P.E. problems

On paper, physical education seems like a good idea. Kids in school get to spend some time exercising or playing a fun sport. But once you start playing some ludicrous game using beat-up equipment that’s decades old, you realize it’s not that great.

One of the main issues is that everyone in the class is expected to perform exactly the same way. The most athletic of football players are tossed in with weaker kids, or people who don’t care about the class at all. They’re all graded in the same way, even if some have physical benefits. If they do a unit on soccer, obviously the people who have been playing soccer their whole lives are going to do better than the people who’ve been playing volleyball or not playing anything at all.

There’s the problem of self-esteem as well. The class is just asking for students to be made fun of and bullied by those who are “better” than them. Oftentimes, the teacher doesn’t notice or care to put an end to it.

That’s why physical education needs to change. It’s better for everyone.

Ruth Roper

Spokane