True, but the question is: Endure what? People are complaining about gym class not because we simply didn’t like it. We’re complaining because it doesn’t teach you anything and opens unathletic kids up to ridicule and humiliation.
No one gets insulted in World Lit, mostly because the kids who do well are the least likely to insult people, either because they’re non-violent or scared of getting beaten up. World Lit might be a pain in the ass for some kids, but you never hear of kids dreading it each day and getting knots in their stomach before it. And, of course, most World Lit classes teach you about World Literature.
But gym is different. Kids who are not athletically gifted are torn apart by their classmates, sometimes even by teachers. Some meaner kids just see it as a chance to beat up the smart kids. And most importantly, the way most gym classes are structured does not provide an equal learning opportunity for all involved.
Isn’t it funny that the coach never let guys like you and me pick the teams? In Jeezoid High, it was always 2 of the same 3 or 4 bullies whom he allowed to pick.
**
Sheesh… I think that if we had had to take showers, I would have been sexually assaulted by the guys who picked the teams. Anyway, at least your coach didn’t laugh at you. My perverse fantasy is to track down my old coach and send him a letter:
Dear Coach,
remember how you laughed at me in front of the class because I couldn’t do a single situp? Well, now I can do several of them in a row.
Incidentally, can you find the area under a curve yet? No? Ha!
-Ben
I would have to agree with this. If it weren’t for gym class I probably would have taken karate a lot earlier, both because I would have had a less negative opinion of sports, and because I would have had an extra hour each day for it.
I am a male elementary Physical Education teacher, and have read the posts on this thread with much interest.
First let me say I am always sad to hear the horror stories most people have about PE. Even I have a few because the fact is, you’re right - lots of the teachers do stink. I became a PE teacher because my background is a bit different than the jock types that normally come to mind when you think of a PE teacher. So here are a few thoughts on the subject in general:
Yes, PE should be taught in schools. Kids are more overweight now than ever in our nation’s history. We also have a great temptation into sedentary lifestyles (fer cryin’ out loud I’m a PE teacher and am I out exercising - no I’m typing on a computer!!!). It’s important that people understand that exercise = greater chance of living a healthy and active lifestyle.
Yes, serious fundamental changes should be made in PE. I teach only at the elementary level, and will not work above 5th grade (except for coaching, which is another matter entirely - more on that later). I feel the way we teach PE in the secondary level is beyond flawed in most cases - it’s a catastrophe, and accounts for most of the horror stories I hear. Think about that - not many people have horror stories about elementary PE. That’s because our approach down there is to introduce kids to a variety of activities and skills, and emphasize enjoyment of them.
The showering thing isn’t around much anymore. Thank God.
Dress cuts. Yes, that’s still around and there are actually some good reasons for it. When you go to math class you need to bring your textbook, a pencil, notebook, maybe even a protractor or scientific calculator. Well PE is a class too, (stop snickering)so you may need to come with some materials. Sneakers and clothes appropriate to physical activity aren’t too much to ask. And I don’t think I need to mention the possibility of lawsuit from kids attempting to run around in dress shoes and such.
We should phase out team sports in favor of “life time activities”. Lots of controversy on this one, even within my profession. I’m something of a radical in that I don’t believe team sports has much place in a PE curriculum. I agree with some of the posts that said it simply favors jocks and such. I’d rather see kids learning swimming, rock climbing, biking, roller blading, juggling, golf, and other such actitivies that are now being taught in some of the more forward thinking school districts. The college level has already moved toward this area. Team sports have their place in after-school activities, of which I’m a coach (volleyball, track & field). But I don’t think people should be made to play them, apart from learning basic skills. Also, they waste a lot of time. Think about this - in a game of “real” 6-on-6 volleyball (more like 9 against 9 because of overcrowded classes, how many times are you likely to touch the ball in a 15 minute game? Not a lot, and that means it’s a waste of time. No learning opportunities.
