Overcoming Adversity

I am a short four weeks away from starting up the 2015-2016 school year.  This is very exciting, and terrifying at the same time.  Last year my PE space was the 8th grade classrooms, however there will be an 8th grade class for this coming year so that space is unavailable.  There is no other large open space inside of the school that is suitable for PE.  Last year I was teaching K-7, and this coming year I will have K-5.

To overcome this adversity I was presented with a great opportunity by a local Boy's and Girl's club.  They offered to allow the school to use their gym facilities and outdoor field space for all PE classes, and for the athletics program.  They also have transportation for the school, which is great because the school currently does not have any transportation services.  The major problem with this situation is the budget,  If I had PE every single day at the gym, the school would need to budget close to $30,000.00 for transportation costs, and that is not option.  I have been given a budget that is much lower than that.  My administration has offered the suggestion of only using the gym during the coldest winter months (January and February), and having all other PE classes outdoors, or in a large open gathering space in the school.  This plan has potential to work, however the gathering space is open on either side directly into 7th grade and 2nd and 3rd grade classes, and the noise level would be immense.  I could use the outdoor space, however if it rains that will cause a big issue.

I feel stuck in this situation.  I have a great opportunity to partner with the community, but I don't have the funding to fully take advantage of the opportunity.  This scenario limits the PE time with my students, and worries me that I won't fully be able to teach to the maximum of my abilities.  I am feeling that I will be teaching to the space constraints and won't have the space to be as creative as I typically could be with a full gym, or even with an independent, consistent PE space.

At this point my plan is to go through my curriculum and decide which units have got to be taught in the gym, which units can be taught outside, and which units fit best in the gathering space.  The plan is to only utilize the gym for a period of time that will cover the gym units, and the rest will be done outside or in the gathering space.  I am very concerned about weather problems since I don't have a space to fall back on that is indoors when it is raining.

I know this experience will force me to grow as a teacher and I will have to be extremely creative in how I approach my classes.  There will definitely be some difficult obstacles to overcome, however I am confident I will be able to overcome these obstacles.  I am sure I will be posting updates as this will be a one-of-a-kind year for me. Any tips or advice are greatly welcomed!!