PE (physical education) and school... lack of this makes unhealthy kids?
By mommyboo
@mommyboo (13174)
United States
October 31, 2008 4:51pm CST
Do you take PE or DID you take PE when you were in school? Is it still a requirement or only a choice? Is it still a choice at all? With all the concern about obesity lately, why is the 'answer' coming in the form of teachers snatching lunches, soda machines disappearing, etc etc? Why aren't schools simply employing teachers trained in teaching kids about their bodies and how they move, learning team and individual sports and fitness - and ENGAGING in these activities for at least 45 minutes a day, EVERY DAY??
We are going about this all wrong. Being healthy is NOT just about what you eat or don't eat. Nutrition is part of it but certainly not all, and for many people it is not even HALF. For a lot of people, it's the fact that they sit all the time and don't move. Sitting in class? Well and good until one day you keel over because you never exercised! Office jobs? People joke about gaining 10-15 pounds. Is this true? It certainly is if you sit on your butt all day at work and then go home and sit on your butt again! No wonder our kids are fatter than we were. They go to school and SIT all day and then have to come home and do MORE WORK AND SIT YET AGAIN. Wtf?? When I was a kid I went to school and yes, I sat, but I also had recess and I had PE and I had art and music and when I got home I didn't have EXTRA work, I went out and rode my bike and climbed trees and ran around! Doesn't anybody see what we are doing to ourselves??
3 people like this
12 responses
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
2 Nov 08
I really preferred my kids took it as long as it was offered. When I was in school I believe I had it every day, or at least 3 times a week from K-5th. After that point in time, it was every day. In high school I had to take 2 years as a requirement, a full year as a freshman and a full year as a sophomore, in addition to at least a half year of health concepts. After that point, it was an elective and I could have continued taking it. Knowing what I know now, I should have! I'd have taken a cardio conditioning course and weight lifting LOL! Guys tend not to try chasing down girls who lift more than they do 
. I figure it's more out of fear than respect.
. I figure it's more out of fear than respect.@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
2 Nov 08
OH. I also did a lot of sports. That said I wasn't very good, and I'm still not a star player but I know the basic concepts and I have fun, and that's really all that matters - oh and winning. At least people say it matters lol. I'm kidding, I can get pretty competitive.
@jesssp (2712)
• Canada
1 Nov 08
When I was in school, which was not all that long ago, PE was a requirment up to grade 11, and in grade 10 you only had to take it for half a year.
I absolutely HATED PE. It focused almost entirely on sports and team activities and if you weren't good at them then you were made to feel like a loser but the ones who were. The old saying 'it's not whether you win or lose...' had no place in gym class! If the class was doing a unit on basketball and you ended up being stuck on a team with several girls who were actually on the basketball team it was pure hell for an awkward 14 year old girl who hated the game.
I do think that PE should be a requirment. But I think it should be based on fitness and nutrition, NOT on sports. There should be units on aerobics, strength training, even yoga instead of volley ball, basketball and baseball. Or at least give kids the choice between fitness and sports based classes. I think that kids now have a real lack of exercise and a lack of knowledge about nutrition and their bodies. Years ago kids came home from school and then went outside and played hard until supper time, then right back out the door. Now they (not all) come home and hit the 'net or play video games. They need to be taught that health, nutrition and exercise are important.
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
2 Nov 08
Oh I agree! Fitness and exercise does NOT equal 'team sports', and it is totally not fun having to play BASKETBALL in class when you're barely 5 feet tall and thin as a rail and you're facing up against a guy who is 6'3 and looks like he's on the varsity football team. I was never good at basketball, I can shoot decently but when you're over a foot shorter than most of the people you're playing against, they can knock the ball away before it gets into the basket, even if it was a sure thing.
