California Educator

February 09

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The biggest losers It all started during the last school year when Hill Middle School teachers Jim Guadagno and Charlie Dodson attended a Dodgers game. In- side the All-You-Can-Eat Pavilion of Dodger Stadium, recalls Gua- dagno, they were pigging out to their heart’s delight. After the game, the two Teachers Associa- tion of Long Beach (TALB) mem- bers went to a restaurant for chick- en wings. And when they were so full they were ready to burst, they came up with the idea for a weight- loss contest based on the hit televi- sion reality show “The Biggest Loser.” Others at the school site got wind of what was happening and wanted in. School nurse and TALB member Sue Miller not only signed up, she volun- teered to monitor the contest, perform weekly University of San Diego DIVISION OF CONTINUING EDUCATION ONLINE COURSES FOR TEACHERS from the University of San Diego  CREDENTIAL CLEARING*  CHARACTER EDUCATION PROGRAM  CALIFORNIA HISTORY FOR TEACHERS  CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION Featuring Three New Courses: CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES IN EDUCATION EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM EVALUATION OF LEARNING 1/2 page ad CTA & NEA members SAVE $75 on each course ENROLL TODAY! INSTRUCTOR-LED COURSES BEGIN EVERY MONTH For more information or to enroll today, call 1- 888 - 627-1148 or visit us at www.OnlineLearning.net * For more information about your California Teaching Credential requirements, please call the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing at 1-888-921-2682 or visit www.ctc.ca.gov Jim Guadagno, Teachers Association of Long Beach weigh-ins and keep confidential records on an Ex- cel spreadsheet. She also shared weight-loss tips. There are two teams — the Huskies (in honor of the school’s mascot) and the Hoagies — who compete against each other. Each week the team with the least amount of weight loss has to perform a “favor” for some- one on the winning team, such as cleaning their desk, doing yard duty or walking students to the bus. The $10 that it costs to enter the contest pays for gift certificates for the win- ning team members. Guadagno, a drama teacher, lost the most weight — 22 pounds — earning him the title of Biggest Loser at Hill Middle School. A second contest followed a few months later. And a third Biggest Loser challenge just got under way. “It’s good for morale,” says Miller. “We pub- lish updates in the school’s daily bulletin, and it becomes quite competitive between the teams. It’s different from the TV show because we don’t kick people off. Instead we try to help each other and be supportive.” “The schoolwide challenge is really fun,” says PE teacher Laureen Gollner, who lost 16 pounds. “It helps me curtail what I eat and makes me more aware of what I am eating.” “It really is great motivation,” says classified employee Stacey Barkwill, between bites of her salad and yogurt lunch. “I lost 10 pounds. It is a team effort. We push each other to eat health- ier. And most of us don’t stop trying.” For more information about health issues, visit the NEA Health Information network at www. neahin.org. in partnership with february 2009 | www.cta.org 19

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