Will Westphal

Education Department has eliminated the special ed office in shutdown layoffs, union says. The agency cut nearly everyone who works to administer federal funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Put it on your 📅 #physed #healthed #APE #WIBestPracticesHPE
Come learn with us.

Line graph from KFF Health Tracking Poll showing increasing favorable opinions of Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) from 2010 to 2025. Medicaid favorability rises from 74% in 2017 to 83% in 2025, and ACA favorability increases from 46% in 2010 to 66% in 2025.

As Congress debates major cuts in federal spending on Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, our latest poll finds the two programs’ popularity are at or match all-time highs, with 83% and 66% of the public supporting the programs, respectively.

🔗: on.kff.org/3Zywm9K

KFF map titled “An Additional 10.9M People Nationwide Could be Uninsured if the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is Passed.” The map shows the percentage point increase in the uninsured population if the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is finalized based on national CBO estimates, by state, 2034.

If the “Big, Beautiful Bill” passes the Senate, how many more people will be uninsured in your state?

Nationwide, 10.9 million people would be uninsured with the bill’s changes to Medicaid and the ACA Marketplaces. Our analysis based on new CBO numbers: on.kff.org/4jIcF6E

📢#WIBestPracticesHPE📢
⏰ for O.H.I.O.
2024 Ohio Elementary TOY Kent Hamilton will be talking mini⛳️.
2023 Ohio Health TOY Matt Hagedorn will share how to empower critical thinking
Come learn with us #physed #healthed

www3.uwsp.edu/conted/Pages/B…

Reflecting on Six Years of #Microblog Month What inspired you to launch the #microblog event back in 2020 — and did you ever expect it to grow into what it is today? My blog site, slowchathealth.com, which celebrates it’s 10 year anniv…

I've hosted the global #Microblog blogging event for educators on my site for the past 6 years.
It's time to reflect.
slowchathealth.com/2025/05/31/m...

Atul Gawande on Instagram: "“No children are dying on my watch,” said Rubio. It's blatantly false. So far, 190,000 children and 90,000 adults have died due to the dismantling of USAID (even assuming... 9 likes, 0 comments - atul.gawande on May 24, 2025: "“No children are dying on my watch,” said Rubio. It's blatantly false. So far, 190,000 children and 90,000 adults have died due to the dismantlin...

“No children are dying on my watch,” said Rubio. It's blatantly false. Credible estimates count 190K deaths so far.

In Kenya, I am seeing devastating impact, incl this child's starvation & many deaths directly caused by Rubio’s actions. More in my @msnbc.com clip. www.instagram.com/atul.gawande...

Leading by Example: Lessons from Service to the Classroom Growing up, my father was the type of man who would “give the shirt off his back” to help someone. I always viewed that as an admirable quality, but I never fully made the connection to it being a …

"Service is more than a job—it’s a way of life."
Ray Ostrowski reflects on 28 years in the military and how the values of service and leadership shape every moment in his physical education classroom.
Read his powerful #microblog: slowchathealth.com/2025/05/23/l...

A definite must-read for #PhysEd teachers!

Inclusive Sexual Health Education is Not Radical: It’s Responsible, It’s Respectful, and It’s Required Preface: Although we write this blog from a Canadian perspective, we know that this topic is relevant within the American landscape as well. We recognize the complexities that currently exist advoc…

“Inclusive sex ed is a form of justice.”

It affirms that all bodies are worthy of respect, all identities of recognition, and all relationships of dignity.

New #microblog post: slowchathealth.com/2025/05/12/i...
#InclusiveEd #SexEdMatters #HealthEd #SexEd4All

Make it Stick in the Health Education Classroom Make It Stick is the best education book I have ever read. The reason I love this book so much is because it so intimately connects to skills-based health education and has changed my teaching stra…

'Make It Stick' is the best education book @mrmasonhealth.bsky.social has read! Read how it transformed his teaching, especially in #skillsbasedhealth. This #microblog dives into how retrieval, spaced repetition, & interleaving can be game changers in classrooms. slowchathealth.com/2025/05/12/m...

Moon Goals: Phases, Not Deadlines “Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon.” – Paul Brandt This weekend*, treat yourself. Step outside. Admire the full moon, the May full moon which…

This weekend, treat yourself. Step outside. Admire the full moon.
With four distinct phases of the moon each month, you have four gentle nudges every 28 days, one lunar cycle, to guide you towards your goals.
slowchathealth.com/2025/05/10/m...
#ScorpioFullMoon #FlowerMoon #microblog

There's PLENTY of time for you to add your name to this global list of educators sharing their awesomeness with the readers of the #slowchathealth #microblog month event.
slowchathealth.com/2025/03/14/m...

Making Time for Engagement and Joy Almost all I think about these days is class culture, and I know I am not alone. For me, this means a culture that builds trust, embraces confusion, encourages attention and sparks curiosity and jo…

Kurt Weiler, a veteran English teacher with 30+ years in the classroom reminds us in this #microblog post - no matter your subject or grade level—that creating space for joy isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity.
slowchathealth.com/2025/05/08/e...

