High School PE is such a waste of time

[Moxie]

I live about a few blocks from a huge high school.  A few days a week, three times a day, a large group of kids comes walking through the neighborhood.  They walk slowly and are having fun and chatting.  The adult in the group is usually on his phone.  I value getting outdoors as much as the next gal but this seems like a waste of time to me.

 

ETA: It is also highly annoying that they act like they own the road and take FOREVER to move over for cars. 

[bettyandbob]

I don't think it's worth a grade, but getting a stroll in out of doors between academic subject could be very beneficial to the students' ability to be alert and focus.

[regentrude]

I don't think it's worth a grade, but getting a stroll in out of doors between academic subject could be very beneficial to the students' ability to be alert and focus.

 

That's why they should have longer breaks between periods so that they can eat, drink, walk around outside. 3 minutes is ridiculous.

But I see them strolling around for "PE" too, it's a joke.

[catz]

Well, we have a similar situation.  We're about a block from a junior high.  They walk about 2-3 blocks to a local park and then play frisbee games there.  It's possible they are walking to a destination. 

[Moxie]

Well, we have a similar situation.  We're about a block from a junior high.  They walk about 2-3 blocks to a local park and then play frisbee games there.  It's possible they are walking to a destination. 

 

Nope.  I'm the last street in the subdivision and it is a dead end on both sides.  They turn around in the cul-de-sac and head right back to the school.

[mom2scouts]

Ours just walk slowly around a track.  I do see a few of them running, but most just walk and talk.

[DawnM]

It must be a very small school.  3 minutes would not even be enough to walk from one class to the next, never mind getting to your locker or the bathroom.  Our passing periods are 8 minutes.  

 

More than 8-10 minutes won't encourage walking around, it will just encourage making out!  :laugh:

 

 

That's why they should have longer breaks between periods so that they can eat, drink, walk around outside. 3 minutes is ridiculous.

But I see them strolling around for "PE" too, it's a joke.

 

[AndyJoy]

When I taught 6th-8th grade girls PE at a private school about 1/3 of the girls basically refused to participate in the games I set up. We had PE last period daily. The administration would not back me up on any sort of consequences for their refusal. They often spent an hour walking in circles around the football field. I was a bit flummoxed as I was an active kid/teen who never would have given up the chance to play dodgeball, basketball, ultimate Frisbee, etc., for something so boring! We never had problems with my classmates refusing to participate, and there would have been consequences if anyone had.

 

I was much happier when I switched to boys' PE in the spring. Though I had to deal with fights, cussing, crying, hurt feelings, cheating, mocking, and boasting at least they all wanted to participate!

 

My girls' PE replacement basically told them to "just do something" every day instead of planning anything. Half walked (or hid and stood around) and half played basketball or begged to join my boys' class.

 

The coed HS PE class at the same school was a joke. The male teacher, who was my age (24) not only spent the class on his phone, but let the kids use IPods (banned from campus) and phones (banned during classes) while they walked around the track every day. I think he was just plain lazy. I don't think his students even balked at doing more--he just didn't care. Eventually about 1/2 of his class started joining my boys' class pretty regularly because we were having way more fun! Flag football, kickball, dodgeball, basketball, scooter board basketball, weight lifting, capture the flag, Ultimate Frisbee, etc. They couldn't resist and didn't mind playing with 11-13 year-olds :)

 

For the last few months I was teaching about 2/3 of the 6-12 graders who were all willing participants.

 

I "dressed out" and played with the class. This lead to a few funny/awkward moments when a parent came in, scanned the room, and couldn't pick out the teacher :). Several times I was asked what college I'd be attending after I graduated.

[felicity]

My daughters watch movies if the PE teachers aren't there for the day. It drives me nuts that someone can't go outside with a bunch of elementary kids and play tag. I can't because I'm not certified or an actual substitute. They have PE three times a week and at least one of those days they are watching movies.

[Momof3littles]

In the wintertime at my high school, we had to share the gym with the boys, so we had our choice of table tennis, shuffle board, or volleyball for months and months.  I was athletic but despise volleyball, and playing with athletic boys spiking the ball is not exactly fun for the girls who aren't into volleyball.  Then I remember we spent weeks on juggling at one point.  Beanbags and tennisballs I think. 

