Sports In Schools

[happyhippy]

it would be nice to see more time set aside on the school timetable for sports sessions/activities.

:yes:

as a teacher i've noticed that kids on the whole are getting larger.

not only taller, but fatter with each generation passing through the schooling system.

junk food and lack of activity is a big problem for the playstation generation, sports sessions in school is the only exercise many of these kids get.

on the other hand, i think there needs to be a major shake up in the provision of sports in schools.

many kids are not interested in hockey, netball, soccer, tennis, badminton..etc (all those traditional sports).

to bring things up to date it would be worth introducing tuition for skate boarding, bmx, mtb, hill running, climbing, surfing, canoeing, diving, snowboarding etc..

i can appreciate there is a higher cost associated with these sports, but keeping kids interested in exercising is, in my opinion, far more important.

:D

[insanekiwi]

yes. kids are getting too fat anyway.

[adcmarti]

No question......Yes!

[_bobcat_ Veteran]

Imo sports and excercise need to be kept in schools for the benefits. I hated PE at school, because I was bad at it, but it was the only excercise I got apart from the 15-30 mins spent walking to school (depended which bus I got). And most of my fellow students were the same. You can't totally remove it just because only a minority of individuals really benefit from and appreciate it. I'm sure that the students who really benefit from and appreciate I.T. and science facilities in schools are a minority. How many people enjoy learning maths and languages and actually use everything they learn when they leave? Schools have to cater to everyones needs.

The problems related to obesity will only get worse unless children are taught to keep healthy via excercise and diet. Sports in schools are a way to encourage children and young people into good habits. Also, providing opportunities to do things more interesting than netball, basketball and football would be a good idea, as would more after school activities. Obviously education about healthy eating is also required(we get lots of this in British schools), with cafeterias aiming to provide healthy food.

However, I do think that spendind on sports equipment at the expense of the academic side of things is wrong. The primary aim of schools is supposed to be education, so that should be the priority as far as budgeting is concerned. I never perceived that my school spent much on P.E. equipment....it all appeared as old and battered as the science labs, so maybe this is an American problem. I don't think it is necessary to spend millions on fancy stadiums etc when only a minority of students will appreciate it....I don't see why providing sports should really cost much at all.

[JustVince]

Everyone is getting over weight, teaching people to exercise is important to help curb that health problem. :D

[MulletRobZ]

Look. With today's lifestyle of eating out (well almost half of the time for Americans) and lack of excercise, physical education should be enforced in schools right up to the end of high school. This No Child Left Behind program that Dubya implemented in the USA is a ridiculous error, because it cut funding for arts, music, and physical education.

In New Brunswick and probably in most other Canadian provinces, there is a strong attitude towards Physical Education. At the elementary and middle school level, they offer that class once or twice per week, but they had their breaks and noon hours outside, so that makes up for the exercise. At high school, the student's don't usually go out unless if it's to get some lunch, but they offer 1 hour Physical Education classes every day (2 days theory and 3 days practical per week). The only problem is that it may only be for one semester, depending on the person's choices. Still, there's a fairly strong interest in intramural and interscholastic sports in high schools and universities.

Yet in other countries, I heard that they have a couple of hours per day for physical educaton right after the classes. So in the USA, they should look at something more effective than the Canadian system, but preferrable to match those that of other countries.

[galoosh33]

Ofcourse they should stay

[leesmithg]

They should remove teaching religion in Schools and teach more sports.

Children need to expel energy, they are getting fat and lazy (not all of course).

I did PE for C.S.E. at school, that should replace R.E./divinity.

[DrZoidberg]

Of course sport should be in schools. It helps with team skills (which are important in the big wide world out there when you want to get a job) and gets you out into the fresh air (with outdoor sports).

And then there's the health aspect. Children today are fat enough without making it worse. Children need physical stimulation. Working in a classroom for however many hours a day and then going home to surf Neowin on your PC doesn't provide that.

[jack_canada]

Gym class is necessary! It's good for you to be physically active! And also, a lot of kids can't afford to play sports!!!

EDIT: IMO, music should be optional.

[multimediatechy]

Sports are very important and people need to get fitter these days...there are too many fat people especially in places like the US and the UK. Social skills and team working are all part of the experience...it also lets guys take out some of their aggression in sports...better than in the classroom!!!

[L3thal Veteran]

Gym is the best class in school. For some people, that's the only time they exercise or play sports, so it's good to keep them around.

[golazo]

if there was no sport at my school i probably wouldnt want to go to school

[The Decline]

Yes.

[Sean B. Veteran]

Yes, because seeing that I play 2 sports, would suck if they dropped them. Our school has plenty of funding!

[Pink Floyd Veteran]

totally, YES

[happyhippy]

They should remove teaching religion in Schools and teach more sports.

Children need to expel energy, they are getting fat and lazy (not all of course).

I did PE for C.S.E. at school, that should replace R.E./divinity.

585332913[/snapback]

i agree.

RE is something that, imo, should be supported and pursued within the home (if so wished), not forced upon people at school.

to replace RE with PE seems like a sensible solution :)

[Brandon]

Obesity is a major problem affecting America (and the West in general).  I personally think that PE should be increased, not decreased.

I do think that the competitive teams with expensive programs should do a lot of their own fundraising.

585321079[/snapback]

Yes and No. Illinois is the only state in the USA requireing PE after elementary school. Now i do admit that i started my running career because of gym, but now in high school there are many classes i would rather do instead of playing pickle ball, basketball and the od assortment of square dancing :blink: . I mean i run almost every day after school for longer then our gym period is so.

As for the sports - almost every game, people have to pay to get in. for football games alone, $4 a student. Thats about $4,000-$6,000 every friday night in pure profits for 5 nights a year. Same with track meets, lacross games, soccer, basketball and swimming. Also the athletic fees of $52 cover buses and some equipment