MMW Teacher and Secondary Health Chair, Deanne Hoppe, spoke ...

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MMW Teacher and Secondary Health Chair, Deanne Hoppe, spoke about the work done
during the recent health curriculum review process and shared opinions she had gathered
from health professionals throughout the State on the proposed model. Ms. Hoppe said no
other school districts were aware of or using this model and said she opposed the new model
because it did not teach skill-building.
MME Health Teacher, Sandy Gosen, talked about the service learning component of
health education and the need for structured time to reflect on that service. She encouraged
the Board to keep this as part of whatever delivery model was adopted. Ms. Gosen also
expressed her concern about the process and asked that the Board consider keeping a
program where students would have a traditional semester course and that a pilot or phase-in
approach be used to incorporate health education grades 9-12.
Minnewashta 5 th grade teacher and K-5 Health Chair, Adam Jorgenson, spoke about the
lengthy health curriculum review process at which time many ideas were discussed about
what was best for health education. He reported that three months after the review, the
committee received word that there was “…a fundamental change in health education,” a
decision in which he said the committee had no input. He asked that the District’s health
professionals be included in future discussions on this or any other model being considered
so ideas could be shared.
MME/MME Health teacher Teena Bolin, spoke to the proposals for change in the high
potential program and said she was happy that the Board was considering extending these
services. Ms. Bolin cautioned the Board about further changes as they dealt with big budget
concerns and the consequences of moving from a seven to a six-period day. With regard to
the health education model Ms. Bolin said she felt the proposed model was not
developmentally appropriate and asked that the Board be sure that programs such as IB and
AP that served smaller groups did not interfere with health education that affected 100
percent of the students.
MHS Health teacher, Nancy Schuett, expressed her concern about the proposed delivery
model, saying she was afraid that informational models do not always teach. She also said
she felt “very strongly” about the importance of health education being taught within the
relationship of the classroom and the teachers.
MMW 8th grade teacher Susan Brzezinski spoke about the importance of having teachers
be part of the decision-making process and encouraged Board members to work with the
health teachers, involve them in the decisions and to give them credit for their expertise,
talents and dedication to students.
Kristy Burgeson, MHS Math teacher said her concern was with how the change in the
health program would affect the core subjects. She questioned the implementation of the
new health instruction model and whether the math department would be restructured as a
result of this change.