I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point. I am saddened by the lack of change in my field, and only remain in the hopes of being allowed to continue doing things a little differently. Feel free to contact me to talk more on this subject.
Boy does this bring back memories of high school in the mid sixties. I loved PE. I hated high school. I didn’t have the best social skills, but I could hold my own in sports. Some of us showered, some didn’t. I was embarrassed at first, but my dad said get over it, be a man. Hell, he told me when he was in the army they openly sat next to each other while shitting. So I did, and it was no big deal. The biggest problem of course was not getting caught looking at someone else’s dick.
Then one day in grade 9 a commotion arose in the far corner of the dressing room. Several guys had removed Grants underwear. “Look at the size of his cock” someone gleefully exclaimed. Its a f…ing horsecock. Sure enough it was the biggest limp penis I had or have ever seen in my life. Now Grant was struggling and angry, but clearly embarrassed. I don’t think he nor me nor many of us in the room realized how truly fortunate he was or how proud he could be.
I wasn’t going to comment further but I just can’t let gambits "problem " go by without commenting.
A 4.0 in and you are afraid of a gym class??
It will take a while but you will see what keeping in shape is about when you are 50. You will probably be surprised to know that most of the jobs in the world require some kind of physical work. Gym class,PE or whatever you call it is all about fitness.
I don’t know how many times I’ve heard “If you’ve got your health you’ve got everything”.I’m more and more convinced it is true.
I used to like to read until I had a few teachers try to teach me an "appreciation “of literature. I still can’t figure what Will Shakespear is talking about. I remember getting in trouble in jr high lit because I wasn’t paying attention. Hell I was four stories ahead of everyone else and she wanted me to slow down and"pay attention.”
My point is the same thing goes on in other classes but if you are good at them you don’t mind the hassles.
I’ve done just fine without billy shakespear but without some kind of physical conditioning I know I wouldn’t be as healthy as I am today.
I was the girl who was picked last, I was the chubby kid without cooordination, and i would have killed for a gym class like RickJay’s back in the day !!
Some of the things that come to my mind that made me loathe gym class…
In elementary school, being singled out for playing
dodgeball and told to go and cheerlead with the rest of the girls.
Never mind that I had about as much enthusiasm for cheer as as i had for washing dishes, and may actually have been good at dodgeball. “Anya, get out of here and go cheer with the other girls!” I still hate that guy even if he is dead now, the goat-felching sonofabitch!!!
Gymnastics---- Thanks for pointing out that while i am still having trouble with my somersaults, what all the other kids can do. You are the reason why I loathe exercise now, and I do hope you are HAPPY with YOURSELF!!
Square dance-- Anybody who teaches this to children should be shot. First for not teaching us a dance we can use later in life and, second for not having the forethought to assign partners, and leaving us to choose our own partner.
Freshman year-- What in the nameof ZEUS’S BUTTHOLE makes you think that teenagers want to learn square dancing?
How many teenagers actually use this even though it was a small rural school? While all of us were listening to rap, dance, or metal, you had your heart set on us being experts at the Virginia Reel.
Polka? Proof positive that you had lost the last few brain cells you owned. Especially when you made people go out and polka several times, as if we were going to merrily polka on for the rest of the class.
Volleyball-- Junior high, for not teaching the sport very well and not helping me with my serve.
10th grade-for placing me on the team which got slaughtered every time and for taking the only good server off of our team, thanks buddy for making it easier to lose, thanks for assuming that we would not want to win.
Football- For assuming everyone knows the rules, and for not teaching us how to throw the football.
Now I know why i love soccer. Because the other teacher taught much better that you ever could hope to.
Justwannano–I completely agree with you when you say that physical health is important. I just don’t necessarily agree with the idea that all physical activity has to take place in an organized, team-oriented setting. I’ve devised a routine where I walk at least two miles daily, and take stairs rather than elevators, often walking as many as twenty one flights a day. I will on occasion lift weights.
