Fitness Education for Children in School

lalepepper

Hi Everyone! I have had a lot of chances to reflect on why I ended up as overweight as I did, and many of these roots trace to childhood. One thing I realized when I started working out was that I had never identified a physical activity that I enjoyed to use in my adolescence and adulthood. I played soccer as a kid, but dropped out due to bullying and have had a particular disdain for team sports since. Unfortunately, all of my gym classes in middle and high school largely focused on team sports. While team sports can be a great way to find an activity you enjoy and can turn in to a hobby, it's also a great opportunity for those perceived to be the weakest link to be ostracized and discouraged. I ended up hating gym class and never found any physical activity I enjoyed until adulthood. While I understand schools are limited by equipment and space restrictions, my mind is boggled how I was never taught how to do a squat, how to lunge, or anything whatsoever regarding healthy eating. The gym class I knew was basically hangout time for the coaches and their athletes.

With the team sports model, the heavier kids, the bullied kids...they don't get a fair chance. I have seen some gym teachers go above and beyond to work with individuals to set some reasonable goals and make progress on them. Personally, I would love to see a model that emphasizes giving individuals the knowledge and tools to be healthy!

What are your thoughts on the current model many schools follow that emphasizes learning how to play team sports over individual fitness activities?

How do you think an ideal gym class would be run, considering the space and time limits in schools?

SunofaBeach14

I think it's mostly on the parents to encourage and help kids practice. It takes more than a couple of hours a week to become good at a sport. I was involved in martial arts as a kid far more than any team sport, and I didn't rely on my school for that. That said, we did go to tournements as a team. The only thing I feel strongly about being wrong with athletics and education is the animosity exhibited to sports by many teachers. Intelligence and athleticism are not mutually exclusive no matter how some seem to paint them so.

lalepepper

I definitely agree with you on getting practice outside of school, and think it's a shame that teachers often stigmatize athletes. School should be an inclusive, encouraging environment, and one's strengths do not preclude them from doing well in other areas. I wouldn't be surprised if that attitude ends up confirming their stereotyping by discouraging kids from making an effort because they feel their teachers won't bother to acknowledge it since they're athletes.

The main reason I think some inclusion of nutrition/personal fitness should be included definitely traces back to home life. Part of why children go to school is to learn things their parents cannot or will not teach them, and many parents (likely never taught these skills themselves) don't know or care enough about nutrition and fitness to share it with their children. Many people will never seek out this knowledge after leaving school, and this is a huge contributor to the rates of obesity.

Even if it's not in gym class, I can't recall my health class ever giving the topic any discussion. Sure, we learned about sex and diseases and why smoking/drugs/being fat/etc. is bad for you, but it's very surprising that many curriculums do not include diet and exercise information and awareness.

Sam_I_Am77

One thing that would be interesting is if schools had some kind of Wellness program for kids. Basically test the kid's biometric markers (i.e. blood sugar, weight, bmi, etc) and kids that healthy results get a discount on book rentals or other school related expenses. This way, it also hits the parent's wallet and may help them get more involved in managing their child's health. The school can hold educational workshops for parents and students, in-addition to an in-school PE & Health class.