Need to Rant about PE in schools

NCISFanatic01

I had an ah ha moment just a bit ago. I don't think we should completely blame video games on our
children being overweight and inactive. I think our schools are to blame.

When I was in school we had PE at least 2x a week in grade school then daily in middle and high
school through at least the 10th grade. Why are the PE and health courses being removed from
the schools? Some may say it's because there are plenty of sports out there for kids to participate
in. But not all kids are in to sports. My oldest loves bowling and singing, my youngest wants to run
track and field my middle is all about band and his baritone saxophone. They really
aren't getting what they need.

For my youngest to run track and field come spring he has to get out there and start running on his
own to get to the point to even be able to try out for track but when will he have the time for that?

Okay..enough of that..I'll stop now while I can.

nene01pop

not sure what schools your district is, but ours still has PE everyday... its parents that take their kids to doctors to get them wrote out of PE, and girls whining about everything down to TOM. Infact, we have to buy a gym bag, shorts and t-shirt just for gym. We as parents need to set the example, and for years I have been a bad one...

naomi8888

I think they should offer more PE at schools too. However as parents we need to take responsibility as well. We need to encourage them to get outside and move more, take them to sports outside of school, etc.

Also I think wight problems are more likely from food than exercise. They may burn 200-300 calories in PE (30 mins) but eat a few oreos at home and take in those calories in five minutes.

CriosDubh

For my youngest to run track and field come spring he has to get out there and start running on his
own to get to the point to even be able to try out for track but when will he have the time for that?

this is a problem with evey sport. With some kids getting into developmental sports as preschoolers, kids whose parents don't have the resources or time to take their kids to soccer or whatever just cannot compete and get on the school teams. I'm not saying that the schools should compete with worse players in some sort of fairness exercise. I just think the playing field (ahem) is uneven for all students.

Then again though, parents probably wouldn't feel like they had to utilize developmental sports if they knew their kids were getting sufficient exercise in elementary school.

Quick note: many schools have no-cut track and field. Not everyone gets to go to every meet (you have to compete with your teammates for a spot in the meet), but everyone gets to work out, be on the team, and compete intramurally. Schools in my area also have no-cut football teams, but again, that doesn't mean that everyone gets to play on Friday night.

I agree with you that not offering PE is a huge problem,. I also hate how cursive handwriting, foreign language, geography and spelling have been punted onto the parents. If my kids would let me teach them all that, then I'd homeschool them. As it stands, though, I have my hands full teaching them life skills and manners, so I sort of think that if there is going to be compulsory schooling during the best 6 hrs of my kids' day, then they need to stop with the high-stakes testing and go back to teaching the fun stuff like PE, art, music, and foreign language. We cannot live on math and language arts alone.

kstrunk1

I am a teacher and I agree. However, please note that public schools have to follow what their states have put in the curriculum. Due to budget cuts, fine arts and PE are sadly often cut.

SherryTeach

I think you should blame No Child Left Behind. Actually, we don't do anything in school except teach kids to pass standardized reading and math tests. At my middle school, shop is gone, home ec is gone, French and German are gone, I'd write to every elected official I could. It's only going to get worse.

runzalot81

I'm a teacher and a parent. PE is great but even twice a week is not enough. My little guy sees me exercise all the time and he loves to run with me. He ran his first 1 mile race at 3 years old and he was able to do it by himself when he turned 6. My students know that I work out and that I'm a runner. They also love how playful I am and how much movement we do in the music room.

Schools just can't do everything. We try like he!! but we just can't.

I had regular PE growing up and hated it. Exercise wasn't important in my house. I didn't figure it out until I was out on my own.

OnMyWeigh464

Where I live they still have PE quite regularly. My oldest is still in Jr. High so I don't know about the high schools but in jr. high she has it a few times per week.

CriosDubh

Budget cuts and high-stakes testing. Yuck. I'm convinced that the testing is a plot by folks who want to undermine and defund the public school system.

jesuskroeger

My oldest loves bowling and singing, my youngest wants to run
track and field my middle is all about band and his baritone saxophone.

