why do American schools have PE?

[Greed-checkTheTek]

Seriously everyday when I go to the weight room the "coach"
is on his phone not giving a **** what the kids do.Why even have Physical education at all? none of the kids do anything they sit there and wait until the bell rings i think it's just so stupid.

 

[Teran]

Because physical activity is paramount to your health and wellbeing

 

[Chinaux]

Why do we even like, exercise? Seriously all it does is hurt and you never see any progress

 

[Greed-checkTheTek]

I know what it's for I'm saying the point is nobody participates

 

[Jiggly]

It's basically a false sense of security that you're helping make sure the new generations stay healthy.

 

[Greed-checkTheTek]

It's basically a false sense of security that you're helping make sure the new generations stay healthy.

very true

 

[Sucumbio]

School athletics traditionally prepared young boys to become men for various physical groups be they sports teams, military careers, physical jobs, etc. Women's athletics also but this is more common recently. This traditional venue has not gone away, rather it's been broadened to include intramural sports, leisure sports, introduction sports, etc. The tax money you get depends on need, and so need is generated by having comprehensive pe programs. Ours included skiing, rock climbing, and other non traditional sports in addition to the regular old kick ball and such

 

[Sehnsucht]

Ours included skiing, rock climbing, and other non traditional sports in addition to the regular old kick ball and such

Sounds gnurly.

Up here in frosty Xanadu, the most eclectic activities we did included golf, archery, and sepak takraw. You had the gym proper, the outside soccer field (and adjacent baseball lot), and some tennis courts out back.

At some point, they affixed small colored stones to one of the gym walls, and they already had metal bars for facsimiles of rock-climbing. Never did any winter sports or went off-campus for our PE curriculum.

The worse part of PE was the in-class "theory" aspect which started in high school (I went to a K-12 school). There would come a bloc where we'd sit in class to take notes about physiology and health and so forth. It would only last a week or so, but still.

And they stopped PE after 10th Grade, which was unfortunate. Same went for Art class, though I found out that they brought it back up to 12th Grade the year after I graduated. XS

Anyway, just thought to further illustrate how PE curricula may be in different schools and regions.

 

[Claire Diviner]

Sounds like a problem with the teacher and possibly the school (and/or the system) instead of the class. Time for them to fire the guy and hire a more competent teacher?

 

[_Keno_]

Sounds like a problem with the teacher and possibly the school (and/or the system) instead of the class. Time for them to fire the guy and hire a more competent teacher?

I agree. Every single student in my 100-kid PE class participated.

 

[Pachinkosam]

i remember Mostly all the student just sit there use there phones and people used to skip class to go to gym that was good times.

 

[Chief Chili]

When I had PE no one had cell phones...

 

[_Keno_]

i remember Mostly all the student just sit there use there phones and people used to skip to class to go to gym that was good times.

That must be pretty recent then. My school had little cards for everyone that they would have to physically find and put into a basket to count for attendance (so no skipping).

Anyways, PE is a great way to knock energy out of all those high-energy kids in middle school. Some of them bounce off the walls. My high school only required one semester of physical activity though.

 

[_A1]

Why do we even like, exercise? Seriously all it does is hurt and you never see any progress

Either you're not trying hard enough or you're doing the exercises wrong. For example, running a mile should make you sweat if you are actually trying. Otherwise your heart and muscles stay lazy.

 

[Chinaux]

Either you're not trying hard enough or you're doing the exercises wrong. For example, running a mile should make you sweat if you are actually trying. Otherwise your heart and muscles stay lazy.

Or I'm joking.

 

[_A1]

Or I'm joking.

There are too many people that aren't joking and literally feel that PE doesn't help.

 

[KACHOW!!!]

US schools have PE so that people can act like we're doing something about the obesity crisis in this country (which we're not). It's one of those bandaid solutions we keep around just to make ourselves feel better.

 

[_Keno_]

It's not a solution but that doesn't mean it doesn't help.

And at least for me, our PE tried several different sports and whatnot, which is nice for letting kids try new activities. They may find something they like, but yes, they may not.

 

[Sucumbio]

Bullying seems to be the only drawback to PE though one can say the same for public school in general. We always had 2 or 3 people in each PE class that never got picked for teams, never changed for gym class, or just didn't participate. And some of them ended up attending summer school to make up for failing to participate.

 

[LightlyToasted]

US schools have PE so that people can act like we're doing something about the obesity crisis in this country (which we're not). It's one of those bandaid solutions we keep around just to make ourselves feel better.

It's not something to act like we are doing something. WE ARE doing something. But like all things in life, it comes down to the individual's decision to actively participate and work on staying healthy. Bad teachers don't help, though the same could be said for any class.

