Mandatory Physical Education

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Jan 29, 2009
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Because people rarely push theirselves physically, and taking a class to do it is probably very beneficial, especially with the capacity to get fat or out of shape in those years.
 

darkfire613

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Jun 26, 2009
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Here's my view of it: gym is not one of the essentials like math and reading we'll need no matter what we do. Instead, I lump it in with art and music in the category of classes that enrich you but aren't strictly necessary. If I was in charge, instead of having mandatory X credits of gym (at my school it's 1.5 credits to graduate), I would say you need at least two credits of either gym, art, or music. You could mix and match what you want and go over that limit if you wanted by all means, but this way the people who don't like gym have a choice to do other things instead.

At my school currently, the only classes we truly need to graduate are english (4 credits), math (2 credits), science (3 credits, one of the introductory science in freshman year, one lab science [chemistry or physics], and one life science [basically only biology]), social studies/history (3 credits), and gym (1.5 credits). No required languages, no required art or music.
 

imperialwar

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Jun 17, 2008
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Loop Stricken said:
imperialwar said:
30 minutes of vigorous excerise per day ( 60%-80% max heart rate- 220 minus your age ) can reduce your risk of cancer and heart attack
Surely that differs with levels of fitness. If so would it differ wildly between a healthy person and an unfit one?
When you are unfit and over weight it takes less effort to reach those levels, so yes they dont have to work quite as hard. The heart when stimulated climbs to those levels a bit faster.
If they are morbidly obese, or suffer from hypertension a good trainer will be sure to get a medical clearance first.
 

Biosophilogical

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Jul 8, 2009
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neonsword13-ops said:
Canid117 said:
You picked what sounds like weight training to avoid the "Neanderthals?" Thats the class where the football coach is the teacher and half the class is going to be his player maintaining their build. Way to go buddy. I guess you deserve it though for being so dismissive and smug towards others.
Yeah, i'm a nice guy. ^-^
But wouldn't endurance training be cardio stuff? Like running, swimming, cycling, etc? Because muscle building isn't endurance, it is resistance.

OT: I think that maybe in the first year of high school, it should be mandatory, because most people wouldn't have picked their own classes before, so it is a way to make sur everyone gets to sample a bit of everything before they go deciding their future.
 

triggrhappy94

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Apr 24, 2010
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Boris Goodenough said:
Here's an idea, make the children bicycle to school, problem solved.
I laughted when I read this. Its not that I don't think its a good idea. Its just the only way to get to my school either involves going over a pretty big hill, or using a very narrow, verry windy road that has no shoulder and many blind turns. If I managed to survive it'd still take me an hour.
 

Boris Goodenough

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Jul 15, 2009
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triggrhappy94 said:
I laughted when I read this. Its not that I don't think its a good idea. Its just the only way to get to my school either involves going over a pretty big hill, or using a very narrow, verry windy road that has no shoulder and many blind turns. If I managed to survive it'd still take me an hour.
And at that point you'd have the body of a special forces soldier!
 

Moonlight Butterfly

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Mar 16, 2011
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I hated PE at school and not because of the exercise, because of the bullies. There is nothing worse than PE than to give them a chance to physically assault you and of course the teachers ignore it. Gave it up as soon as I was able.
 

zehydra

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Oct 25, 2009
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Hong Meiling said:
There should be a mandatory TWO credits in PE. Hell, you should do some PE at home even!

A strong body leads to a strong mind!
No? Having a strong body has absolutely nothing to do with having a "strong" mind.
 

imperialwar

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Jun 17, 2008
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Biosophilogical said:
neonsword13-ops said:
Canid117 said:
You picked what sounds like weight training to avoid the "Neanderthals?" Thats the class where the football coach is the teacher and half the class is going to be his player maintaining their build. Way to go buddy. I guess you deserve it though for being so dismissive and smug towards others.
Yeah, i'm a nice guy. ^-^
But wouldn't endurance training be cardio stuff? Like running, swimming, cycling, etc? Because muscle building isn't endurance, it is resistance.

OT: I think that maybe in the first year of high school, it should be mandatory, because most people wouldn't have picked their own classes before, so it is a way to make sur everyone gets to sample a bit of everything before they go deciding their future.
You are right, Cardio and that are used in endurance, but any serious endurance athlete also still includes some resistance training in their program. Plus you can use rapid resistance training ( light weights, lots of reps done relatively quickly with little to no break in between ) as a cardio event.
 

War Penguin

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Jun 13, 2009
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Kids aren't going to go out of their way to get some fresh air and exercise. I hate to say it, but it kinda has to be forced on them. I didn't like it, myself, but I took comfort in knowing that I wasn't in my stuffy bedroom all day, away from the sun.
 

NightHawk21

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PE is mandatory, because that's the way the school and the government want it. Don't like it, well honestly tough shit your pretty much screwed than, because you need a PE credit to get a high school diploma in just about every school. That being said you could learn to enjoy it and not ***** about it for the half/ full year you have to take it, who knows might be fun (was for me and I don't typically play sports). Besides what the worst that could happen? You spend an hour playing dodgeball instead of sitting on your ass at a computer desk on msn or facebook.

GrimTuesday said:
PE is so that you're getting some semblance of exercise, otherwise you're just sitting all day, which isn't enjoyable.

