Opinion Talk

By Diane Dane

March 21, 2006 08:18 AM | Link to this

I think Georgia schools should require PE classes. When I attended high school many years ago, we were required to take PE every year meeting twice a week. There have been arguments for and against taking vending machines out of schools to help prevent childhood obesity. Rarely is the lack of PE classes mentioned. Yes, PE will be a healthy addition to the school day.

By Lola

March 21, 2006 08:27 AM | Link to this

Absolutely. It is a great way to keep kids energized and fit, as well as a stress reliever. I think it would help enormously with their attention span problems, and it would give kids a chance to unwind a bit after sitting through hours of classes. PE was always something to look forward to when I was in school, and I can’t imagine kids today having to endure an entire of learning day without it. They’re kids!

By E. Lewis

March 21, 2006 09:37 AM | Link to this

It will do no good to require P.E. if the classes aren’t funded and you don’t have the facilities. You can’t give 30 students a half dozen basketballs and a single court to play on and expect to accomplish much.

It won’t do any good to take a 55 minute class when less than a third of that time is spent actually doing anything.

When I went to a high school, I was required to take classes, but spent more time on the bench waiting my turn.

By Yvonne Law

March 21, 2006 10:41 AM | Link to this

Physical Education should be part of our Education.It will help us, in the long run, to fight stress and obesity.If we do not teach it, kids cannot appreciate it. Give them the example of those old people who still run road races to keep up and face challenges.I always refer to Math as workout for the mind; without PE, that makes less sens. Do not give up. Nobody can say that PE is bad. We need to give it more importance; therefore put more time and money in the program.

By J&J Ranch

March 21, 2006 11:22 AM | Link to this

P. E. should indeed be increased in GA schools.

The kids today are fat, lazy and have a bad attitude. P. E. classes in school tends to be the most exercise that kids get.

By RWH

March 21, 2006 11:29 AM | Link to this

Yes! A school schedule should include P.E., be it inside or outside. Students should be doing something to keepy their hearts in good exercise order; unless they are under a doctor order and treatments are on going. We often talk about students habits of eating and not exercising enough. Poor blood circulation hurt many students hearts and often they feel pull-down or not enough willingness to make it out the day. Students must have some physical activities to help them in the course of the regular school days. I join many who thinks P.E. must be on every school agenda; and it must move off the planning board to actual taking place. We do not do our students just unless they have some P.E. on a daily basis.

By Vermin8

March 21, 2006 12:07 PM | Link to this

Absolutely not.
I took minimal PE when I was in school. It was 3 days a week in junior high, every day in 10th grade, and no PE jr & sr years. Today, I am one of the healthiest people I know. 1) The obesity epidemic is overblown (pardon the pun). What is happening is that most kids are likely to be the same relative weight as their parents - except at the obese end - those kids are heavier than their parents were - and are pulling up the average for everyone.
2) Is it really lack of exercise? I’ve heard type of foods eaten has more of an effect. As a matter of fact that is why I’m healthy today - I know what to eat and how much. This can be taught in a classroom course - either science or health or something - but if we take classroom time away from them to exercise more, they won’t have the opportunity - PE will do more harm than good in this respect! 3) If you really think they need exercise, just have the busses drop them off about a mile from school.

We need our young adults to learn how to reason and think and to deal with today’s technology world. If we don’t push them towards that, they are doomed to failure. Sorry, but being able to serve a volleyball properly will NOT help you succeed in life.

By Vermin8

March 21, 2006 12:09 PM | Link to this

Absolutely not.
I took minimal PE when I was in school. It was 3 days a week in junior high, every day in 10th grade, and no PE jr & sr years. Today, I am one of the healthiest people I know. 1) The obesity epidemic is overblown (pardon the pun). What is happening is that most kids are likely to be the same relative weight as their parents - except at the obese end - those kids are heavier than their parents were - and are pulling up the average for everyone.
2) Is it really lack of exercise? I’ve heard type of foods eaten has more of an effect. As a matter of fact that is why I’m healthy today - I know what to eat and how much. This can be taught in a classroom course - either science or health or something - but if we take classroom time away from them to exercise more, they won’t have the opportunity - PE will do more harm than good in this respect! 3) If you really think they need exercise, just have the busses drop them off about a mile from school.

We need our young adults to learn how to reason and think and to deal with today’s technology world. If we don’t push them towards that, they are doomed to failure. Sorry, but being able to serve a volleyball properly will NOT help you succeed in life.