Perhaps once your middle gets into high school, he could join marching band if there is one in your school district. In my school district, if you do two years of marching band, that counts for the required P.E. credits. Our band is a competing band, so we're out there on the field almost every day come August marching and learning drill, and then every day after school for two hours all the way up to November.

runzalot81

Gawd the testing. Barf. Boo. Hiss.

Arexxx

I HATED PE.
I was teased.
Beat up.
And excluded from all sports.


Kids in general are horrible creatures, and as I was the "Fat girl with no balance", I was a target. I'd rather no PE than being embarrassed like that

kiddoc88

I agree. I think they should keep PE in schools, and have a variety of it. I think too many PE classes are too ' one size fits all and typical sports.( running, basketball , wtc) and when kids are required to participate.. and don't enjoy that sport.. I think they learn to not like exercise in general. A better idea would be to either offer a wider variety of activities (ballroom dancing, martial arts, etc).. or somehow supplement or give credit for activities outside of school.

jus_in_bello

It's school's job to teach your child, it's not their job to get them moving, that's something that can easily be done at home, with the family. I had 3x a week in elem/middle school and everyday (for one semester) for 2 years in high school, we did not do any true exercise, we played badminton, lazy basketball, lazy volleyball, and we ran the mile 2x in the course of a semester. School PE is not a place that is going to get your kid ready for a sport, it might introduce them to a sport (volleyball, lacrosse, field hockey, etc) they might not necessarily come across otherwise, but they don't do enough to get a kid fit. I was more fit when I wasn't taking a gym class and I was running on my own after school, either on the X-Country track or in my neighborhood.

I'd suggest getting your son into a township team, they are all over and quite good.

You're son doesn't have to have the get-up-and-go to run track himself, as someone mentioned most school track teams don't cut, and those "privileged kids" often have determination and are running on their own, or they have parents who take them to a park track so they can run, that's what you can do. Take your kid to a track, time him, encourage him, be his coach until he has a coach, ask the school for the coaches information and ask how to prepare your son for track. The privileged kids have parents who pushed and asked for answers and how to help their kid, you can do that. As for, "when will he have time for that" make the time, do it on weekends, or two nights a week simply make it a priority, take him to the gym with you to run on the treadmill. I went to the gym with my mom at 5am EVERY morning all for years of high school, because I was passionate about field hockey and I wanted to be the best, if your kid wants it, he'll make it happen.

sds76

I agree. Unfortunately PE and arts/music have been cut from many schools due to budget issues. I do find it a little funny(not in a good way) that I homeschool and I am required to teach PE but the state has cut most PE programs. I have no problem meeting this requirement. I can't imagine trying to teach a bunch of kids, especially grade school age, that don't get to let off a little energy during the day.

In defense of teachers though, this is not their faults or the schools' faults and I do know many teachers that take it upon themselves to try to add some active time into the day for the kids.

*please excuse typos, I''m on my crappy laptop and the keyboard doesn't work half the time

edited to add: my agreement was with the thought that it is sad schools lose these programs, not with the thought that it is the schools fault.

berlynn_j

It's called money, or lack thereof. Don't blame schools. Many districts don't get enough money to hire the regular education teachers they need, hence bigger class sizes, less resources, ect, let alone specials teachers. The first thing to go when there is no money is the art, music, and so on. Do I think it fair? Of course not. Children should get that. BUT, it's the government that controls a lot of what schools get and what they can do. Write a letter to your local representative. Plus, education and role modeling start at home. Schools can't do everything. But hopefully if child gets a good example of being healthy at home, AND at school, they will be much more likely to grow into healthy adults.

sarah692

I don't think schools or video games are to blame for children being overweight - their parents are. Don't buy them video games if they can't manage their time responsibly, and don't let them sit around the house if they need to exercise. A school is for education, not fitness. PE classes are nice in theory but I was never actually taught anything when I took them, just told to run/walk or participate in some sport of the week. I'd rather have schools offer classes that actually educate children on health and fitness. However, as a parent it's your job to teach your child how to make healthy choices and I don't think it's fair to put the blame on schools.

