In Napoleon, Michigan, the abbreviation "P.E." takes on a new name. Pirate Education is a teacher-developed bi-weekly class that gets K-5 students having fun and thinking creatively.

"Pirate Education, dubbed from the Napoleon Community Schools mascot, was started by an elementary teacher two years ago and features fun physical activities, while also teaching students life lessons," according to an article on MLive.com.

Teacher Pat Marvin, the developer of the program, said the goal is to teach kids to be a "hard-worker and a great kid."

Although the name might conjure images of children running around in eye-patches and pretending the class hamster is a parrot, being a Napoleon Pirate instead means focusing on being on over-all hard-worker and generous person.

The classes last 30 minutes and cover everything from preventing bullying to what proper behavior on the school bus is. Marvin uses fun music and educational video clips to supplement kids' learning throughout the class.

"In class on Friday, April 24, the kindergarten, first-grade and second-grade students were learning about the importance of sportsmanship, while also running in place and doing other physical activities in the gym," the article said.

Pirate Education has been fun for both the teacher and the students, and according to many in the Ezra Eby Elementary School, kids appreciate the chance to get interactive with the lessons.

"While some of the younger kids might not realize the overall message at this point, Marvin is hoping that constantly repeating 'hard-working great kid' will sink in and leave a lasting impact for the rest of their lives."

Read the full article here and comment below.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

4/27/2015