By Christie Stoermer

March 21, 2006 12:10 PM | Link to this

Absolutely. Increasing PE classes serves at least two purposes and both are equally important to me:

1-they encourage and assist children in physical fitness and life-long health, and

2-it gives kids a break from their non-stop intellectual study during their school day.

Exercise is a great stress reliever. The less stress they have, the better they learn. The kids learn more and retain the information longer if you allow them to have a break to process the information before slamming them right into their next subject.

Break up the monotony of standard classes with exercise. That was one of the major reasons schools used to incorporate music, art and other “non-scholastic” classes in the curriculum, not only to give the kids a well rounded education (remember that phrase?), but also to break up the monotony.

Maybe if we put things like this back into the schools, the kids would actually do better in their 3 R’s.

By Christie Stoermer

March 21, 2006 12:10 PM | Link to this

Absolutely. Increasing PE classes serves at least two purposes and both are equally important to me:

1-they encourage and assist children in physical fitness and life-long health, and

2-it gives kids a break from their non-stop intellectual study during their school day.

Exercise is a great stress reliever. The less stress they have, the better they learn. The kids learn more and retain the information longer if you allow them to have a break to process the information before slamming them right into their next subject.

Break up the monotony of standard classes with exercise. That was one of the major reasons schools used to incorporate music, art and other “non-scholastic” classes in the curriculum, not only to give the kids a well rounded education (remember that phrase?), but also to break up the monotony.

Maybe if we put things like this back into the schools, the kids would actually do better in their 3 R’s.

By Christie Stoermer

March 21, 2006 12:16 PM | Link to this

oops, sorry for the double post.

By Caroline

March 21, 2006 12:47 PM | Link to this

PE doesn’t just need to be mandatory, but also taught hand-in-hand with nutrition. If kids aren’t learning it at home (which they clearly aren’t), it needs to be taught in school.

By Hadden Knough

March 21, 2006 01:00 PM | Link to this

All I know is that PE “instructors” in my day were the sadistic a##hole coaches who - when not coaching a##hole athletes - had nothing better to do then find ways to make the non-athletes look stupid in front of their peers. There was one sneering jacka## who strutted around in too-tight shorts in the middle of the winter smelling like Coppertone and wearing sunglasses indoors. God, I wished I had puked on him that time he made me do weights after returning from a two week bout with the flu. But I hadn’t eaten see, so it was just the dry heaves and…………ah screw ‘em all anyways!

By Dan

March 21, 2006 01:23 PM | Link to this

While it is certainly true that serving a volleyball won’t help you succeed in life. Often the traits that allow one to succeed often are the same as those necessary to succeed in life. A benefit of PE and sports in general I don’t see mentioned much is the fact that kids can experience in a relatively short time what benefit practice and dedication can reap. If a child joins track he/she can see a direct correlation between practicing and their best time (regardless of winning or losing they can still definitively see improvement. In academics it is harder to see the progress (not that it isn’e there)and the quantifiable rewards of a good college or job are far in the future and less tangible, especially given the impatience of youth. But if one can illustrate through sports, (or music or some other quantifiable hobby)the payoff of hardwork it can carry over to academics

By Dan

March 21, 2006 01:25 PM | Link to this

While it is certainly true that serving a volleyball won’t help you succeed in life. Often the traits that allow one to succeed often are the same as those necessary to succeed in life. A benefit of PE and sports in general I don’t see mentioned much is the fact that kids can experience in a relatively short time what benefit practice and dedication can reap. If a child joins track he/she can see a direct correlation between practicing and their best time (regardless of winning or losing they can still definitively see improvement. In academics it is harder to see the progress (not that it isn’e there)and the quantifiable rewards of a good college or job are far in the future and less tangible, especially given the impatience of youth. But if one can illustrate through sports, (or music or some other quantifiable hobby)the payoff of hardwork it can carry over to academics

By Marie Downer

March 21, 2006 02:50 PM | Link to this

Yes. The physical benefits are obvious, but healthy children will also be able to perform better in the classroom.

By Logical Dude

March 27, 2006 04:13 PM | Link to this

I think PE should be included in schools as a five day a week class, with learning and instruction just like most other classes. The class name is Physical Education and Education means learning. Learn about the body, how it works. Learn Nutrition. Learn health. When age appropriate, learn sex education, drug education (not just “don’t do it!”). Also learn the rules of the games you play, and not just bump balls around. Learn why keeping active is good for body and mind.

If only more people would learn this stuff in school, we’d have a healthier country.