.gif) Editorials
Editorial: Give gym class more respect
Schools should teach lifetime physical
conditioning.
By Register
Editorial Board
08/27/2003
Physical education probably would be picked last by most parents
prioritizing subjects in school. That may be why budget cuts have
hit P.E. hard and Des Moines has decided to let some students skip
gym class.
The epidemic of childhood obesity, however, should mean seizing
every opportunity to help youngsters become fit. What better place
than school?
Schools have long required gym class and preached good nutrition.
So nothing new would be added to their full plates. But physical
education should be more engaging - many high school students have
regarded it as a waste of time - and the Des Moines district has
been working on that.
It just revised the high school physical-education curriculum to
place more emphasis on personal fitness and wellness instead of
competition, said Diane Stilley, district administrator for physical
education and fine arts. Yoga and aerobics are included. "We aim to
have kids not standing around waiting for their turn," she said.
For middle schools, the district recently won a $500,000 federal
grant that has allowed it to install treadmills, stationary bicycles
and climbing walls.
Yet now the district is letting students with a heavy academic
load who spend part of the day at Central Campus opt out of gym. A
half position was cut, eliminating once-a-week early and late gym
classes. Regular high school P.E. departments also had to reduce
staff. That is part of the reason that Hoover juniors and seniors
don't have to take physical education this year.
The state requires that high school students take only one-eighth
of a unit of physical education per semester. That amounts to one
full year of P.E. over four years of high school. Waivers, however,
are easy to get.
Physical education deserves more respect. True, some students
have demanding academic classes that fill up their schedules, or
they participate in after-school sports - or both. Many other
students, however, may get little exercise unless physical education
is required.
Des Moines needs the support of the community if it is going to
require more time in high school gym classes. Credit for working out
at a campus fitness center could be part of this campaign. The rise
in the number of out-of-shape, overweight children ought to cause
their parents to rethink the importance of physical education in
school. |
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