muscles. Gone are the day of sit-ups as core work. As you can appreciate, sit ups shorten our trunk into the same flexion sitting does so they should actually be avoided (anybody else remember doing the “Canada Fitness Test”, trying to do as many sit ups as we could, with someone sitting on our feet, in a minute to get an Award of Excellence? Our poor, poor hip flexors!). Instead, planking is fantastic to strengthen in length.
9. Help your students understand the importance of flexibility and mobility, especially if they are competitive athletes. These life skills should be enjoyable, active living activities (yoga, tai chi or stretching to music are some ideas ). Maybe at the same time introducing meditation to help in stress management.
10. Many students now work on laptops. There are so many opportunities for poor mechanics when using a laptop so instructions on how to use them without stressing the back and neck is important. Try to have it as close to eye level as possible and keep elbows close, as always stay supported in your chair.
So not really anything revolutionary but little things practised day after day can set the children up for so much less musculoskeletal and overall health challenges as an adult. There is really no better time for them to begin.
Thanks again for all you do, such a noble profession, posture on….
Warmly,
Angela Macdonald