Physical education back in school, sort of

I never get much out of my first-grade kid when he gets home from school. "What did you do today?" I inquire. "I don't know," is his usual reply. "Who did you sit with at lunch?" I ask. "The same boy I sat with yesterday," Joey tells me. "What's his name?" I probe. "I don't know," Joey declares. The same pattern happens when I ask about math, spelling, art, recess. Prying information out of Joey is like pulling teeth.

Joey did manage to blurt out some important information the other day, though. He told me he exercises at school every morning. He said he stretches and bends and reaches and jumps with the other kids in his class. His daily fitness routine lasts for 15 minutes every day. Joey didn't tell me this. I saw it posted in his classroom during open house the other night. All this tops off his once weekly 40-minute physical education class.

I'm happy for the moving and grooving Joey gets at school, although it's nothing like what I did when I was his age. I remember attending gym class every day. Back then, we'd change into our gym shirts and shorts before engaging in a painful game of dodge ball or a choreographed mess of square dancing. Gym class was a sure presence in the school day. Times sure have changed. But maybe we're getting back into the swing of things.

Our Florida governor, Charlie Crist, just recently signed legislation making it mandatory that public-school students receive at least 150 minutes of physical education each week. He couldn't offer much funding for this mandate, though, and this is why Joey is exercising in class, led by his teacher and exercise videos that play on the classroom TV. Some may say it's sad we lack the financial backing for the building of our kids' bodies. But I'm happy to see some creativity flowing from the powers that be. A little creativity never hurt anyone. I suspect it might even help.