18th August 2006, 7:48 PM
But the schools should not be parents, either. Schools are a place for children to absorb academic information.
Besides, all I remember Phys Ed being was a chance for the dumb kids to boost their GPA. Personally, I had Phys Ed up until the tenth grade, and it did nothing to prevent my obesity. I would have suffered none by skipping it altogether and instead taking a class that would have been more worth my time. It did nothing to prevent anyone's obesity. Not one fat kid I ever knew in school was ever changed in any appreciable way by being forced to take Phys Ed, except that their self-esteem was further lowered by seeing them (hell, us) always being the last ones to finish mile runs, always being the worst baseball players, always being unable to perform a single pull-up. All it did was single us out as the rejects we were. If the program were truly designed to help us fat kids shed pounds and become more fit, I'd be more okay with it (though I will to my dying day dislike mandatory Phys Ed in principle), but it's not like that. Phys Ed is designed to benefit the students who need it the least, and always has been. The kids who can run a mile in six minutes are already obviously fit and gain little from forty more minutes of activity, and the kids who can't do it in fifteen minutes aren't given a real chance to improve because physical improvement comes by fitness training, proper diet, and repetitious exercise, not by playing skill games like basketball and field hockey. Hey, great for the kids who are naturally gifted in such activities, but a complete waste of time for those who are not.
Besides, all I remember Phys Ed being was a chance for the dumb kids to boost their GPA. Personally, I had Phys Ed up until the tenth grade, and it did nothing to prevent my obesity. I would have suffered none by skipping it altogether and instead taking a class that would have been more worth my time. It did nothing to prevent anyone's obesity. Not one fat kid I ever knew in school was ever changed in any appreciable way by being forced to take Phys Ed, except that their self-esteem was further lowered by seeing them (hell, us) always being the last ones to finish mile runs, always being the worst baseball players, always being unable to perform a single pull-up. All it did was single us out as the rejects we were. If the program were truly designed to help us fat kids shed pounds and become more fit, I'd be more okay with it (though I will to my dying day dislike mandatory Phys Ed in principle), but it's not like that. Phys Ed is designed to benefit the students who need it the least, and always has been. The kids who can run a mile in six minutes are already obviously fit and gain little from forty more minutes of activity, and the kids who can't do it in fifteen minutes aren't given a real chance to improve because physical improvement comes by fitness training, proper diet, and repetitious exercise, not by playing skill games like basketball and field hockey. Hey, great for the kids who are naturally gifted in such activities, but a complete waste of time for those who are not.
YOU CANNOT HIDE FOREVER
WE STAND AT THE DOOR
WE STAND AT THE DOOR