Physical Education
The governor of Florida has just signed a new bill that requires 30 minutes of continuous exercise daily for students. Middle schools have to get daily physical education in grades six through eight beginning in the fall of 2009. Well now. Isn’t that great? The kiddies deserve time to get out and play, right? Well sure if you want to add hours into the day. The state also requires that all students who score a one or a two on the FCAT get a remediation class. I know my middle school had to cut out physical education for students who scored ones or twos in both English and Math. So my question here is if No Child is to be Left Behind academically how are we supposed to increase instruction time and physical education time without increasing the actual amount of time students spend in school? Call me crazy but something has to give. The government either needs to back off of the standardized testing or get serious about it. I don’t think you can have it both ways. Kids aren’t going to be able to be well rounded with the requirements that are currently in place. I guess that isn’t entirely true. They could be if we could make the school day longer but that would mean finding more money for teachers and keeping the parents and students from completely flipping out.
I for one could hardly get a parent to make their child do homework or projects at home because the kids were ‘working too hard’ at school. Too hard? They were in school for six and a half hours a day. Thirty minutes of that is lunch and another thirty is changing classes. So that means five and a half hours of ‘work’. No, because most students had an elective and a PE…so MAYBE four hours of work. For students who were in danger of being “left behind” they had at most five and a half hours of work. Now they have to be given physical education so those students who are the lowest performing just got their academic time cut to a little over four and a half hours. How are we supposed to compete in a global economy with four hours a day???
I’m ranting, I know. It just makes me so mad that our country can’t get its act together and provide a decent education to our children. I want my child to be challenged. I want my child to be required to learn multiple languages and advanced math and advanced sciences if he or she is capable. I don’t really care if my child gets physical education if it just means running around and playing. As long as our school day is so short he/she can play at home.
Do you think physical education should be required in schools? How do you want your education dollars spent?
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You know, I see the point in the PE. We have fat kids because of TV. But, something has to be placed on the parents, and not the government. It is up to us to make our children smart and well rounded… and yes, school should help with that, but dang it, they can’t do it all.
I’d rather my child run around like crazy after school and be able to focus on learning more enriching subjects while in school.
I think that PE should be a required subject, if it is administered properly. The act of exercising can actually help the brain to work better. The students can relieve stress and clear their minds. I know that it works wonders with my son.
I think that one of the biggest problems with public schools is that there isn’t enough one-on-one involvement between teacher and student. This isn’t the fault of the teacher, on the contrary, it is the fault of our government. Kids learn really well when given a chance and if a kid is able to learn at a higher level, then they need that chance. They shouldn’t be held back because they are learning what the government has decided is appropriate for a certain age. The teacher shouldn’t have to teach to a standardized test. If the government wants REAL results, they should make more funds available for schools to provide more classrooms and teachers so that kids can have smaller classes and be able to work on their level. Then something would be accomplished. The bar should be raised so that the students have something to reach for. But the bar should be individualized according to capability. THEN and only then, we hold the kids and the teachers accountable.
So PE? Yes. But there needs to be changes made all around. Kids need breaks and too long of a school day isn’t productive for anyone. They still need time to be kids. If we want them to be successful, then give them more individualized instruction. A LOT can be accomplished in a short amount of time this way. It is actually quite surprising.
Can you tell that this is a hot topic for me? LOL
Cindy,
I suppose, as a teacher, I see how hard it is to get the students everything they need just in terms of education so I get frustrated when time is taken away from education for running around. Additionally, the money spent on equipment and coaches could go to computers for all of the students, better libraries, and more acadmemic classes. Your tax dollars pay as much for a Physical Education teacher as they would for a Latin teacher, or a French teacher, or a music teacher. I would rather our education dollars go towards teaching the mind and let the body be the concern of the parents
Brenda,
Fire it up!
I agree that movement is necessary for a healthy mind, but I think students could get all they need after school. If we got rid of Physical Education there would be room for more academic classes which would very effectively reduce class size and give students more individualized instruction from their teachers. If schools are forced to proved physical education for all students then those students who could have greatly benefitted from extra academic time are going to be the ones who are hurt.
Yes, I can see it is a hot topic for you