An addendum to my explanation of why gym class should not be mandatory:
Think of all the things you were forced to do when you were a kid, but hated doing.
How many of those things do you actively seek out as an adult?
How many of those things do you actively avoid as an adult?
What do people enjoy about being an adult? Ask around, google the blogosphere, bring it up as a "getting to know you" question, and you'll get comments on eating cookies instead of brussel sprouts, staying up as late as you want, not being dragged to churches you don't believe in and smelly bigoted relatives' houses, seeing something you want in a store and simply buying it yourself.
Essentially, the joy of adulthood comes down to being able to choose not to do the things you hated doing as a kid. Except in cases of psychological abuse or brainwashing, I've never heard of someone who hates to do something suddenly starting to love it because they were forced to do it for even longer, and I've never in any case heard of a grown adult suddenly starting to love the things they were forced against their will to do as a kid.
Frankly, I'm rather surprised that so many people seem to think more mandatory phys. ed. is a solution. Obviously these aren't he people who hated phys. ed. as kids, but can't they draw just one simple parallel with their own memories of things they hated as a kid and see that this isn't going to work?
2 comments:
It is about keeping kids in shape and active. Some of those kids may have hated gym class, but maybe they enjoyed the times when you had to play tennis, or run. Maybe they didn't like running, but realized it is a healthy choice in adulthood - to start something a lot of people don't actually like!
Mandatory gym class exposes children to all sorts of sports and activites, that they may otherwise not have chosen to do. But it keeps them active - especially now in the age of everything being electronic...video games...computers...parents bringing home takeout because they don't want to cook all week...
At least there is some physical activity, whether they enjoy it or not at the time. It may help to keep them from getting unhealthy, or fat from the xbox games their parents are buying them, along with pizza twice a week because the parents are too lazy to cook!
It might make them active in the short term, but it just builds up the resentment in the long term. Believe me, speaking as someone who hated gym class, we DON'T like the tennis or running or whatever. That's why we don't like gym class. If we found that sort of thing fun, we'd find gym class fun.
Kids just need to be taught, in health class, why physical activity is important. The variety of sports and activities should be available, sure, but not forced. Forcing it will either be neutral or cause resentment, but in no case is it going to make people more likely to want to play sports. How many people do you know who enjoy physical activity because they were forced to do it against their will?
Post a Comment