Mandatory PE – Connecting with Kids

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Mandatory
PE

With
activities like tennis and basketball, most kids seem to like physical
education.

“Cause
it’s a way to not have to sit in the classroom the whole day,”
says thirteen-year-old Miacatherine.

But
while popular with students, PE seems to have lost favor with school
districts across the country. According to a nationwide survey, only
44% of school age kids have daily gym class compared with 71% twenty
years ago. Most districts say the decision comes down to a lack of time
or money and PE is the first thing to go.

“Certainly
the teachers see a lot of pent up energy of the kids in the classroom
but the balancing act is you have a certain amount of resources, financial
resources to use in an academic process,” explains school board
chairman Lindsey Tippins.

Fans
of physical education argue that PE provides intangibles to students
that are often ignored, including self-confidence and a critical vent
for stress during the school day. But while the PE debate continues,
some say parents need to pick up the slack if their children’s
school has cancelled PE, making sure to spend extra time during the
week encouraging their children to exercise or enrolling them in outside
organized sports.

“Certainly
the teachers see a lot of pent up energy of the kids in the classroom
but the balancing act is you have a certain amount of resources, financial
resources to use in an academic process.”

Lindsey Tippens, School Board
Chairman

 

WHAT
PARENTS SHOULD KNOW

How much
physical education time is your child getting at school? According to
a recent study conducted for the National Association for Sport and Physical
Education, only 44% of kids, elementary through high school, receive physical
education classes daily. And, 5% of kids do not receive it at all. We
are seeing quality physical education programs dwindling away in our nation’s
schools with the need for fitness education greater than ever. Approximately
25% of U.S. children are overweight and 15% are considered obese.

Reasons
for the reduction of PE programs are many. The most prevalent being budget
cuts and an increased focus on standardized testing. There is currently
a bill which has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Ted Stevens
(R-AK) called the Physical Education for Progress Act. This bill aims
at stopping the trend of the reduction and elimination of Physical Education
programs. It also addresses making Physical Education a mandatory part
of the school day.

The Surgeon
General released a report in 1996 that suggested the requirement of daily
physical education programs for all students; kindergarten through grade
12, but only the State of Illinois currently abides by this mandate. Washington
and Alabama require daily PE programs for grades K – 8.

So why
aren’t our children exercising? Teens often blame lack of time, homework,
and simply a lack of interest and motivation. Parents also tend to feel
that watching too much TV is a deterrent to kids getting enough exercise.
Whatever the reason, we know that physical fitness is important and findings
show that physical education is essential to the development of growing
children. It helps to improve their overall health from motor skills to
self-esteem.

The Benefits of PE

  • Improve interpersonal
    skills and self-esteem.
  • Gain a sense
    of belonging through teamwork.
  • Learn adversity
    through winning and losing.
  • Increase
    problem solving skills and creativity.
  • Learn discipline.

Children
active in sports are less likely to:

  • Smoke.
  • Skip school
    or drop out
  • Consume drugs
    or alcohol

Statistics
from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education’s
Shape of the Nation survey (1997)

Did You Know!

  • Close to
    half of young people ages 12-21 and over one-third of high school
    students do not participate in vigorous physical activity on a
    regular basis.
  • Less than
    1 in 4 children gets 20 minutes of vigorous activity every day,
    and report getting at least half an hour of any type of physical
    activity every day of the week.
  • One out of
    four children do not attend any school physical education classes
    and only 1 in 3 get physical activity every day.
  • After smoking,
    physical inactivity is the single largest health risk factor in
    the country today.

Statistics
from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education’s
Shape of the Nation survey (1997)

Resources

National Association
for Sport and Physical Education — http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/naspe-main.html

We Need P.E. Now

Physical Education
for Progress Act (Actual Text of Bill ) — http://pe.central.vtedu/professional.pepbillext.html

For
more information on
parenting issues contact us:
Connecting with
Kids