Introduction SCED 4200

Hi, my name is Lacy Larsen. I am currently going into secondary education with a major in Health Education and a minor in English. I love being active and outside. I enjoy almost every sport, especially basketball. I grew up on a ranch and have horses of my own, which I compete in amateur rodeos on. I love to be with my family and friends, and enjoy traveling as well. I am currently a personal trainer at the Employee Wellness center here on campus, and I teach a fitness class as well. It is a great job, and I learn new stuff every day. Health Education to me is becoming one of the most important things that we can teach kids at a young age. With health care on the rise and constant bombardment of unhealthy foods, bad diets, unhealthy exercising, or overall inactive lifestyles, it is imperative that educators get information out there to improve people's lives. These simple facts, along with the desire to consistently improve my own health drew me to teach this content area. I truly believe in the power of living a healthy lifestyle simply by observing the changes it can make on one's attitude, physical health and appearance, and productivity. I would love to teach students about nutrition, exercise, mental health, etc., and give them the tools to not only understand the information, but help them apply it to change behaviors in order to develop healthy habits for the rest of their lives.
   The definition of literacy to me is not only being able to read and interpret texts, but also the ability to apply the information learned for behavior modification, compare with other texts, or even understand enough to teach others. There are so many levels of literacy and many different types of literacy to comprehend. I think that in order to be literate one needs to be able to confidently read a wide spectrum of texts, write in a way that shows comprehension and can be understood by all, and communicate in a productive way that can lead successful relationships and endeavors. I definitely think that literacy applies to my content area because if people are not literate in subjects dealing with Health, then there is no way they will be able to understand nutrition labels, warnings, directions, etc. Not only that, they will never be competent in the basic behaviors that are imperative for a healthy lifestyle.