Lufkin Road Middle School teacher Jennie Jones will receive the Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year Award on Nov. 13 at the annual convention of the N.C. Alliance for Athletics, Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

Jones, who holds a bachelor's degree in education from Campbell University, a master's degree in education from UNC-Greensboro and National Board Certification (2008), has received Teacher of the Year awards from two school districts -- Randolph County and Wake County. We spoke with her about her 23 years of teaching.

Q: Childhood obesity is a serious problem in our nation. How do you feel you can affect children and their health? We aim to give kids as much physical education time as possible, and we have declared the gym a 'no sitting zone.' I plan my lessons for the maximum amount of participation. The goal is to be moving.

In middle school, you see a lot of changes. Most kids like to be active. Maybe certain specific activities aren't their thing, but they like to move. When they come to us in sixth grade, they are tiny. Many change just by growing. At the same time, they may become less active. We try to offer a variety of activities to keep their bodies active.

Q: You have organized several successful Hoops for Heart campaigns and helped others start their own programs. Tell me why the program is important to you. We have to teach the whole child. I'm not just a P.E. teacher; at times I act as parent or counselor. Service-oriented activities show students how they can help another child.

The first question I ask is, 'How many of you know someone who has had a heart attack?' Students are amazed when they look around the room and see how many others have been affected. Kids often open up and tell stories about young people they know who have heart disease. I have even had a student who needed a heart transplant.

Q: Physical education classes have been cut over the years, in both student time and staffing. Why do you believe it deserves respect along with academics? I ask my students, 'Can you tell me of anyone you know of who died because they couldn't add two and two together? Now tell me how many died because of heart disease or complications from obesity?' I also remind them that a healthier body is more capable of learning: healthy body, healthy mind.

Q: What is unique about teaching the middle school age group? They are still kids, attempting to be adults. You have to figure out a way to teach them on that level. You need to teach them as kids and also push them to be independent and responsible.

Q: What have you learned from your students over the years? I always go back to one of my first experiences teaching. I was teaching a first grade class to jump rope. We put the rope on the ground and jumped over it, then tossed it over our heads, under our toes. ... One young man worked so hard and was in tears when he succeeded; I was in tears. That was my biggest lesson. From that point on, I pushed for kids to be successful. I tell them to never give up and work -- I've learned to appreciate the thrill of success even more.

Q: You have mentored student and beginning teachers. Why is mentoring important to you, and what do you find yourself telling them? I'm passionate about teaching and P.E. Mentoring is one way I can give back to my profession. I want to help them develop that passion, and I want to see good teachers in P.E.

It's been shown that in the first five years, beginning teachers often quit. There is a lot more to teaching than subject matter. If something isn't working, I want to help teachers learn to modify and make it better.

Q: What is the most challenging part of your job? Motivating students. Kids love to learn and move, but it can be difficult to keep them interested. I always take another look and see what we can do differently.

Q: What keeps you going? What do you look forward to each day? I'm very much a skills person. It thrills me to death when a student learns a new skill. The best part of the job is ... when a student is successful.