Good teachers can help reach a certain amount of kids that normally wouldn't participate or care, bad teachers can demotivate kids who would participate to not, but either way there are going to be people working to make the most of their time in PE, and denying those kids that time, while also possibly limiting those that might be interested in physical activity, but have no idea where to start is not fair to them. While you could say the time spent in PE could be considered wasted for those with no interest at all in physical activates, staying physically active has been shown to great benefit people mentally. /school should be about learning from as many aspect of life and experience as possible, and PE can cover a wide range other classes can't The same can be said about art.

 

[greatbernard]

Because physical activity is paramount to your health and wellbeing

Seeing all of the people who get fat after school, gym doesn't really have a lasting impact.

I'd like to see gym replaced with a healthy-eating healthy-lifestyle class that teaches long-term skills to cope with the American reality of being tired after getting home from work and too lazy to exercise.

 

[Teran]

Seeing all of the people who get fat after school, gym doesn't really have a lasting impact.

I'd like to see gym replaced with a healthy-eating healthy-lifestyle class that teaches long-term skills to cope with the American reality of being tired after getting home from work and too lazy to exercise.

Lol @ getting the average American to eat healthy.

The best way to get Americans to follow a better diet probably is athletic endeavours, since the massive need to be better than others will lead them to make choices like nutrition and such.

It's amazing how unnecessarily sterile the diets of people who get remotely serious about weights are. It's hilarious tbh.

Just because PE may be poorly taught or implemented, doesn't mean it shouldn't be there.

 

[FirestormNeos]

Because some people need to still feel comfortable in the fading idea that the world is still a physically-demanding, non-intellectual dynamic.

I'm so sorry, my brain throws a fit when it's angry, sometimes.

 

[Izanagi97]

School athletics traditionally prepared young boys to become men for various physical groups be they sports teams, military careers, physical jobs, etc.

Except why does it have to be a required academic even when the career you want to pursue (such as a hardware engineer in my case) has little physical activity beyond moving random crap around.

Hell, I'm a 5'7" (170cm) 125lb (57kg) teenager who isn't as physically active as he was in his Freshman year and can still rather easily lift a fully assembled IBM server tower with little effort despite it feeling heavy. Same with carrying large pieces of wood to build a fire pit; it is quite heavy, but I can lift it with some effort (unless it is very big, then I will need help.)

Going back on topic, PE really should be an optional academic instead of required. I had my schedule screwed over when my strength training class got traded for a study hall, something that is completely unnecessary since I'm a very good student in spite of my laziness and aversion to studying. I'm currently taking an online PE class right now in my senior high school year so I can graduate and go to college.

TL;DR version: PE should be optional, not required, depending on your career path.

 

[Sucumbio]

Well yeah, traditional academic programs include a physical element to ensure proper fitness. The AMA has demonstrated countless times the importance of getting into shape early in life to prevent future issues so of course public schools will include gym class and make it required to show off those well equipped facilities.

 

[Izanagi97]

Well yeah, traditional academic programs include a physical element to ensure proper fitness. The AMA has demonstrated countless times the importance of getting into shape early in life to prevent future issues so of course public schools will include gym class and make it required to show off those well equipped facilities.

I'm referring to required in high school

No one tells me I can't get fat! I WILL GET FAT WHEN I WANT TO, DAMMIT!

 

[Sucumbio]

True, you can attend any private school and never once have Gym.

 

[ansossy]

Mostly P.E. Classes consist of coaches who have never attended college and on average coaches seem to be the most violating of the cirriculum, standards, and rules with more coaches that get fired than there are teachers. Next most of the stuff they do is very strict and not necessary such as Sports, or only allowed to wear Shorts. These classes do more harm and waste time than they do good. As much as staying fit is important classes like these need to be fixed just like the entire education system. Also worth pointing out that tons of calories are burned just using your brain in daily activities and the only way people are going to get more thin is eating less food just as the only way to get rid of zits and stuff that accumulates along your face is eating less oily food. Some fitness exercise is not going to help because it's ultimately the metabolism that is the factor for weight.

 

[DerpyCookies]

The reason it's there is since many people are lazy. It's always been that way, laziness is a part of human nature. PE is there just to make you less lazy. This is the same reasons why schools have so many sports programs. There's a lot more of a focus now since 1/3 of US Citizens are obese and 1/4 of Canadians are obese.

 

[Sucumbio]

It's always been that way, laziness is a part of human nature.

I agree PE helps command our sense of routine and organization and fitness, but it's not because humans are Naturally lazy. (unless you have a source citing otherwise?)

Rather I look at it as humans have 3 life modes. Work, recreation {ergo re create}, and sleep. Confusion over which category an activity falls under leads to society's issues. Humans should not eat to recreate for instance as it can lead to obesity if their productivity is too low. Indeed humans are clever and can trick themselves and others into reversing recreation and productivity. If your daily work is to recreate, then you come back to the campfire to recreate... Again... Then sleep and do it all over again, well... Welcome to a third of US Citizens.

