Advertise on podcast: HPE Hangout

Brewers, Trivia, and 20 Minute PE ClassesSteve and Ian are in a back hallway at the Kalahari during the Wisconsin Health and Physical Education Conference. Matt is in Ohio, texting about FOMO roughly ten times an hour.Their guest is Dustin Ambort, elementary PE teacher at Alma Center, WHPE Southwest coordinator, and Wisconsin’s 2026 Elementary PE Teacher of the Year. He picks up the award a few hours after this recording.Dustin teaches 20 minute classes, back to back, no passing time, about 12 kids at a shot. Transitions aren’t part of the lesson, they are the lesson. We get into what that actually looks like, the teachers who shaped him, why he finally stopped sitting in the weeds and got involved with WHPE, and what this one means with his family in the room.This one also lands the week the Brewers won the World Series, which Matt said would never happen. Out loud. Often. From Ohio.Also: a geography trivia question he did not need the full five seconds for, a Slipknot concert at 16, and a whole lot of Journey.

Not a performance indicator walkthrough. Four minutes each, on a timer, on how this actually gets taught. Nobody stayed under four minutes.Inside: skill cues RADAR and LENS, hexagonal thinking with the dimensions of wellness, gallery walks with print ads, a grocery store tour that shows how early the influencing starts, untangling the web as a summative, spiraling skills across units instead of giving each one its own unit, and the question nobody settles: do kids remember the acronym, or just the skill underneath it?Plus a 1994 peer pressure VHS that is still in a cabinet in your building right now.Recorded a while back, out now. October happened. SHOW NOTES and LINKS -https://bit.ly/HPEHangShowNotes

Your administrator walks in, tells you that you’re teaching health next semester, and walks back out. That’s it. That’s the whole orientation. After 11 years of teaching K–12 physical education at Win-E-Mac, Heather Burd suddenly found herself taking over the school’s health classes—and feeling like a first-year teacher all over again. Heather joins us to share what those first weeks really looked like, from setting up her classroom and learning 170 names to preparing for sensitive topics and searching for resources when all she inherited was a textbook. Along the way, Heather discovered that many of the principles that made her successful in the gym carried directly into the health classroom: every student counts, every student belongs, and every student needs a purpose. We also debate pairs versus tables, random seating cards, and the best ways to build classroom community. Then Heather turns the questions back on us, leading to an honest and important conversation about teaching mental health. Plus, we share what we’re teaching this week, hear about a faucet project entering hour twelve, and preview an upcoming series on health education standards. You may not have planned to become a health teacher—but LET'S GO! SHOW NOTES and LINKS - https://bit.ly/HPEHangShowNotes

So You Want to Be a Health Teacher... The Hope is High for Our Future Educators Most health teachers didn't set out to be health teachers. They came in PE-first, picked up the health license to make themselves hireable, and then a placement or a schedule change made the decision for them. Dr. Ann Hockett joins to talk about what that pipeline actually looks like right now: shrinking programs, adjuncts replacing full-time faculty, and a shortage of health placements so severe that student teachers get sent an hour away just to find one. Plus what cooperating teachers can do about it, why year one feels so isolating after four years of a cohort, and the free stuff nobody tells new teachers about.Also: 38 kids in a PE class, a second-floor gym, and a levy that keeps failing. Show Notes - https://bit.ly/HPEHangShowNotes

WHAT'S IN THE TOOLBOX?! Matt, Steve, and Ian are back together again, which means somebody finally remembers how to start a podcast. School is closing in fast, so we opened the toolbox. What is already in there and never leaves, what we are trying for the first time this year, and where any of it comes from when you have no budget and no time. Steve explains the actual toolbox his son built, which has been to more conferences than most of us. Ian has a letter that works better than any icebreaker. Matt has a quiz that is somehow a comedy act. Also in here: Best Practices in Stevens Point, class sizes that should be illegal, what happens when Minnesota loses its health standards, seventeen hours in a car to see sand cats, and a shockingly large amount of squishy prizes. Free stuff worth your time in the notes, including AMAZE SexEdCon on September 17 and InspirEd from Concordia University. Show Links - https://bit.ly/HPEHangShowNotes

