GALION, Ohio — Former wrestling coach and physical education teacher of 10 years Matt Tyrrell hopes to revolutionize Galion City Schools’ gym classes with the Learning Readiness Physical Education program.
LRPE is a program designed to get students moving for at least 20 minutes per day in light exercise. Supporters theorize the light activity spurs healthy brain function, allowing for better focus on academic studies and better behavior.
He first stumbled upon the program at the beginning of the 2014-15 school year when he subscribed to an academic journal that pointed him to former Illinois PE teacher Paul Zientarski’s TEDx Talk.
In the presentation, Zientarski noted the decline of physical education programs in schools across the country. So he and a team of educators developed the LRPE program in the early 2000s.
“Their research is showing all this good stuff that is directly related to exercise. So I forwarded it all to the school administration and influential people in Galion, I wanted to see if we could do something like this,” said Tyrrell.
During the schools’ summer break, he and Galion’s Intermediate School’s new principal Alex Sharick met regularly to come up with a plan for their school.
With hopes to expand the program in the future if the results show positive changes, administration and Tyrell decided to implement a fifth grade pilot program — and the first month’s results are hopeful.
“We only have one data set: September. And there’s really, significant changes,” noted Tyrrell.
Tyrrell said he looked at behavior first.
Galion Intermediate School operates on a color change system for behavioral discipline, explained Tyrrell. Students who misbehave once get a yellow card. For every ensuing mishap they get a red card; a blue card is the most severe.
Teachers are required to report their card counts on a monthly basis.
“I looked at last year’s fourth grade class for September. They had 24 yellows, eight red, one blue,” said Tyrrell. As fifth-graders the following September, their first month participating in the LRPE program, those cards decreased.
“This year as fifth-graders they had seven yellows, zero blues and reds,” he noted. “The first thing I thought was that the teachers discipline differently. So I looked at the same fifth grade teachers last year and they gave out 32 yellows in September last year.”
Tyrrell hopes to study test score differences for math and reading in the near future. The fifth grade LRPE program is sandwiched between those two core classes.
Fifth grade teacher Neal Rinehart noticed a difference in his class’s ability to focus.
“They’re more calm (after LRPE exercises) and not as fidgety. It seems like they’re just ready to learn,” said Rinehart.
As of November, the fifth grade class molded into a daily schedule that involved pausing for LRPE exercises. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are “get miles” days. On these days, students wear Movbands, bracelets that track miles and upload the data onto a Google Drive file.
The students set their own miles goals and are able to see how they fared each day.
On Tuesdays, students participate in “Tabata Tuesdays,” 30 minute circuit training exercises that involve push-ups, sit-ups, light squats and other weight training.
Thursdays are “free play” days where students are allowed 30 minutes of activity during their regular 15 minute recess.
LRPE exercises, on each day of the week, run from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. with two classes each getting 30 minutes of activity.
Fifth-grader Dravin Morgan said he likes the LRPE program.
“It’s good to run around because we sit down a lot. We get our energy back,” said Morgan.
Two of his classmates agree.
“We get free time and exercise,” commented Ella Lehman.
“I’m not as tired (after LRPE) and I get energy. And I can focus better on reading and science. We do that right after,” added classmate Kaelin Nelson.
Rinehart can’t help but notice a difference in his students.
“Exercise activates your brain. Behaviorally there are good things going on here. I think the toughest thing for other schools to justify is the cutting academic time. But if you can be a more effective teacher in a shorter time … that’s good,” said Rinehart.
Tyrrell sees the entire school district adopting the LRPE program in the future. Although that involves much work, he said, he thinks the extra work is worthwhile.
“Expanding this to all the schools, for K through 12, means getting creative. But it’s worthwhile. It’s worth the extra work to get it scheduled.
“Exercise stimulates the brain much more than sitting in a chair. We want them to stay quiet, but that’s hour after hour. Our brains aren’t built that way, especially for kids. They have to sit at a desk all day long,” said Tyrrell.
