Educated under pressure to perform under pressure

[rock_shoes]

To be totally honest with you guys, after sitting in a classroom for 8-10hrs, it feels pretty good to get out and run a few miles.

Couldn't agree with you more on that point. It does feel great to go for a run after class. Like I said previously. I firmly believe you need to be fit enough to perform your duties without injuring yourself. It just isn't appropriate to worm that into the academic portion of a program. Then the smart kids get fat and lazy :shock: . Spending some class time developing fitness and nutrition plans appropriate for paramedics is time well spent and any great program will include this. Acting on those plans should be done outside of class time.

[Michael]

our consequence was 2 pushups for each second we fell short of 30 seconds.

You can be sure we all washed for 30 sec before each meal after that!

I'd be more sure that at least some candidates will start to think twice before admitting uncomfortable truths. Which may in turn make others start to wonder about the reliability of their run reports, the frequency of denied errors and admitted "I-don't-know"s, and where truck supplies mysteriously disappear to...

we run, skate, swim, etc.

Sports and calisthenics sure sound like a lot more fun when they're not framed as humiliating punishment. Is labeling hygienic measures as deterrents supposed to increase their attractiveness? How eager will y'all be to wash your hands and perform strengthening exercises when only the staph, and not the staff, is watching? And what was that I've been hearing about the superiority of education to training?

This little book opens with an anecdote about a class of medical students who were guided by their instructor to ask the elderly cleaning-woman who worked in their lab-building to let them swab the inside of her mouth in order to prepare a slide through which they took turns examining the revealed micro-organisms. Seeing the eager students crowded around the microscope, she asked whether she too could look. When she did, she was so horrified by the view of teeming parasites she'd unwittingly been hosting that she promptly had her rotting teeth extracted and replaced by dentures: Five seconds of education had more effect on her dental hygiene than a lifetime of negative reinforcement. Similarly, seeing a tooth dissolved overnight in a glass of Coke is likely to impress those who have entered the age of reason [Wikipedia: "the age where a child is capable of carrying on complex conversation with an adult, usually around seven or eight years"] more than finger-wagging, shaming, and spankings for dietary indiscretions.

"The generality of men are naturally apt to be swayed by fear rather than reverence, and to refrain from evil because of the punishment that it brings rather than because of its own foulness." (Aristotle) Sounds like Professor Pushup, albeit with the best intentions, is aiming to address and produce "the generality of men" rather than "top notch medics in all aspects." Though if the emotional atmosphere of the class is consistently one of high morale and self-respect, and if these techniques are viewed as sport, it may work.

Dwayne, call your office...

[Ridryder 911]

As a professional educator I realize that our main job is to motivate students. That no one can really teach anything to anyone that is not receptive to learn. Reinforcement tools to motivate students can come from a variety of ways but is exercise the best given this is not a P.E. class?

I much rather build up their minds, than their bodies. Yes, one should be healthy to perform in the field but what does push ups and sit ups have to with EMS? Sorry, I much rather have you spend your time researching through journals and texts to locate the answer than being a Drill Sargent. Now, what did you really learn during those push ups? To be better prepared? That's it? ...

Let's leave the boot camp mentality to the so called heroes and let's focus on more professional educational methods.

R/r 911