Meet Our Teachers
“I
the Australian national model. “Many
PE curriculums focus only on PE, and
leave health subjects to science and
other subjects. But in Australia we put
everything to do with general wellbeing
in PHE – Psychology, Sociology, Health
and Nutrition, Anatomy and Physiology
– these are all subjects covered in PHE,”
explains Ms. Atterton. PHE at Keystone
trains students in sports, teaches them
about healthy living, and how to be a
better person. It brings together the
physical, academic, social, emotional
and spiritual domains. It is not just
about a student’s ability to throw or
catch a ball, but also about building the
confidence to do so. It is not just about
physical fitness, but also about giving
students the awareness that body image
comes from self-respect, and not from
magazines or the media. For someone
who has taught physical education at The
But It’s Not Just Sports
Such a high level of enthusiasm is King’s School (boy’s day and boarding
needed to teach, and coordinate the school), Sydney, for nearly two decades,
Keystone PHE curriculum that follows she understands how best to implement
have a high PQ,” says Stacey
Atterton beaming. PQ is short for
physical quotient, and as a Physical
and Health Education (PHE) teacher,
it is only natural to expect her to be
remarkably good in this area. But we
think PQ stands for passion quotient, and
not just a measure of physical fitness for
Ms. Atterton. This energy is also what her
advisee, Zhaoning An feels makes her a
great teacher: “I think Ms. Atterton is an
enthusiastic teacher. When she teaches
us, we feel a power coming from within
her, and during PE class she always joins
us, and does sports with us.” Stacey
Atterton has always been passionate
about sports and PHE, even as a middle
school student herself. In grade 9, she
coached a grade 7 basketball team with
the same zesty spirit she radiates today.
Ms. Atterton and her
students during PE class.
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The Keystone Magazine
the Australian model in China together
with local cultural elements. “In the
Chinese context, I need to be culturally
sensitive. For instance, when teaching
grade 6 about the life cycle, the boys in
the class get very uncomfortable talking
about reproduction. I understand that
my students have very little exposure to
some topics, so I need to simplify things,
and be mindful through talking to Chinese
teachers and colleagues about what is
acceptable, and still teach them what I
think is appropriate for them to know.”
It is not just to the sensitive life lessons
that Ms. Atterton pays extra attention,
but also to every lesson, such as teaching
students about the food pyramid, that
requires cultural customization and
sensitization: “I run Chinese elements
through all my assignments. For instance,
I got my students to do a Chinese food
pyramid and an international one by
naming as many countries through the
different levels of the pyramid. This
challenges students to think locally and