Trying Something New

Sanislo Elementary, Seattle, WA

Sue Turner, known fondly as "Miz T" by her students, has been at Sanislo Elementary school for over thirty years. She and her husband started a program called SCATS, a child acrobatic team featuring jump ropers, tumblers, jugglers, and unicyclists. Those students who are not on the team still benefit from Miz T's innovative approach to physical education. She started to teach tumbling as a way to get away from competitive sports. In her class, every child can grow faster and stronger and more agile at their own pace, no matter what their skill level.

Sanislo's school statistics aren't like most schools. 21% of students are in bilingual education programs, and 44% qualify for free or reduced lunches. But, at last count, one in 3 Sanislo students can do a back-handspring; 23 can juggle three objects more than 100 times in a row; and 22 can stand on their hands for longer than 30 seconds.

Miz T has a very simple philosophy when it comes to getting kids active: "If it's cool, they'll like it and get into it and they'll have confidence to keep moving their bodies and try new things - and that's what teaching is all about."