This whole blog is inspired by this Facebook post from a guy I used to teach with. Long story short, he’s a Health/P.E. teacher who is currently working as a sub. Here was his post:
Subbing. 26 students. 14 obese. God forbid you teach about health... yet igneous rock is tested every year
I think he’s right. I don’t know about all of your states, but in mine there are health standards, but health is not taught in every grade. There are no P.E. standards though. Kids take P.E., but every school is different. Some grades don’t even get to take P.E. and that’s from K-8. High schools have a certain number of P.E. classes you have to take to graduate. All in all, even when they do have P.E. it’s not everyday.
So, I know that all the subjects are important, but I don’t think there is enough emphasis on Health and P.E. Kids need more time in Health class. They need to learn more about nutrition and what happens to their bodies when they aren’t healthy. They also need more time to run around and be active. They need someone to show them games/sports/exercising. They don’t always get this information at home. It is crucial that they learn about their health and healthy living. This may sound harsh, but igneous rock is going to mean nothing if you are so unhealthy that you are on the brink of death.
I attribute the large rise in ADHD diagnosis, especially in boys, to the lack of PE and Recess in schools now. I think that the "sit down and be quite" for 8 solid hours a day is not reasonable. These kids need activity for their mental and physical wellbeing. Put some Recess and PE back into their day EVERYDAY and there will be an improvement in their school performance. My elementary age daughter has PE once a week and that's all it's ever been. My son had it one quarter this year and one quarter last year by luck of the draw. Some kids haven't had it at all in middle school. This is coming from someone who HATED PE in school.
ReplyDeleteHey, really great blog posts… I've enjoyed reading through your blog because of the great style and energy you put into each post. I actually run AceHealth.org, a blog of my personal research and experiences. If you're interested, I would love to have you on as a guest blogger. Please send me an e-mail: bob.mauer65(at)gmail(dot)com, and I can give you more information. Looking forward to hearing from you.
ReplyDeleteI am not American but where I am from we have to do P.E for an hour every week. And I mean we run 400 to 800 meters in that time, we do stretches and we play a game of basketball, volleyball or softball in that hour. In the HOT SUN!!!! It was brutal but I really believe that this is the one of the reasons why I did not have a weight problem in high school. P.E is more than just being fit it helps you to relieve stress and give you that break from having to sit behind a desk and listen to someone talk for an hour
ReplyDeleteI can not agree with you more. My boys aren't even in school yet. I am so concerned with teaching them to make healthy decisions my friends joke about me being a bit of a food Nazi. But seriously-if I don't give them the foundation,I know no one will.
ReplyDeleteI had to take P.E. every year until 11th grade, at which point it became optional and I would rather have stabbed myself with an icepick that gone through another year of that hell. I've always thought it was a waste of school time -- basketball and running laps do nothing to prepare you for life. All my years of P.E. class did was make me hate sports, hate exercise, and feel a daily dose of shame because I couldn't run as fast/jump as high/hit a ball as far/whatever other dumb thing we were doing that day. It did nothing for my "weight problem".
ReplyDeleteHealth class is another thing entirely, but I think every couple of years would be sufficient since the info doesn't really change, at least not the basic low-fat/high-carb thing that would be taught because that's what the government pushes.
I just loved this post. I am NOT a fan of No Child Left Behind because in my opinion it limits teachers from doing what children NEED to learn, versus what others think they need. Since when does a bureaucrat know more about education than those with feet on the ground every day with kids? I am also really dismayed about the loss of art and music education in the schools. There needs to be balance in the schools, combined with high quality lunches and health education, in my opinion!
ReplyDeleteOK - wow - thanks for allowing me to rant! Keep up the great work as we all slog toward the skinny finish line!
xo GP