(any use of "you" was just me speaking in general, I am not trying to tell you how to be a parent, OP)

shabaity

dont worry bout the marching band kid too much i did that thru high school with my clarinet and literally gained 10lbs in muscle weight every yr from it but my season ran thru december really good foot ball team incidentally my school did weight training in gym every yr

Karrie262

I am a teacher and I agree. However, please note that public schools have to follow what their states have put in the curriculum. Due to budget cuts, fine arts and PE are sadly often cut.

This makes me super sad. I had so much fun in PE as a kid and when I have kids I hope they are able to enjoy the same!

CountDown321

I had an ah ha moment just a bit ago. I don't think we should completely blame video games on our
children being overweight and inactive. I think our schools are to blame.

When I was in school we had PE at least 2x a week in grade school then daily in middle and high
school through at least the 10th grade. Why are the PE and health courses being removed from
the schools? Some may say it's because there are plenty of sports out there for kids to participate
in. But not all kids are in to sports. My oldest loves bowling and singing, my youngest wants to run
track and field my middle is all about band and his baritone saxophone. They really
aren't getting what they need.

For my youngest to run track and field come spring he has to get out there and start running on his
own to get to the point to even be able to try out for track but when will he have the time for that?

Okay..enough of that..I'll stop now while I can.

Certainly at some point in a child's life, they can be indigent and refuse to participate and/or do the things we tell them to do. But blaming video games, tv or school on a child under 12 being fat is simply parental failure. Cook more healthy meals at home, don't indulge every food demand the child makes, exercise and make the child exercise too.

OP's suggestion sounds like a cop out and avoiding responsibility. Parents have to set the example and do a lot of the work to ensure the health of their children.

IndigoFlowers

Where I live it became mandatory 2 years ago to have to participate in gym in order to get your gym credit to graduate! Which meant attending a gym class 3 times a week, each one was 75 minutes long, and then doing 55 physical hours outside of school (this is for grades 11 & 12... every grade under that typically had a gym class everyday and didnt have the mandatory 55 hours outside of class to complete)..

Aleluya17

The though of P.E. makes me shutter. I was teased and struggled. It didn't help one of our pe teachers was a huge pervert. Except for running in class I don't think we ever had a "real" work out. I don't disagree, children need more physical activity and the school systems need to stop serving absolute garbage for meals.

AnvilHead

My schooling was a long time ago (in the seventies), but we had PE every single day from kindergarten clear to the day you graduated high school. In kindergarten/grade school it was called "recess" and you pretty much went out and did whatever you wanted to do (everything from playing in the sandbox to sports like soccer and softball). It was more structured in middle school (organized sports, tumbling, etc.), but PE was a mandatory class every day. In high school I played sports year 'round (football, basketball, track) and we sometimes had consecutive practices one after another (track, spring football and summer league basketball), so we kept plenty busy!

I don't have kids so I don't keep on top of what's going on in schools nowadays, but I've heard that PE has been cut from a lot of districts which I think is very sad. I've also noticed that funding has been cut drastically (if not completely) from interscholastic sports and the kids have to do fundraisers to support their teams - something we never had to do as kids. Sure, I think it's incumbent upon parents to turn off the TV and Nintendo and get the kids outside to play, but IMO physical education and sports should an important part of the curriculum in schools as well. I learned a lot of lessons from interscholastic sports (about life in general as well as just physical skills/conditioning) and they're still some of my fondest memories of my youth.

I applaud the NFL for their "Play 60" campaign (encouraging kids to get outside and play for at least 60 minutes a day), but in my youth that was largely unnecessary - in addition to PE at school, we were outside playing from the time we got home until our parents called us in because it was getting dark! We would have considered "only" 60 minutes of play a day as being restrictive.

