When you walk into the modern PE class, you don’t see students rolling out yoga mats or in groups doing push-ups. Instead, students are huddled in corners staring at the device that has grabbed all our attention and held us captive. Originally, physical education programs in the United States saw girls mostly involved with gymnastics, while the boys would partake in rougher activities. Over time, both male and female individuals would become educated on elements such as body composition, flexibility, nutrition, and endurance. However, the push to raise academic achievement allowed school districts to reduce or eliminate gym classes, and save money by hiring fewer P.E. teachers.
The national standard of physical education and health in school has evolved over the last 30 years. In recent years, efforts have been made to refocus the nation’s attention on the importance of physical activity for children. According to the CDC Website, “Physical education provides cognitive content and instruction designed to develop motor skills, knowledge, and behaviors for physical activity and physical fitness. Supporting schools to establish physical education daily can provide students with the ability and confidence to be physically active for a lifetime.”
Weights teacher and football coach Brian Mehl explains, “When I was in high school kids didn’t have phones. There were phones. But probably the coolest thing you could do on that phone in 2002 was play the Nokia Snake Game. That didn’t engage people enough to distract them from their academics or a PE class. where I think now it’s so common for a majority of kids to have that technology at their disposal anytime. That it’s hard to monitor it and I think it’s like the instant gratification that all people feel not just young people, adults too.”
Students with required PE credit are not allowed to graduate unless that credit is made up; which includes several electives you get to choose from but must pass. Students are given the choices between LifeLong for sophomores, Weights and Advanced Competitive Sports for the elite student-athletes, and Intro to PE for freshmen where the kids that don’t want to do anything stare at each other or look at their phones so the class passes by faster.
The greatness that many look for, whether that is fitness, conditioning, or self-discipline, is missing from even the toughest kids. But as Mehl says, “Any athlete that plays football for me, I would expect them to be great in every single one of their classes. Regardless if it’s a PE class or a math class or English class.”