I think units on aerobics and cardio (individually based) and strength training is the best idea, especially because these two concepts are how most fitness oriented adults stay in shape in the future. If kids need a goal, the class could even do a fun run and 'train' towards it - something like a 5K. Schools would do well to hire a trainer to help the PE/health teachers so that students did not get injured and so they had somebody to ask when they had questions.
So many people are concerned about weight and weight loss, fitness and exercise ties into this in a big way. I guess some of the parents are responsible for the problems, kids learn by example, and if all they see is their parents eating fried chicken and sitting around watching tv, what are the kids likely to do? The same thing!
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
3 Nov 08
A Wii or something like a DDR type of game is a great way to make exercise fun. Some examples of fun things for kids might be going roller skating or bowling, visiting a gym and taking a group cardio or step class, swimming, playing dodge ball or capture the flag, playing tag on the field or at a park. Hiking or rock climbing would be fun too if there's a local place to do it. Even adults are reminded to get outside and do things that are fun, riding a bike around town, hiking in the mountains and camping after, rollerblading with a significant other or kids, biking with kids. I know some kids are not competitive at all so if there's another way to get them interested, teachers and coaches need to find a way. It would just help to have different choices, such as dance or gymnastics or weight lifting for people who aren't into the 'traditional team sports'.
@redkathy (3374)
• United States
1 Nov 08
ME TOO ]"but I also had recess and I had PE and I had art and music and when I got home I didn't have EXTRA work, I went out and rode my bike and climbed trees and ran around!"[em]thumbup[/em
I took PE in school mommyboo. I always made my boys "Go out and play". We live in Florida and it's really hot so I would be choosy about when I told them to go! As they got older both participated in sports so I really didn't have to push the issue much once that happened. Besides the "exercise factor" going outside and getting some air is also quite healthy.
As for the school, it is a requirement here. Though not required every year in high school but at least for a certain number of semesters in order to graduate.
I'm glad you posted this and I hope it get's the most responses ever! Maybe people will take it to ♥ !!
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
3 Nov 08
I really hope hope hope that my daughter's elementary school includes a PE class for the kindergarteners. Knowing how far down on the scale anything except 'core' academics is becoming in this day and age though, she has ballet every week and swim lessons in the summer, she has a bike, we roller skate. She usually swims every day as long as it's warm - we are heading into cool weather finally so I think we are done with that for now until May. It's hot here in the summer too so sometimes we have to restrict things outside unless we're in the pool, but there are some indoor jumping places we like to visit.
Since I visit a gym daily, I am pretty sure my daughter will want to come with me when she's big enough to use the equipment. She talks about all the time, and one of the reasons we got the membership was because we had an elliptical and a weight bench and balance ball at home and she would climb up on everything and try to lift the weights.... it was impossible to work out with her getting in the middle of everything.
I wish that PE was required all four years, but that there were more offerings - like yoga and pilates, training for a 5 or 10K, weight lifting/body building, the traditional 'team and individual sports', and maybe a course that taught the basics of nutrition and training for anybody who was interested in the nutrition/health/training field in the future.
@fgaloma (163)
• Philippines
1 Nov 08
great discussion, Physical Education is part of the curriculum in school, it doesn't make kids be healthy but it does teaches how we take care of our self. physical education helps a person being informed of what they can do to improve their health.
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
3 Nov 08
That's true that it doesn't MAKE kids be healthy but at least if they had to engage in physical activity every day, it would help. I find it amazing how lazy so many individuals are given all the health products on the market and the number of gyms, trails, parks, and other things we have all over.
@OolongT (17)
• United States
1 Nov 08
I think that what you are saying is correct, but the schools of today are trying to become more productive in how and what they teach their children. In terms of academics, P.E. is a waste of time, as many kids will try to skip or not get involved at all, no matter how many instructors you get to try to teach them to do jumping jacks.
Schools are trying to limit the fatty consumption of the kids, mainly in order to instill habits later on in life. If the children are raised with healthy foods, then most likely they will be more health conscious later as they decide what to buy and cook for themselves.