What strikes me as genuinely absurd is why a college would have a physical education requirement at all. I keep MYSELF in fairly good shape without having to do it all the time. Here’s another thing that puzzles me. How can one adequately “grade” a gym course? If I can’t for example throw a football, or have no interest in doing push-ups, should that really be counted in my GPA? Should I have to worry that failing my gym course will put me a semester behind in graduate studies? I might be wrong, but getting my Ph.D is just slightly more important in the long run than participating in something I do on my own time, with my own standards.
i agree with grok that p.e. has the potential for value but would require some tweaking first. i participated in many physical activities as a kid - baseball, soccer, basketball, tennis, skiing, you name it. as an adult i continue to enjoy as many sports and activities as time and weather permit. i can honestly say that the pitiful excuse for sports participation that my p.e. classes provided was pretty worthless in comparison to the activities i did outside of school and had zero bearing on my desire to be active as an adult. i remember classes that consisted entirely of sitting around on the floor while the teachers tried to organize some activity that never got off the ground. i think what our ever-fattening country needs is not p.e. classes, but parents who encourage their kids to be active and not let them spend hours in front of the tv or the playstation. parents need to make time to play sports with their kids and take them on active/adventure type trips where there are no tv’s or computers.
Man, this thread is making me want to curl up into a fetal position. Oh, how I hated gym class. Throughout grammar school and Jr. High, whenever gym day came, I would stand at the top of the stairs at my house at think about throwing myself down them so I could get out of it. I was serious too. I would hold the railing and rock back and forth, but I never had the guts to let go. I always hoped I would just slip and fall. I was simply overjoyed that I had to have an operation in 4th grade because I didn’t have to go to gym for 2 whole weeks. Bliss.
I was the textbook example of shy chubby kid who was always picked last. I still remember somehow being the last person on my team in dodgeball one time. I was terrified, hiding behind the lunch tables that had been stacked against the wall because I knew I was going to get pelted and the gym teacher didn’t care. From then on, I tried to catch the ball early in the game so I could be out. I had to square dance ALONE. No partner. How a “teacher” could allow a kid to do-si-do by herself is beyond me. High school was no better, but I learned to just be invisible in class. I never caught a ball or made a home run, I was too scared to try. The only time I ever enjoyed gym was for a couple of weeks when we did archery. Lo and behold, there was something I could actually do. For the first time, I really wanted to participate. But of course, we went back to volleyball or something.
The point is, I was in desperate need of activity and social interaction, but all that gym taught me was that yes, indeed, I was a loser and a nerd. Kids just aren’t very nice when left to their own devices and most gym teachers let them talk all the trash they wanted. Hopefully it’s changed since then, but to me, it was a chance for mean-spirited little brats to pick on quiet, unathletic kids for an hour a day.
Oh, and my answer is “No, I don’t think it should be required.” But if offered, there should be better supervision of students and better qualified gym teachers who understand how scary it can be for some kids. (They should have to read Lord of the Flies at least three times.)
Perhaps there should be different types of gym classes. One that focuses more on competetive sports and one that focuses more on non-competetive ones, something where the entire class is working together rather than against each other. (team-building excercises, aerobics, jogging . . .)
I’ve always wondered why the gym teacher completely avoids going in to the dressing room when every one is changing back. A lot of rough horseplay occured then, but the teacher always retired to his office.
Many posters mention being shy and the last person picked etc. resulting in hatred of P.E. My recollection is of the guys who spent their time souping up their 57 chevies by getting their cylinders bored out etc. (in other words the tough crowd like perhaps Travolta in Grease) who made a deliberate show of hating P.E. by a lack of cooperation on the court and getting into trouble for leaving their gym bag at home a lot of times.
Hey Gambit
Why don’t you just find a friendly jock and ask him/her to show you how to do the things you don’t know how to do?
Maybe you could help him/her with some other academic stuff.