Bite-Sized PD Professional development doesn’t always have to come from a conference or a new book. Sometimes the best inspiration is already in your pocket—literally. Like many teachers, I’m a collector of grea…

Bite-sized professional development idea (that costs nothing):
What if your next big teaching inspiration is already in your pocket?
Here's a #microblog post that provides a free, no-pressure, low-stakes way to recharge and reflect.
slowchathealth.com/2025/05/09/b... for #slowchathealth

Love it!

Top Health and Phys Ed Quizizz Activities

Here is a good resource of Quizizz related to HPE for your use. I received these from a friend who works for Quizizz. Please share #PhysEd #HealthEd docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Teacher Appreciation Week 2025 Teacher Appreciation Week at my school is quite the affair. This year our Student Council decided to make it 'Cruise Ship' themed. On Monday they're providing us with stickers, Tuesday all staff are entered into a prize draw to win breakfast for their department, Wednesday we have snacks provided, Thursday they will be distributing appreciation notes from students, and on Friday there is a breakfast for all staff.

Teacher Appreciation Week 2025

Teacher Appreciation Week at my school is quite the affair. This year our Student Council decided to make it 'Cruise Ship' themed. On Monday they're providing us with stickers, Tuesday all staff are entered into a prize draw to win breakfast for their department,…

Something for the Weekend One of my favorite traditions/rituals, both with students and colleagues, is sharing what I’m currently reading, watching, and listening to. I think there’s significant value in these exchang…

The weekend starts here!
Today’s #slowchathealth #microblog post is all about connection through what we’re into right now. I’m sharing what I’m currently reading, watching, and listening to — and I’d love to hear yours too.
slowchathealth.com/2025/05/03/s...

From Dream to Launch “I’ve been dreaming about this big idea…” Recently the last few big ideas have become realities. I started to wonder about why. Because when they hit just right, the impact is deeper than surface level. I’ve been writing microblogs for the last couple years about a few subjects that have shaped my career, but none like the process I went through to bring my most recent big dream idea into reality.

From Dream to Launch

“I’ve been dreaming about this big idea…” Recently the last few big ideas have become realities. I started to wonder about why. Because when they hit just right, the impact is deeper than surface level. I’ve been writing microblogs for the last couple years about a few…

Mourning the Athlete I Could Have Been—and Coaching the Next Generation of Women’s Sports to Be Unstoppable For years, I carried the weight of a dream that was never fully realized. Not because I lacked talent, drive, or love for the game, but because I let toxic male coaches take it away from me. I let …

From surviving toxic coaching to becoming a force for change: @apewithmsl.bsky.social writes about mourning, healing, and leading a new generation of unstoppable young women.
slowchathealth.com/2025/05/01/u...

Q. How can you empower the young athletes you coach to claim the spaces they deserve?

Teacher Appreciation Week 2024 Teacher Appreciation Week at my school is quite the affair. Our Student Council provides us with breakfast on Monday, laptop stickers and lanyards on Tuesday, trail mix on Wednesday, distributes ap…

I'll be sure to update this #microblog post in time for Teacher Appreciation Week next week. slowchathealth.com/2024/05/06/t...

Dropping tomorrow: @apewithmsl.bsky.social kicks off #microblog month with a powerful post on what it means to mourn the athlete you could have been — and how to build a better future for the next generation. #microblog #slowchathealth You won't want to miss it!

⏰#WIBestPracticesHPE hi-lite⏰ MN’s finest!
@grizzelope03.bsky.social will bring the rhythm & joy.
2024 MN Elem TOY @mchamberlainpe.bsky.social will help your Ss thrive
2022 National Health TOY @coachmatheson.bsky.social is bringing amazing #healthed too.

Come learn w/u this July #physed

Don't miss this! Matt's sessions are always packed with insights and great ideas.

Why All Physical Education Teachers Need an Adapted PE Bucket - SHAPE America Blog Physical education teachers need to have equipment ready to address the needs of ALL our students, which includes adapted PE tools. That’s the idea behind the “Adapted PE Bucket.”

Enjoyed sharing my thoughts for this! I hope you will give it a look.

blog.shapeamerica.org/2025/03/why-...

Supporting Meaningful PE in Health Education If you haven’t gotten on the bandwagon for Meaningful PE yet, it’s time to get on board. Meaningful PE can combine the aims of Health, PE, SEL and EDI into one simple structure. Not that any of the…

Classic #microblog post!
Supporting Meaningful PE in Health Education slowchathealth.com/2022/05/30/m... via Allisha Blanchette #MPE

⏰ for another #WIBestPracticesHPE Hi-lite

2024 Central District MS TOY @cait-schoville.bsky.social & a leader in #healthed @msemilyzien.bsky.social will be here!

Come learn with us this July #physed

www3.uwsp.edu/conted/Pages/B…

#edchat #edusky #physed #healthed arxiv.org/pdf/2504.11146

An interesting look at how SS might use AI feedback on assignments. The abstract alone is intriguing, but not surprising

If you don't have time to write something this time around, you can still support the event by:

✔️ Reading & sharing the posts
✔️ Leaving a comment or shoutout
✔️ Tagging a friend who should write
✔️ Sharing old microblogs
✔️ Promoting the event in your network