Life Fit with Laura Lewis: Is School Making Your Child Fat?
Being Life Fit is about your total health, including the health of all of your relationships. Life Fit is a journey, not a destination. It is a process of continuous growth: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Check in each Tuesday to Life Fit with Laura Lewis, author of "52 Ways To A Healthy You," as we explore our total life fitness. Then, weigh in with your own thoughts over at Laura's "Life Fit Chat" each Wednesday and Thursday for further discussion on the week's topic. For more information visit Laura at www.LauraLewis.com.Remember when PE was just as much a part of your education as Friday Night Football? I am an avid believer in daily PE in schools. I find it appalling that physical education as been reduced to an "elective" or "special" course. It is certainly no surprise that kids today are less healthy with each passing generation. We can look in the carpool line and see that child obesity is on the rise. As a matter of fact, child obesity rates have risen dramatically over the past 30 years. In the 1970s, childhood obesity ranked in low single digit percentages, now nearly one out of every five children is medically classified as obese. And, The Centers for Disease Control predicts about one third of today's children will become diabetic.
No child left without a big behind. Due to political policies and budgetary constraints, schools are being forced to reduce physical education programs and utilize that time for classroom instruction in order to prepare children for the onslaught of standardized tests. Schools receive funds and classifications based on "performance" standards (which are qualified strictly by standardized testing results). Ironically, and sadly, the more scientists and educators learn about the brain, the more evident it becomes that our children will perform better academically if more PE is included in their education--not less. Studies indicate that children perform better in math, science and language when regular physical activity is included in their daily schedule.
While grades are certainly important, physical activity boosts more than just a child's academic performance. Children who are physically active also have greater self-esteem and lower incidence of mood and emotional problems. With a shocking 2 million American children on anti-depressants or anti-psychotics, never before have American children needed the benefits of physical activity as they do now. Just like we spend the majority of our day at work, our children spend theirs at school. Our school system has failed our children by making PE a choice and not a requirement.
Parents of school aged children are finding that they must make it a point to include physical activity in the home. When your kids get home from school, turn off the TV and the video games and go outside with them. Ride bikes, go to the park, take walks, jog together or join the gym. Do it for your children and for yourself. Don't leave your child's health in the hands of a broken education system.
No child left without a big behind. Due to political policies and budgetary constraints, schools are being forced to reduce physical education programs and utilize that time for classroom instruction in order to prepare children for the onslaught of standardized tests. Schools receive funds and classifications based on "performance" standards (which are qualified strictly by standardized testing results). Ironically, and sadly, the more scientists and educators learn about the brain, the more evident it becomes that our children will perform better academically if more PE is included in their education--not less. Studies indicate that children perform better in math, science and language when regular physical activity is included in their daily schedule.
While grades are certainly important, physical activity boosts more than just a child's academic performance. Children who are physically active also have greater self-esteem and lower incidence of mood and emotional problems. With a shocking 2 million American children on anti-depressants or anti-psychotics, never before have American children needed the benefits of physical activity as they do now. Just like we spend the majority of our day at work, our children spend theirs at school. Our school system has failed our children by making PE a choice and not a requirement.
Parents of school aged children are finding that they must make it a point to include physical activity in the home. When your kids get home from school, turn off the TV and the video games and go outside with them. Ride bikes, go to the park, take walks, jog together or join the gym. Do it for your children and for yourself. Don't leave your child's health in the hands of a broken education system.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-26-2008 @ 10:04AM
Emma Leigh said...
Don't you just love the public school system? They tell you that your kid is fat and stupid. (Well, they don't use the stupid label anymore - they're intellectually challenged.) They omit the part where they are dumbing down the curriculum so no one fails so all the children feel special and have loads of self esteem. We can't have competition in anything whether it be academic or sports related - someone might feel bad.
I visited a local high school some years back and was appalled to discover that the lunchroom had a "pizza and french fry" line; soda machines lined the room and the student council ran a candy concession stand. It's no wonder our kids aren't diabetic by the time they're 18!
PE is a joke. Most students are only required to take it one semester out of the 8 between 9th and 12th grade. The PE classes I attended consisted of square dancing and softball where no one was getting any type of quality cardio. I can't imagine that has improved. Why can't they have 50 minutes of jazzercise or step aerobics or spinning? Get the kids accustomed to working out 5 days a week - burn off the crap they feed at lunch.
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2-27-2008 @ 12:27AM
A girl said...
I always hated P.E., especially in junior high and high school...all I remember was square dancing, having to change in front of your classmates, and the embarassing physical fitness tests...ugh. I think a lot of changes need to be made...gym should be fun, where you get a choice of activities to do, with the goal of making fitness a life long activity. And also, give the kids enough time to change and freshen up so they don't have to go around school all stinky the rest of the day!
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2-27-2008 @ 4:36PM
Rae Pica said...
The good news is that physical education HAS changed. For the youngest students, it's much more child-centered than sports- or task-centered, meaning that it encourages, rather than dampens, children's love of movement. For older students it's about lifelong fitness activities. For all students the goal is to be physically active for life.
Believe me, I detested PE (gym) as a kid. But as a children's physical activity specialist since 1980, I've witnessed the changes in the profession. For more information about the new PE, check out the website of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (www.naspeinfo.org).
Laura's absolutely right about the relationship between physical activity and both health and academic success. It's a shame that so many of today's parents had negative experiences in PE. If they understood the critical connection between mind and body, they'd be demanding that PE be a daily part of their children's school experience!
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