By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Anyone looking for the fourth-grade PE class at Union City Elementary School Monday afternoon might well have found a “Gone Fishin” sign on the gymnasium door.
Teachers Tammy Harris and Antawn Coby took half of their fourth-grade students to Discovery Park of America, where the group put into motion several things they’ve learned in recent days about angling.
The practice is part of Harris’ plan to teach students lifetime physical activities.
“Several years ago, I had some kids waiting for a ride home and one of them told me he was so excited because he was going to see his daddy that weekend and they were going fishing,” said Harris, who has taken her classes on similar excursions for five or so years. “I thought, ‘I wonder how many of our kids have never even gone fishing?’
“It’s a really good lifetime activity, and I thought it was a really good idea and incorporated it in my PE unit.”
While UCES students still participate in their fair share of traditions sports – like football, basketball and baseball – Harris has introduced her PE classes to tennis, golf and even archery, of late.
Before taking her students to DPA for Monday’s outing, she and Coby schooled them on the basics of fishing.
“We went over techniques like casting, and I also introduced them to some tackle. And we also learned the different types of fish you typically find in ponds, rivers and lakes around here,” continued Harris, who is scheduled to take the remainder of her fourth-grade students fishing later in the week.
“And they’ve absolutely loved it.”
Though DPA is normally closed on Mondays, officials there graciously opened the facility, which “made it so much easier and better for us to do,” Harris added.
“Fishing is something they can do for the rest of lives. I really try to incorporate some different things they can do well into adulthood because I do believe it’s important to be active your entire life.”
Typical of most of the other trips her classes have made, the catch number Monday wasn’t significant.
But as Harris was reminded: Even a bad day fishing is a good day.
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