[Jann in TX]

My youngest is in PS 7th grade.  She has PE/Athletics last period.  Her 'average' day so far this year has been a MINIMUM of 2 miles running on the track or what they call a 'Texan Mile'-- one mile on the track and up and down the bleachers 10 times...  they also have core workouts and other stuff...  She LOVES it and the new muscle tone is showing.

 

Her appetite has gone through the roof too...

 

The students in the traditional PE class run on the track once each week and then play mandatory games inside the gym on the other days.  No participation= lunch detention or worse! 

 

I must add the coaches are all well respected and they also respect the students.

 

 

[gingersmom]

My son wishes gym was so easy!

 

His gym teacher gives them a workout and they get graded on how well they do.

[Farrar]

I have mixed feelings about this. I actually ran a PE program twice a week at the middle school where I taught. Admittedly, the students were quirky and many were not typical kids. But for some of them, getting them to walk and move was really the best thing you could do. I used to take kids for walks into the neighborhood behind the school and through the woods and then back out and another teacher would come pick everyone up. It was... good. The kids who usually loathed PE could get on board with it because they could wander through talking about role playing games and the history of rock music and theoretical physics (yes, one kid talked to me for about a solid hour once about a book he was reading about dimensional theory) and the other kids didn't mind it. We did other PE as well, but it was just such a relief sometimes to have an activity that the kids who loathed PE could actually enjoy. Honestly, I thought, if we could install a habit of walking in some of these kids, that would be a huge win because they were never going to play sports. Ever.

[Garga]

I wish that had been my school.  We spent time each year on all the sports.  Track and field, (they'd warn us that if we did the shot put the wrong way we could break our own wrist), basketball, volleyball, baseball, soccer, tennis.  It went on and on and on.  Sport after sport after sport.  I hate sports.  I haaaaaate sports. 

 

I was terrible at ALL of them.  PE was a horrible experience for me. I was always called last for each team.  It was pure agony.  Ugh.  As an adult, I could have handled the rejection, but back then it was a torment.

 

The last year, the teacher finally let us pick whatever game we wanted to play.  There was always a basketball game going on, a volleyball game, people walking laps around the gym, or ping pong.  I walked a lot of laps and played a lot of ping pong. 

[Wheres Toto]

We did a variety of stuff when I was in school.  There was absolutely no instruction but you had to be able to do it properly to get a grade.  I got a D the marking period we did gymnastics because I couldn't do dismounts off the uneven bars or rings with no spotting or instruction.  It sucked.

 

My daughters school had an Adventure option for PE where they did rock climbing and ropes courses and all kinds of fun stuff.  It required a recommendation/approval and a waiver signed by the parents.

[prairiewindmomma]

What's sad is that there are so many COOL things that kids could b doing...lik3 parkour!

[Moxie]

What's sad is that there are so many COOL things that kids could b doing...lik3 parkour!

 

I would think that would be a huge liability.

[prairiewindmomma]

A lot of the training 3x3rcises are about strength3ning wrists and ankl3s, building ov3rall muscl3 ton3, and d3v3loping b3tt3r balanc3. I'm not advocating letting 10th grad3rs jump b3twe3n building rooftops.

[J-rap]

Maybe they've actually been running, but are just on their slow walk/rest when they happen to pass your house.  Just trying to give them the benefit of the doubt...

[Chris in VA]

Our high sch PE is excellent. Not all hs "gym" is rotten! lol

 

Perhaps they are using walking as a lifestyle thing--walking is a legit way of exercising, and it's something you can carry into adulthood. I know it seems dumb, but the value they may be trying to teach is a"fitness is lifelong" type of thing.

[ErinE]

It must be a very small school. 3 minutes would not even be enough to walk from one class to the next, never mind getting to your locker or the bathroom. Our passing periods are 8 minutes.

 

More than 8-10 minutes won't encourage walking around, it will just encourage making out! :laugh:

My high school was three minutes and it was large (3000+ students). My classes alternated between opposite ends. I ended up carrying most of my books through out the day.