Matt and Ian are live from Best Practices in Health and PE in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Steve is not. Two days into the conference, in an empty conference room, they found out exactly how much of this show Steve has been carrying. Mark Housel’s keynote recalibrated the room. Andy Milne was finally in person. Matt and Ian both presented, and they compare notes on how it went and what they’d do differently. There’s also an ad read Matt had not seen and probably should have, and a surprise guest who stopped by mid-segment. Then Alex Grykowski and Chloe Allen sit down, and one of them found out Ian had the job first. Also: a bubbler, a brandy old fashioned with sausage in it, a polka that really happened, and the correct pronunciation of Weyauwega, which Matt did not get. Show resources and links: Mark Housel -  Housel Fun Fitness - https://houselfitness.com/ Mark Housel on X - @HouselPhysEd Andy Milne - Health Class Greatest Hits - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gY7Awe2uq8M8uEV3mPGyPUV_ieFPiPIz/view?usp=sharing What’s In a Name? - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YxzA5NbzOZN1kQjaSkwnfapod2_Dq0H9/view?usp=sharing Meaningful PE - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kNuKOMobFOrinozNbDbF8uUF4VnKB7l7/view?usp=sharing Matt Hagedorn -  Agency Required - AI session Presentation - https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1t3_W2_O3AXqWteRzIf3BfBehpv1c_ofkNlfFBop8uO4/edit?usp=drivesdk AI Resources - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1obVdwt2Lja-AQD0JXmTfORXXkZOylvkGoIHYJaqvzTo/edit?usp=drivesdk Claude for Educators - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nCyv6qLVJhiNwhyww4AO22k5Wbtf0DOFrPygKem0TwY/edit?usp=drivesdk ChatGPT for Teachers - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m7BoOYnNwo20MDdGqUE-PSL_YOQGHArtx6Q4i6vFdDc/edit?usp=drivesdk Matt Hagedorrn on X - https://x.com/TALLMADGEHEALTH Alex Grycowski -  Building a Culture of Effort Through Growth-Based Practices & Student Choice - https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1gx_Cs80fuA99Ay23-ONngCyZlX9cjtXTs-LhAxy-Jug/edit?usp=drivesdk Alex Grycowski on X - https://x.com/Alex_Grycowski Chloe Allen and Carlos Rodriguez -  Skills in Action https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IhxxhHHOdC0c7Hayu6r2D64Wp6b_5M27/view Ian Lacasse and Katie Schultz - Modeling Decision-Making and Communication in the Health Classroom -  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gJSaVQWQmzYrZkB2Wei72iqQ77RwAKj7/view?usp=drivesdk Canva Link - https://canva.link/i3enh6eeodolhng Ian Lacasse on X - https://x.com/Mr_L_health Alisha Blanchette, Jamie Betry, and Youth Advocates from Wausau Women's Community - Pause, Check, Protect - Scams and Sextortion https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZSkRs6y8nwdGDDenOXlGMu__nacfWkNx/view?usp=sharing

Ian's back. Two episodes on the road for Kentucky and San Diego, and the band is back together. Joining us for this one is Will Westphal, 2025 Wisconsin Elementary PE Teacher of the Year and 2026 SHAPE America Midwest District winner. Will is the data guy: Likert scales, closure corners, daily reflections, and using AI to turn thousands of student data points into something he can actually teach from. He gets into anchors, silent middles, and ghosts, and how one small question ("who made your day better today?") turned a class of conflict into something completely different. Matt, Steve, and Ian pull all of it across the aisle into the health classroom. Also on the docket: a summer edition of What's Good, What's Tough, a full hype for Best Practices in Health & PE in Stevens Point (July 27-29), some well-earned sports heartbreak, and a World Cup ad read Will may have been born to deliver. Real talk for health and PE teachers, by health and PE teachers.

In this episode, recorded during a health teacher retreat in San Diego, we sit down with three Teachers of the Year: Leah Wheeling, Chris Ahrens, and Korey Kleinhans. Leah opens things up with how she builds games into her curriculum, and brings nonstop energy to games and life. Then Chris and Korey take us into the world of adaptive PE, sharing what that work actually looks like day to day and why it matters so much to the students they serve. A grounded, honest conversation about the kind of teaching that doesn't always get talked about. Leah's game links - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Eeacxy4UhjMS4aP42W4rhtnQWMSsghSzIkk7Kd6DXBQ/edit?usp=sharing ND SHAPE link - https://www.ndshape.org/2026-nd-shape-state-conference/ Best Practices Link - https://www.uwsp.edu/continuing-education-and-outreach/homepage/customizable-services/conference-planning/2026-best-practices-in-health-and-physical-education-conference/ Guests Leah Wheeling - https://x.com/LeahWPE Chris Ahrens - https://x.com/chrisahrens Cory Kleinhans Hosts Matt Hagedorn - https://x.com/TALLMADGEHEALTH Steve Chapin - https://x.com/stephenchapin Ian Lacasse - https://x.com/Mr_L_health

The HPE Hangout hit the road for the Kentucky SHAPE conference in Lexington, KY, and this one's all about how Kentucky does a conference. Matt and Steve were both there and both presented. Ian missed it, busy back in Wisconsin setting up his own conference, Best Practices in Stevens Point (July 27 to 29, still time to register). He'll get to Kentucky one day. If nothing else, for LaDonda's BBQ. Sharp sessions, great socials, hospitality about as good as it gets. We sat down with three people who make Kentucky SHAPE go: past presidents Jamie Sparks and LaDonda Porter, plus Jordan Manley on the HPE Collective and the Nexus community he co-founded, where it stands and where it's headed. With some Kentucky flavor mixed in. Show Links: KY SHAPE Homepage -⁠ ⁠https://kyshape.org/⁠⁠⁠ KY SHAPE - Twitter - ⁠https://x.com/KY_SHAPE⁠ KY SHAPE - Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/kyshape⁠ Special Guests Ladanda Porter: ⁠https://x.com/lporterPE?s=20⁠ Kentucky Q - BBQ Food Truck - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/kentucky_que/?hl=en⁠ Jamie Sparks: ⁠https://www.kentuckyteacher.org/subjects/health-and-physical-education/2016/09/meet-kdes-coordinated-school-health-team/⁠ Jordan Manley - ⁠[email protected]⁠ Sign up for the HPE Collective: ⁠https://www.hpecollective.online/⁠ Steve Chapin’s #KYSHAPE26 Presentations: Making Nutrition Education Taste Better - ⁠https://tinyurl.com/10ChefKYSHAPE⁠ Creating a Student Health Fair - https://⁠tinyurl.com/HFairKYSHAPE⁠ Matt Hagedorn and Maria Schneider’s #KYSHAPE26 Presentation: Flip the Fridge - ⁠Flip the Fridge⁠ Hosts Stephen Chapin - ⁠https://x.com/stephenchapin⁠ Matt Hagedorn - ⁠https://x.com/TALLMADGEHEALTH⁠