With the competition among schools and academics so tight, they can't afford to offer more time to play. I was raised with sports and I enjoy them, so I understand where you're coming from, but no matter what exercise you talk about, nothing beats portion controlled healthy eating. Cheese fries are a major reason the kids of today are overweight.
1 person likes this
@stvasile (7306)
• Romania
31 Oct 08
It's something I've noticed too. Ever since I was in high school, most of the girls from my class, many of them overweight, were just sitting on the bench during the PE classes... Not to mention the classmates that were bringing a fake paper from the medic to say they can't attend PE classes.
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
2 Nov 08
I can understand to a point - when I was a freshman in high school, I used to hide under the bleachers with a friend of mine so he and I could get out of running a mile in PE class. I went on to run in the state finals in cross country... I've no idea what Ben did. However, looking back I am glad I took up running. It is so hard to get BACK in shape after you have become inactive due to a fulltime job with a lot of sitting, a lot of commuting, and lots of dinners and evening out with a spouse or friends, after having kids, etc. It also makes a big difference in your health if you do something before it's too late.
I know that we used to have the presidential physical fitness tests back when I was in school and the stats seem pretty easy to measure up to. I guess if you NEVER exercise it might not be easy lol.
@underdogtoo (9579)
• Philippines
1 Nov 08
There is something seriously wrong with the world today. How is it to be fixed? I do not know.
@lilybug (21107)
• United States
1 Nov 08
I remember when I was in school we had PE every day of the week. When my son went to city schools they only had PE one day a week for an hour. The school he is at now they have it 2 days a week which is an improvement, but it is still not enough I think.
@violetdreams (658)
•
31 Oct 08
You have really hit the nail on the head with this one Mom, and I couldn't agree more.
As a child who grew up in a tropical country, we spent all our spare time outdoors and did sports at school during school hours and extra curricular after school pretty much every day - tennis, swimming, hockey, netball, athletics, squash - it was all available if you wanted it and most of the students used these facilities at least once or twice a week ... and then we still had to walk home from school.
The other thing which we didn't have as kids was TV (TV only arrived on the scene when I was a teenager and we didn't get our own one for a few more years), video/DVD machines and Xboxes, Wii, Nintendo, etc... so yes, we did spent time outdoors riding our bikes, roller scating, etc... but these days it is just too easy for kids to sit inside and veg!
I don't think people realise how kids lives have changed since we were kids - the change is quite radical really.
Violetdreams
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
2 Nov 08
This is driving me crazy! Healthcare is out of control as far as diseases and injuries and spending, and schools are no longer doing a lot of extra curricular things due to 'budget cuts' but they are cutting the budgets in the wrong place! There is so much outrage about obesity - there is even some county or area out here in CA where a local government put up a ban on new fast food restaurants opening!! I don't think anything needs to be banned, they just need to promote (and MAKE people) exercise! If it's a required core class in school and all kids have to engage in it 45 minutes a day and then they get 'benefits' if they also do sports or dance or something similar OUTSIDE of school, then odds are more people would be doing these things.
My parents were very strict about tv and I didn't have multiple video game systems or my own computer when I was a kid. I don't think that people shouldn't have these things, I just think that there should be a focus toward exercise during school and time allowed for extra curricular activities outside school - not so much work given that kids don't have time for anything if they are to finish ALL the stuff the school gives.
@moonlitmagikchild (22181)
• United States
2 Nov 08
if they dont have it they need to bring it back.. its a necessary evil lol.. and well at least they are starting some where with taking out the soda and stuff but like you said thats not all of it.. they need to learn to be active!
@zzsstc (4)
• China
1 Nov 08
Physical education is really important.I'm now a student.In my class,my classmates are always sitting in their seats and STUDY STUDY STUDY.It's ture that knowledge is very important to a person.But how can we make a contributin to our country without a healthy body? So phisycal education is as important as learning knowledge or office jobs.
1 person likes this