[ErinE]

I wish that had been my school. We spent time each year on all the sports. Track and field, (they'd warn us that if we did the shot put the wrong way we could break our own wrist), basketball, volleyball, baseball, soccer, tennis. It went on and on and on. Sport after sport after sport. I hate sports. I haaaaaate sports.

 

I hate playing sports as well. I wasn't very good, didn't understand the rules, and hated the intensity of the classes.

 

Yet as an adult I love to hike, exercise, and dance. I just really dislike playing sports.

[Joker]

It must be a very small school.  3 minutes would not even be enough to walk from one class to the next, never mind getting to your locker or the bathroom.  Our passing periods are 8 minutes.  

 

More than 8-10 minutes won't encourage walking around, it will just encourage making out!  :laugh:

 

Students don't really use lockers here. They have them but not anywhere convenient.

 

Youngest is in middle school and has 3 minutes and has no issues.

 

Oldest has 5 minutes in high school and only has one class that is impossible to get to in that time frame (she's never counted tardy because they know it takes at least 6 minutes). Her high school is huge and all walkways are outdoors (no hallways at all) and there are 2000 other students trying to get to class at the same time.

 

They both only use the bathroom during lunch.

[duckens]

 

Farrar says:

I have mixed feelings about this. I actually ran a PE program twice a week at the middle school where I taught. Admittedly, the students were quirky and many were not typical kids. But for some of them, getting them to walk and move was really the best thing you could do. I used to take kids for walks into the neighborhood behind the school and through the woods and then back out and another teacher would come pick everyone up. It was... good. The kids who usually loathed PE could get on board with it because they could wander through talking about role playing games and the history of rock music and theoretical physics (yes, one kid talked to me for about a solid hour once about a book he was reading about dimensional theory) and the other kids didn't mind it. We did other PE as well, but it was just such a relief sometimes to have an activity that the kids who loathed PE could actually enjoy. Honestly, I thought, if we could install a habit of walking in some of these kids, that would be a huge win because they were never going to play sports. Ever.

I wish you were my gym teacher, Farrar.  :001_wub:

 

Let's just say:

Gym is one of the many, many, many reasons that I now homeschool my own kids.

[LibraryLover]

I think it's fantastic that kids can get out and take a walk.  Too many kids are cooped up all day.  I'm assuming PE lasts as long as any other subject. If so, that is 35  to 50 minutes of walking, even at a slow place, great!  I wouldn't worry about getting to my garage. I think I would feel really warm & fuzzy watching the kids chatting and walking.  (However! I certainly would report the teacher on the phone!  Teachers should be most concerned with the safety of their students. They should not be on their phones during class unless it is to communicate safety and/or location to the school.)

 

The PE at our school is pretty intense. I am thinking there are students who might feel more comfortable taking a good walk?  Our PE classes last nearly an hour, so I am not sure that what the OP is seeing is PE. I can't imagine that PE classes are shorter than regular classes? How would that work? Is it PE, or maybe PE warm up or cool down?

[AHASRADA]

I absolutely hated PE, all through school. It inspired fear and dread, a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I am not athletically inclined, but the main element that made gym class horrible was the competitiveness. We never had the luxury of girls-only classes, and the boys screamed, cussed, pounded the ball against the wall, etc. when unskilled girls like me cost them a point. It was intimidating and humiliating.

 

In high school, we had a brief reprieve, and I wish all our PE classes had been run like that. During freshman year, we spent 1/4 of the year in "health" class, which was separate for boys and girls. During the 1/4 when the boys had health, we girls did aerobics videos, badminton, more individual sports where we we weren't causing an entire team to lose.

 

Students who participated in varsity sports were exempt from PE in the higher grades, so the only ones left in class were we "losers". At this point the the teachers finally got some sense and let us practice lifestyle activities that we might possibly keep up long-term: bowling, ping pong, golf, and walking the track. If all my years of gym class had been like that, I might possibly have established healthy fitness habits before age 40.

[Farrar]

I wish you were my gym teacher, Farrar.  :001_wub:

 

Let's just say:

Gym is one of the many, many, many reasons that I now homeschool my own kids.