In our fourth episode, we finally tackle the topic looming over every classroom: AI. We brought in Kevin Mason to help us figure out whether artificial intelligence is the teaching partner we always wanted or the fastest way to think our students out of thinking for themselves.The conversation kicks off from two blogs that, on the surface, read like opposite takes: Matt's "Intention Is Everything" and Kevin's "A Brain-Based Case Against AI in Health Class (and beyond)." Dig in, though, and they're not actually fighting. Matt makes the case that AI is a tsunami already at the door (the Geek Squad days make an appearance). Kevin counters with the brain science behind why struggle is where real learning lives, and what happens when we offload it. Put the two side by side, and you land in the same place: slow is fast, a free-throw analogy, and a hard look at treating AI as a tool instead of a transaction.We also catch up on what's good and what's tough, Ian gives the Milwaukee Brewers an ad read they never asked for, and we close things out on vinyl, blind pulls, and why flipping a record might be the best wellness move you make all week.Real talk for health teachers, by health teachers. Show Links Matt Hagedorn Blog - Intention Is Everything Kevin Mason Blog - A Brain-Based Case Against AI in Health Class (and beyond) Follow Kevin Mason on X - x.com/mrmasonhealth Project Zero Thinking Routine Commencement Speeches A.I. Doc Video Book - Empire of AI - Karen Hao Best Practices Link - Stevens Point, WI - July 27-29, 2026 Hosts Stephen Chapin, Ian Lacasse, Matt Hagedorn

Our first guest, and she came ready to flip the script.Jessica Matheson joins us for episode three, and we tried something different. We had some questions for her, but she brought her own for us, too. The result is a real back-and-forth about health education and how it actually fits into everyday life. We get into risk and the bigger chances each of us has taken, swap our favorite parts of conferences unrelated to the sessions, and pull some genuinely useful advice from Jessica along the way.Less interview, more conversation. Our first time having a guest on, and a good sign of where this is headed. Episode Links Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT) Hawaii Health Education Standards MN Health Education Standards - Draft Jessica Matheson - @CoachMatheson The Blueprint — What I Teach, Why I Built It, and How to Make It Yours Hosts Stephen Chapin, Ian Lacasse⁠, Matt Hagedorn

Why don’t more health and PE teachers show up to professional development? What’s actually stopping them — and how do we get more people in the room? Matt, Ian, and Steve dig into the real talk on PD: the presenter pipeline problem, the university disconnect, the funding equity gap, and the burnout reframe that flips the whole conversation on its head. Plus a community member who survived 55 minutes of CPR, an art teacher shout-out, and a substitute teacher ad read that may have come from somewhere real. Ann Hagedorn’s A View from the Lobby makes an appearance. Summer PD plans get mapped out, and a preview of Episode 3 brings our first guest — with a twist. Links in the show notes. Say Something Project A View from the Lobby: The Unseen Pulse of Pedagogy – #slowchathealth Professional Development Opportunities June 10-12 SHAPE Iowa Conference June 24-25 SHAPE KY Conference July 27-29 - Best Practices in Health and Physical Education Conference - Continuing Education and Outreach | UWSP

In this very first episode of HPE Hangout, three health teachers from three different states hit record… and figure it out as they go. Get to know the voices behind the podcast as they share their journeys into health education, what brought them to the classroom, and why they’re passionate about skills-based health. Expect a mix of laughs, real talk, and a little bit of “are we actually doing this?” energy as they kick things off with absolutely no budget—but plenty of heart. They also dive into what listeners can expect from future episodes, including engaging classroom ideas, conference conversations, and honest discussions about the realities of teaching health today. Whether you’re a seasoned educator or just getting started, this episode is your invitation to join the conversation—and celebrate the work of Health Educators everywhere. Podcast Hosts - Matt Hagedorn - Health Education Teacher (Talmadge HS, Tallmadge, OH) - 2026 SHAPE Midwest TOY, SHAPE Midwest Recorder Ian Lacasse Health and PE Teacher (Madison West HS, Madison, WI) - 2021 WHPE TOY, SHAPE Midwest President Elect, Best Practices in HPE Conference Coordinator Stephen Chapin Health and PE Teacher (St. James HS, St. James, MN) - 2026 SHAPE America Health TOY, MNSHAPE Health Division VP