I took weight training all throughout high school, although it wasn't required. I really like lifting weights, and having that hour everyday, did wonders for my lift maxes. I really like to lift until I can't use the muscle group that I was working (obviously you don't want to totally burn out your legs), losing the abilty to write due to exasution is a really weird but cool feeling.
Lol, ya definitely not a good idea to work your legs to exhausting. I'm a big guy so I can push a bit of weight, so when we went to the weight room for PE one class and a couple of guys decided to have a leg press weight contest I threw my hat in. Beat every one out going to quite high (well in excess of 800 lb) and decided to keep doing that for bout another 10-20 min. Lets just say that after that walking to the change room and getting to my next class was interesting.
 

TehCookie

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Sep 16, 2008
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I found PE to be pointless, unless it's point was to waste time and annoy me. All it was at my school was weight training and sports. If it truly is for exorcise, why can't I do it in a manner I find fun? I enjoy swimming, biking, hiking, and climbing on anything scalable but there is nothing like that in PE. The only think I found remotely enjoyable in PE was pissing off the jocks.
 

The Mehster

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Mar 14, 2010
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I absolutely hate the idea of mandatory Phys Ed. My HPW class was complete ass, it was 3 weeks of doing basketball and the pacer (The dumbest test ever.) and then 3 weeks of 'Don't have sex, kiddos.' It was that on and off for a whole semester. And I absolutely hated the guys I was forced to take my pants off near in the locker room(I.E. Yeah dude, I totally smoked two thousand bowls yeah bro let's make the guy near us very uncomfortable I had sex with that chick bro etc etc.) And even the morbidly obese girls in my class didn't do a damn thing without special ed. teachers persuading them to move their asses. The amount of credits needed is absurd(4 semesters). I don't know what my school district thinks, but I have different interests (French, A+ cert, CISCO, and Orchy) from PE.
 

justnotcricket

Echappe, retire, sous sus PANIC!
Apr 24, 2008
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I was never very 'good' at P.E. because I live in NZ and that means a *lot* of rugby and cricket, two sports I loathe as both a spectator and a participant. =P

However, I had nice P.E. teachers, who actually made an effort to engage the class with the sport - like letting us do tackle practice instead of just 'playing' touch rugby or something.

My favourites were swimming and gymnastics, which were two sports I actually did in my free time.

But I digress.

The point is, P.E. is the school's way of encouraging physical fitness, just as schools try in the rest of the curriculum to foster academic and social fitness. How successful they are at any of these things varies wildly from school to school and teacher to teacher, but that's the general idea.
 

imperialwar

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Jun 17, 2008
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NightHawk21 said:
PE is mandatory, because that's the way the school and the government want it. Don't like it, well honestly tough shit your pretty much screwed than, because you need a PE credit to get a high school diploma in just about every school. That being said you could learn to enjoy it and not ***** about it for the half/ full year you have to take it, who knows might be fun (was for me and I don't typically play sports). Besides what the worst that could happen? You spend an hour playing dodgeball instead of sitting on your ass at a computer desk on msn or facebook.

GrimTuesday said:
PE is so that you're getting some semblance of exercise, otherwise you're just sitting all day, which isn't enjoyable.

I took weight training all throughout high school, although it wasn't required. I really like lifting weights, and having that hour everyday, did wonders for my lift maxes. I really like to lift until I can't use the muscle group that I was working (obviously you don't want to totally burn out your legs), losing the abilty to write due to exasution is a really weird but cool feeling.
Lol, ya definitely not a good idea to work your legs to exhausting. I'm a big guy so I can push a bit of weight, so when we went to the weight room for PE one class and a couple of guys decided to have a leg press weight contest I threw my hat in. Beat every one out going to quite high (well in excess of 800 lb) and decided to keep doing that for bout another 10-20 min. Lets just say that after that walking to the change room and getting to my next class was interesting.
You in university friend ? an adolescent pushing over 800lbs runs the risk of destroying his / her growth plates and doing serious harm to the hips, knees, ankles and lower back. Especially for the length of time you claimed to be doing it.
 

Sullo

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Jun 27, 2011
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Joining the club of the people who LOVE Phys Ed. Usually, I have to bike or walk to school, depending on season, so that gives me at least 30 mins of exercise per day. That, and for some reason, the other people in my class seem to love it too. I mean, I used to do nothing in Phys Ed, and now I'm just plain bored of doing nothing for so long. So I apply myself to each class, and sometimes I surprise myself with what I can accomplish.

That, and the teachers are hilarious.
 

JustJuust

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Mar 31, 2011
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well you're a bit of a snob... by that I mean that you're a complete dick by the way you just dismiss people that enjoy PE as neanderthals who do steroids and impregnate girls (wtf kind of behavior is that?). Are people mean to you at school? Instead of just thinking that they hate you because you're soooo much better than them, maybe stop being an ass?
 

unicron44

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Oct 12, 2010
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The thing about P.E. at my high school is that the teachers really don't care. Expect for two that I can think of (there are at least 8 teachers because a lot of kids go to my high school) all of them seem like the typical gym teacher who was a former athlete in high school or college who couldn't do anything better and just collect a pay check. They never give a damn so neither do the kids.

Basically all the classes are "run around the track" fitness classes and it's just boring. They started offering classes like ultimate frisbee and soccer, so that is a step in the right direction.

I'd rather have gym like my dad had when he was in high school. He said it was called "Fitness for Life" or something along those lines where they taught you things that you do to make you healthy like jumping rope, going for walks, push ups, sit ups, etc. Make it so kids don't feel obligated and will want to do it on their own time.
 

trollnystan

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Dec 27, 2010
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I hated P.E., I'll just admit that right now. But it should still be mandatory in school. Kids have to sit still too much in school as it is, they need a chance to move about a bit. Teenagers need it too; girls especially tend to become sedentary in their teens.