 

Ha. It is still hilarious to me that I did this. But no one else would take it on the year that I was the Dean of Students so it fell to me. I learned a bunch of games and did my best. The other good PE that I used to do was "Wheels" - show up with your skateboard, bike, or scooter and we'll haul them over to an empty parking lot and let you ride around in circles for an hour. Oddly popular as well.

[Barbara H]

I'm glad they are getting outside at least. In my state one credit of PE is required for high school graduation. Students who are in the better public school programs mostly take PE during the summer.  So instead of getting movement throughout the school year it is crammed into four or five weeks during the summer. This makes it so students have more room for honors courses and APs during the school year. It is very intense.... and seems like not at all what was intended when PE was made part of the curriculum. They simply have no more time during the school day as the set up already requires many students to come in for "zero hour" - an extra class before the school day begins.  So, so glad homeschooling exists as an alternative to this madness.

[shawthorne44]

That beats the heck out of my High School P.E. class.  We rarely even changed clothes.  I think the excuse was that the gym that we were in was being remodeled, but it wasn't.  I think it was just easier to have us sit in the bleachers and talk to each other.  I think that there was some state mandated activities because once every blue moon we were sent to run around the track.  All girls worked hard to not sweat because no one wanted to shower. The female gym teachers would lear at and joke about any girl that took a shower.  It was so well-known that no one teased a girl for smelling sweaty and icky.  I mean no one.  Pretty messed up when you think about it.  

[Wabi Sabi]

I have a seriously scrawny, uncoordinated 10 year old who is half the size of most boys his age and absolutely hates sports. He wants to eventually attend regular school but has some anxiety over PE. I haven't admitted it to him, but even *I* worry about how he would fare in a PE class... 

[Joker]

Fortunately, our high schools don't require PE for all students. Oldest dd is exempt since she is in IB. I exempted youngest from PE this year (middle school-I was able to exempt based on her outside of school exercise) because last year she was hit in the head at least four times with a ball and one time even broke her glasses. Since PE is an elective they have about 100 kids and three coaches and it is crazy.

 

I never had PE in middle or high school because I was a cheerleader and it was a class. I hated even that though because only boys were allowed showers after athletics.

[Ottakee]

Here the kids have lots of different PE class options (highschool of about 2000).  They include yoga/pilates, sports, lifestyle stuff (walking, biking, swimming, etc.---stuff you might continue as an adult), outdoor adventures---hiking, climbing, skiing, etc.

[MBM]

Movement helps with learning. Schools that don't offer decent gym classes are doing their students a disservice.

 

Our high school requires daily gym which can be taken before or during school. Those in school sports can opt out of gym when their sport is in season. Some of the classes offered:

 

health, nutrition, stress management (1 semester, required)

swimming (1 semester, required)

lifeguard training

core, pilates and yoga

self-defense and yoga

strength training

lifetime sports -- My son is in this now and is enjoying it.

outdoor education -- kayaking, rock climbing, rappelling, camping skills, high ropes. Kids go on camping trips together.

team sports -- This was a terrific confidence-building class for my son. Many jocks took it and they turned out to be a supportive, encouraging bunch.

 

dance -- 10 year-long classes offered. Dance is its own division and many of the theater students take two or more dance classes per year.

 

Our high school also offers classes to the general public which is nice.

[Hikin' Mama]

I read recently that due to lack of funding some school district(s) were cutting PE and having their students do it online. How one does PE online, I have yet to figure out.

 

I teach a PE class for homeschooled kids ages 12 and up. We do Cross Fit-type stuff. We sweat and work hard, but the kids enjoy it, especially when we're done. Ha ha! We work out as a group, but it is purely an individual thing, as each person works at the level they are able. So no one has to feel bad that they can't throw/catch a ball, etc. No one has to worry about getting picked last for a team. We have fun and I encourage them to make fitness a habit that lasts into their adult lives. I absolutely love this job!

[shawthorne44]

A choice of gym class?  I can't even imagine the wonderfulness that would have been.  I might have actually learned something.