CriosDubh

PE haters: it's changed a lot! So far the PE teaches I have encountered in elementary and middle school have been outstanding. Teasing, bullying, and exclusion are quashed upon discovery, and the class is structured purposely to exclude the opportunities for negative behavior. The classes focus on lifelong fitness in all areas (cardio, strength, flexibility, coordination and stamina).

I just wish that it could be offered more often in elementary because there is so much to learn. In our middle school, there is a lottery to get into PE electives, which stinks! I guess I should be grateful we have electives at all.

My earlier point is that education is compulsory. Most families in this country lack the wherewithal to homeschool or use private or parochial school. Any entity that's going to demand the presence of children for 6 hours a day had better let them have some outside time and encourage them to learn how to be fit. I'm not saying that it's schools' responsibility to teach them how to play soccer or baseball. My kids' schools spend an awful lot of time indoctrinating my kids with political garbage and half-baked hypotheses. I propose that that time would be better spent teaching about fitness and nutrition as well as learning cursive, spelling, grammar, proper science and math, a foreign language, etc. And I am willing to pony up the taxes to make it all possible.

BrianSharpe

I had an ah ha moment just a bit ago. I don't think we should completely blame video games on our
children being overweight and inactive. I think our schools are to blame.

When I was in school we had PE at least 2x a week in grade school then daily in middle and high
school through at least the 10th grade. Why are the PE and health courses being removed from
the schools? Some may say it's because there are plenty of sports out there for kids to participate
in. But not all kids are in to sports. My oldest loves bowling and singing, my youngest wants to run
track and field my middle is all about band and his baritone saxophone. They really
aren't getting what they need.

For my youngest to run track and field come spring he has to get out there and start running on his
own to get to the point to even be able to try out for track but when will he have the time for that?

Okay..enough of that..I'll stop now while I can.

With all due respect, I place 100% of the blame on parents and here's why.

1) Tax cuts - we salivate like Pavlov's dogs every time a politician utters the words "tax cut". Here's a news flash, schools cost money to operate (and I'm not suggesting for one second that every school board under the sun couldn't be more efficient and exercise better financial stewardship) every time tax revenue goes down funding for schools follows suit. It's not the kids electing these politicians - it's the parents.

2) Parental involvement & responsibility. The schools don't control what I feed my kids or how much time I let them play video games, text their friends and/ or surf the net - I do. The schools don't hinder my ability to ensure my kids are engaged in a number of physical activities / sports outside of school hours. There's no question that organized sports have become more expensive over the years (see point # 1 tax cuts lead to funding cuts) but there are low cost / no cost alternatives; all they require is that parents take a leadership role.

3) Driving kids to school. In my day (good grief, I'm turning into an old codger) school buses were only for kids who lived a long way from school, if was less than a mile or so we walked or rode our bikes now you see parents driving kids who could easily walk and/or ride.

So let's place the blame / responsibility where it really belongs.........

XtyAnn17

I had an ah ha moment just a bit ago. I don't think we should completely blame video games on our
children being overweight and inactive. I think our schools are to blame.

When I was in school we had PE at least 2x a week in grade school then daily in middle and high
school through at least the 10th grade. Why are the PE and health courses being removed from
the schools? Some may say it's because there are plenty of sports out there for kids to participate
in. But not all kids are in to sports. My oldest loves bowling and singing, my youngest wants to run
track and field my middle is all about band and his baritone saxophone. They really
aren't getting what they need.

For my youngest to run track and field come spring he has to get out there and start running on his
own to get to the point to even be able to try out for track but when will he have the time for that?

Okay..enough of that..I'll stop now while I can.

Quit blaming the schools and blame yourself. Take the effort to let your kids be active. Make them play outside. And they'll get the activity they need. Everyone is so quick to blame everyone but themselves. YOU are the parent. Your the one that letsme, sit inside and sing instead of running around outside

CriosDubh

She didn't say that at all. She said that they need more opportunities at school, and I agree.