 

[Deleted member]

Its there to filter out the fat kids from the healthy and fit kids. They recognize the fit and athletic children and have them partake in all sorts of sporting events purely because they are athletic. I am disappointed that this level of enthusiasm in taking the athletic kids to events isn't also transferred to other subjects such as Knowledge and Smash for talking sake.

 

[Duplighost]

Its there to filter out the fat kids from the healthy and fit kids.

What kind of absurd statement is that? Just because a child is healthy/skinny does not mean they are necessarily athletic (any more so than an overweight child). "Filter" is a pretty subjective term... in no way is a nonactive child being "filtered" from their peers.

They recognize the fit and athletic children and have them partake in all sorts of sporting events purely because they are athletic.

Sorry, but I am misunderstanding your point. Every single child: Thin, large, athletic, tall, short, and lazy all partake in any activity directed so by a physical education coach. There is absolutely no disregarding a child merely because of their weight and/or size and excluding them from a class activity due to that matter. Everyone larger kid does the same thing a more athletic kid does, unless they choose to resign from the activity themselves. It's just morally ethical.

I am disappointed that this level of enthusiasm in taking the athletic kids to events isn't also transferred to other subjects such as Knowledge and Smash for talking sake.

Physical education is an educational matter. Smash is not educational; it's a video game. We should focus all of our enthusiasm on school rather than a video game to ensure our success in the future, but that's another topic. Besides, there are clubs at high schools that freely allow children to join, that could potentially interest them in a subject they like (such as Smash).

 

[Deleted member]

What kind of absurd statement is that? Just because a child is healthy/skinny does not mean they are necessarily athletic (any more so than an overweight child).

I understand using the term "Fat" was extremely rash and I do apologize. I'm talking about children who aren't necessarily athletic.

"Filter" is a pretty subjective term... in no way is a nonactive child being "filtered" from their peers.

Again, the word "Filter" was the only one that came to mind at the time.

Sorry, but I am misunderstanding your point. Every single child: Thin, large, athletic, tall, short, and lazy all partake in any activity directed so by a physical education coach. There is absolutely no disregarding a child merely because of their weight and/or size and excluding them from a class activity due to that matter. Everyone larger kid does the same thing a more athletic kid does, unless they choose to resign from the activity themselves.

I am still in school and I can guarantee that fit and athletic children get chosen to participate in sporting events and this occurs very frequently. It makes complete logical sense in the schools eyes to do this because you want your fastest, most athletic pupils to win these events.

Physical education is an educational matter. Smash is not educational; it's a video game. We should focus all of our enthusiasm on school rather than a video game to ensure our success in the future, but that's another topic. Besides, there are clubs at high schools that freely allow children to join, that could potentially interest them in a subject they like (such as Smash).

I don't quite understand how exercise is an educational matter, what exactly do you learn? And the point I was mainly trying to express was that the school does not acknowledge children who are good at other subjects, they don't take them away and make them participate in events, for it is only sports and P.E. that they do this for. I'm just saying schools recognize sporty children and other pupils not so much.

 

[Ikiimoni]

People internationally already joke about America as a country of fat people. Really though, if there was no gym class in schools, those jokes would be a lot more frequent.

 

[Pachinkosam]

One time we were in P.E doing the fitness test this kid called Brandon he was fat back then but every time i saw him in the cafeteria he when to the subway line everyday maybe he lost weight that way i don't know whatever. But funny he only did one push-up on the fitness test and got laughed at i think in the pacer test only did 15 which he got a failed score. Also there was fights that happen in the locker room and sometime they did rap battles man that was funny. And that one time two guys got mad over a basketball game they fought it out in restroom.

 

[FairyLip]

To make people hate physical activity, create institutionalized bullying, fat shame, and forcing people into gender-binary locker rooms for no good reason.

 

[Nona]

Either you're not trying hard enough or you're doing the exercises wrong. For example, running a mile should make you sweat if you are actually trying. Otherwise your heart and muscles stay lazy.

Or you're anemic and can't run a mile within 12 minutes without blacking out (me).

PE is basically there to encourage physical activity since recess doesn't exist anymore past elementary school, and most adolescents will get very twitchy sitting in a desk all day. It's a placebo for people worrying about the American obesity problem, which is often more rooted to someone's upbringing than it is school involvement. It's also an easy way to keep up a high GPA for those with decent athletic abilities.
In my high school, most of the girls would purposely wear heels or "ugg boots" and use those as excuses to not participate. As an alternative to typical PE, my school had dance and aerobics which was much less strenuous than other PE courses.
We also had a swim PE class which pretty much screwed my attendance record since my following class was the entire campus away, and using ~7 minutes to shower/dress was not enough time. I was always late.