Queen Creek teacher stresses importance of physical education

Faith Mather Sossaman Elementary PE teacher Lara Cox is reflecting on her career after receiving an honorable mention in this year’s Arizona Education Foundation’s Teacher of the Year awards.

The recognition comes a year after Cox was named teacher of the year by the Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce.

With eight years of teaching at Faith Mather Sossaman, Cox stated that she likes “everything” about her job.

“From the smiles and laughter of the students to the collaboration with my coworkers, it’s all incredibly fulfilling,” stated in a press release from the Quen Creek Unified School District.

Cox stated that she finds joy in every aspect of being a teacher, from planning lessons to seeing her students grow in confidence with physical activities during class. She described teaching as not just her job, but as her calling.

An integral part of Cox’s teaching approach is “meaningful PE framework,” which focuses on making activities engaging, socially interactive and fun for students, the release continued.

She plans her lessons to include challenges that take every student into account, allowing them to build their skills at a pace that fits them. For example, during a recent class, her students had an activity where they mimicked animal movements using various speeds and levels, the release added. Making the lesson engaging for students allows them to understand movement concepts in a way that works for their learning process.

Lessons are also tailored to each grade level. Activities that work for sixth graders may not work for kindergarteners, so Cox incorporates age-appropriate lessons to keep each student engaged.

For older students, she connects physical activities to real-world scenarios, like sports or hobbies that may be enjoyed outside of school. This approach helps students connect what they learn in the classroom to their daily activities and encourages exercise throughout their lives.

Cox is proud of her Arizona Education Foundation recognition, not because of her own work as a teacher, but because it highlights the importance of physical education as an essential part of the school curriculum.

“Physical education is teaching; it is education,” she stated.