Today is my “last first day” as a teacher. After twenty-nine years of teaching I have reached those magic

numbers, 30 years of service and 55 years of age.

Three years ago I inquired if I could retire early. I wanted out. On a daily basis, I was facing more and

more students lining up at the door trying to get out of Physical Education, kids more interested in what

was on their cell phone than what they were about to play, top athletes disengaged from PE, students

that hated PE……. you can imagine what it looked and sounded like when I announced, “Today we are

running the mile.” In addition, I knew kids liked my health class, but I wouldn’t say they loved it. Add to

that the new challenges of APPR, creating meaningful SLO’s, well; let’s just say I couldn’t wait to retire.

After long conversations with Josh Lewis, my coach and Co-Founder of Fit Kids Fit Future we decided to

embark on a life-changing journey to create a solution-minded approach that changed the underlying

philosophy of my classes. With Josh’s expertise and my experience we changed the curriculum to

instruct kids on how to take responsibility for their own health and fitness, and that the lessons they

learn will serve them for life.

Today, after implementing Fit Kids Fit Future curricula in both my health and PE classes for the past

two years, I no longer am counting the days. Oh, it was hard to get up early, it was hard to say goodbye to

my freedom and head into a system that allows teachers 17 minutes for lunch and the exhaustion of a

demanding schedule. But, as the day unfolded, a student told me she would be in my health class, a

senior leaned over and said to her, “That class was Fun!” As my colleague and I told our PE class we

would be tracking their Fit and Ready score, I saw two guys in the back give each other a high five and

say, “Yes”.

I will admit, I am really tired at the end of my “last first day”. Thanks to Fit Kids Fit Future I am also

excited about making each day count.

Tammy Alcott

Co-Founder Fit Kids Fit Future