Timed mile runs are one of the worst punishments for kids.
Physical education is popular amongst students for being a subject many kids detest. The class consists of a multitude of different exercises that can be considered difficult to some people. A lot of younger students favor the class since they get to play games with their friends, but as they grow older, they lose that excitement once the exercises get harder. Although physical education is a very disliked class, it should be mandatory as long as some of the activities are modified to accommodate their students.
Physical education (PE) is a class that has been implemented into school since students were in elementary. It is there to provide kids with a form of exercise since many do not choose to train on their own. Teachers usually start with children doing simple sports and activities that a lot of young people are seen enjoying since they are competing with their friends and classmates.
As students get older, they will notice their PE classes getting much more challenging. Now that students are obliged to run, schools should modify their course since mile runs should not be timed. When forcing a student to run under a time limit, teachers are assuming that everybody has the same strength and shape to fit within the time frame.
Timed mile runs should be changed to an endurance running test at least. An endurance test would have the same objective with students running for a specific amount of time. It would be more entertaining for kids to run if they were able to take a break whenever they felt overwhelmed or extremely tired since many students have thrown up and passed out due to the strict system of mile runs. It also feels humiliating and embarrassing when teachers call out students for not reaching the finishing mark on time or decreasing their grades depending on how many minutes they were late. However, not every student has the same fitness and they should take that into consideration before punishing others for not finishing at the required time.
Teachers should be more understanding of other people’s bodies. Simply put, instructors need to recognize body issues and acknowledge that some students are physically unable to participate. PE teachers tend to compare athletic students to the kids who are not as interested in physical education too. PE is required to help students stay in shape. These classes are not available to force kids to become athletes.
Additionally, PE classes would be more fun for students if the sports they played in were their choice and not a teacher’s decision. Not every student is comfortable with the sport that was chosen for them. Students would also feel more compelled to play if they were participating in something they like.
As a result, physical education is mandatory for valid reasons: keeping children in shape and implementing stress-relieving activities in school. However, there are some ways the class can be modified to accommodate students of all levels. With the resources given to public schools at this age, it should not be difficult for the administration or teachers to make these adjustments.
