Northview's Larson Stresses Lifelong Health, Wellness to Ankeny Students

Gone are the days when P.E. class was spent killing time playing dodge ball and crab soccer.

Jodi Larson spends her days teaching Ankeny middle-schoolers lifelong lessons on staying healthy, and her efforts recently earned her big honor.

Larson, a health and P.E. teacher at in Ankeny, recently was named 2011 Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the Iowa Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

Brett Delaney, a health and P.E. instructor at Northview and Larson’s colleague, nominated her for the honor.

“She’s very much deserving of this,” Delaney said. “She really takes our program here to the next level and it’s great we have someone like her leading us.”

Larson, 41, was selected from P.E. teachers across Iowa based on criteria such as using innovative teaching methods to meet the needs of all students, serving as a positive role model of personal health and fitness, as well as providing service to her profession through leadership, presentations or writing.

“She’s always willing to help out and try new things,” Delaney said. “Even if those things fail, she will adjust to make it work.” 

Ninth-graders Molly Carroll and Josh Bogle used the same word to describe Larson: encouraging.

“She makes it fun because P.E. isn’t really my favorite subject,” Carroll said. “She does a good job making sure you do the best at what you know you’re capable of.”

Bogle said Larson cheers on students to reach their goals.

“She knows your limits and pushes you toward them,” Bogle said. “She’s just a nice person, really cool and fun to talk to.”

Larson grew up in southwest Iowa and attended Graceland College in Lamoni, where she played softball and basketball. She spent time coaching at Osceola and landed her first teaching job at Martensdale-St. Marys school district, where she taught special education.

Larson said she was looking to work in a bigger district when she made the move to Northview. She taught special education at first, before moving to health and P.E. once the district shifted away from traditional P.E. to a focus on health and wellness.

Being a good P.E. teacher means having to think outside the box, Larson said

“Kids tend to lose their love of P.E. as they get older and we wonder why,” she said. “You have to find ways to fuel their love for it.”

Larson tries to do this by teaching students skills they will retain throughout their lives, as well as making class fun and interesting. She does this by incorporating things like pop culture and technology into the P.E. curriculum.

“If they’re not going to embrace (traditional P.E.), why continue to force it on them?” she said. “You have to offer activities for kids who might not be as athletic or don’t enjoy competition.”

Larson will move on to the next level of the teacher of the year recognition by attending a conference in February 2012. If she is chosen as the district winner, she will move to national consideration.

Winner or not, Larson said she’ll continue to love what she does every day.

“The people here are so great,” she said. “Every day I come to work I feel like I can make a difference and (the students) will embrace it.”