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My guest today is Drew Burris, an award-winning physical education teacher in Missouri with 14 years of teaching experience and a passion for creating memorable learning experiences for his students. Drew currently teaches PreK–2nd grade at Ridge View Elementary and is well known in the PE community through his online presence, professional development work, and national recognition as Missouri’s 2021 SHAPE Elementary PE Teacher of the Year.

In this episode, Drew and I discuss:

• What the weeks leading up to field day look like for him and his students
• The impact of using standards-based social skills in the lead-up lessons
• The benefits of organizing your event around a unifying theme
• How to recruit and manage volunteers effectively
• Tips for balancing fun and structure so everyone feels successful

Whether you’re a first-time organizer or a field day veteran, this episode is packed with tips and ideas to help make your event a highlight of the school year.

Resources

X: @project_physed

YouTube: @ProjectPhysEd

Website: projectphysed.weebly.com

Secure your spot for the 2025-2026 DPE Virtual Book Study, facilitated by Gary Zaharatos and Jen Smith. Buy tickets here! Feel free to email [email protected] for group discounts or any questions.

If you haven’t already, be sure to join our Facebook group where we have assembled quite the group of experts, always willing to share their insights and help out colleagues with their problems of practice. Simply search for Distinguished Physical Education.