opinion piece.. phys. ed mandatory in schools?

How many of you were required to take Physical Education classes in high school and middle school and truly hated it? For those of you who can relate, how many of you feel that having taken these classes, although you were miserable at the time, helped you on some level to form a healthy exercise and living routine or at least made you more knowledgable about how to do so? There have been very mixed emotions when it comes to the issue of whether or not Phys. Ed. classes should be mandatory or optional in both high schools and middle schools as well as elementary schools and even college. Although a good amount of people feel that these types of classes are taking time away from academics, a lot more feel that without having Phys. Ed. classes in school at all, children and young adults will not only be unexposed to learning good exercise and eating habits, but may actually suffer physically in the long run. Physical Education in schools should be mandatory.

Physical Education in schools should be mandatory for the following reasons: 1) Most children don't get the right amount of physical activity needed for a healthy lifestyle on their own. 2) Childhood obesity has increased dramatically, leading numbers of children to experience major health risks later on in life. 3) Exposure to physical activity has been found to actually help classroom performance and behavior.

Going back to my first reason, according to a survey mentioned in an article from USATODAY, "more than 75% of U.S. children are not active 20 minutes a day.." 20 minutes being a bare minimum of course. Having Phys. Ed. classes in school gives these children who are not getting physical activity on their own the opportunity to get some type of exercise at least. Another survey performed by the Massachusetts Department of Education in 2001, found "in an average week, one third of students did not participate in Physical Education class, and as they advanced through the grades, their activity level decreased." Mandatory Phys. Ed. classes can play an important roll in building the foundation of a child's physical well being, and exposing them to these types activities at a young age can help them to develop a routine that they can carry on for the rest of their lives.

My second reason involving the problem of childhood obesity, suggests the obvious need for Physical Education. According to an article on childhood obesity, "policies and programs implemented in public schools hold the greatest promise.." With the proper guidance, these children can learn the right way to go about eating and exercising to improve their current health. Schools are the perfect place for this action to take place, since they "have frequent contact with parents and may be able to influence their understanding of the importance of physical activity for their child's health." Childhood obesity can also eventually lead to long term health risks. An article from "Physical Education News", lists these risks as the following: "heart disease, type II diabetes, and other obesity related diseases." It is important for these children to change their lifestyle before it's too late, and it is clear that they need all the help they can get.

Finally my third reason and probably most debatable reason, links physical activity with positive acceleration in both the classroom and behavior. Although, people in a Texas debate, "felt schools should focus on academic subjects instead of helping kids get fit..," many people choose to believe otherwise. According to P.E.4Life, a group that advocates Phys. Ed. in schools, "90% of teachers and 86% of parents connect physical activity with improved academic performance and behavior." If children are given the opportunity to run around and move their bodies for a little while each day, it only makes sense that they would be more willing to pay attention in class and be on better behavior. It's tough sitting in class for even a college student, think about how tough it must be for a child in elementary school, who is full of energy waiting to burn. Honestly, what would be a better way for them to burn that energy, than by exercising. Even though it might be taking some time away from academics, having some type of Physical Education class at least two to three times a week doesn't seem too horrible. Afterall, the children would still be learning and they'd be learning skills that they will need later on in life as opposed to certain academics which have no real relevance to everyday life.

Now that you have heard my reasons I hope you will agree that Physical Education in schools should be mandatory. We need to keep our future generation going by keeping them healthy. So why not make Phys. Ed. mandatory? It's the only class that doesn't require homework, and hey if it can better your child's health and knowledge, that can't hurt either.