Those of us who bother to teach our kids how to act, help them be prepared for school in all ways, and participate in their education do not appreciate our kids being deprived of educational opportunities outside of the core curriculum because people without kids in the system for whatever reason don't want to be bothered with adequately funding our schools and because other people's kids cannot function at grade level due to their education-hostile home environments. Furthermore, the kids who aren't functioning at grade level also deserve more to their educational lives than reading, writing, and arithmetic. It's not as if they are going to be able go home and get themselves to violin lessons or karate practice when their parent(s) aren't there or don't care.

Matiara

We had PE every day in school every day and I didn't like it. I was good at the activities and I was never teased or excluded, but I am a lone wolf. I just don't do group activities unless it's with friends. It's why I work out at home instead of at a gym.

I don't think PE is required for kids to be active. My friends and I had a rip roaring time at our two daily recesses. There was lots of running around and playing on the fun playground equipment that has likely been banned nowadays. After school, most of the neighborhood kids were outside playing active games and riding bikes until parents called us in for dinner. We had to be dragged indoors.

Now, I live in an apartment complex and I wouldn't know there were kids around if I hadn't been home to see the school bus on some of my days off. I don't see any kids above the age of 5 on my apartment's playgrounds. The older kids who I never see outdoors may have structured activities like dance or soccer or some such thing, so they may very well be active. It's just that the loss of spontaneous playtime and random games with the neighborhood kids is very noticeable to me when I consider how my childhood was.

Anyway, if children go home to crap food and sit and play video games all day afterschool, 30 minutes of PE isn't going to do much in the face of that. Home life is at the root of it. I'm a big believer in personal responsibility and ulitimately, parents are responsible for their children's diet and activities, or lack thereof.

kehuizenga

What about the crap food in the school cafeteria? I think that needs to be fixed before PE.

supplemama

I don't think it's the schools fault. Schools could have PE every day but if the parents are over feeding them and letting them sit in front of the TV from after school to bedtime the kids are going to still be fat.

RGv2

I had an ah ha moment just a bit ago. I don't think we should completely blame video games on our
children being overweight and inactive. I think our schools are to blame.

When I was in school we had PE at least 2x a week in grade school then daily in middle and high
school through at least the 10th grade. Why are the PE and health courses being removed from
the schools? Some may say it's because there are plenty of sports out there for kids to participate
in. But not all kids are in to sports. My oldest loves bowling and singing, my youngest wants to run
track and field my middle is all about band and his baritone saxophone. They really
aren't getting what they need.

For my youngest to run track and field come spring he has to get out there and start running on his
own to get to the point to even be able to try out for track but when will he have the time for that?

Okay..enough of that..I'll stop now while I can.

With all due respect, I place 100% of the blame on parents and here's why.

1) Tax cuts - we salivate like Pavlov's dogs every time a politician utters the words "tax cut". Here's a news flash, schools cost money to operate (and I'm not suggesting for one second that every school board under the sun couldn't be more efficient and exercise better financial stewardship) every time tax revenue goes down funding for schools follows suit. It's not the kids electing these politicians - it's the parents.

2) Parental involvement & responsibility. The schools don't control what I feed my kids or how much time I let them play video games, text their friends and/ or surf the net - I do. The schools don't hinder my ability to ensure my kids are engaged in a number of physical activities / sports outside of school hours. There's no question that organized sports have become more expensive over the years (see point # 1 tax cuts lead to funding cuts) but there are low cost / no cost alternatives; all they require is that parents take a leadership role.

3) Driving kids to school. In my day (good grief, I'm turning into an old codger) school buses were only for kids who lived a long way from school, if was less than a mile or so we walked or rode our bikes now you see parents driving kids who could easily walk and/or ride.

So let's place the blame / responsibility where it really belongs.........

This is 120% correct. Funding is getting cut. Extra Curriculars, PE, Art, Music,etc.. are the first to go. It's always easy to "blame the education system", but no one looks in the mirror.

Much of the problems at school, start at home.