An unnecessary requirement
High school students are forced to take gym class as a mandatory course
When starting high school, students are given so much freedom in choosing courses, shaping their future, and following their hand-crafted path… or maybe not.
The idea of choosing one’s courses is slightly exaggerated, as many courses, including English and math, are mandatory. Regardless, students should have approximately four courses to play with, until they bring into account CEO and another class of physical education.
After already spending nine years in gym class, and approximately four years in health, physical education has been severely over-taught. The class lacks interest to many students who are looking to pursue sciences or the arts, but struggle with phys. ed. taking up their valuable and limited course space, especially considering that phys. ed. is not a requirement for most university programs.
Health and wellness education is important in itself, but after nine years, students most likely understand that “greasy food isn’t healthy”, and “counting cubes is important”. Another year of the same mantras won’t teach them anything they don’t already know. If they want fries for lunch, they will get fries. There isn’t a “salt is bad for you” speech that will stop them.
“Phys. ed. being mandatory makes sure that students are getting enough exercise,” is a frequent argument; however, that brings the rebuttal, “why isn’t this exercise required in all grades?”
A class that isn’t important enough for the older students to take can’t be necessary for tenth graders to endure.
A Bluefield student, Emily Frank, shared her opinions on the matter. She stated that gym took away from students getting to make their own decisions in relation to courses, and as for a “wellness” class, it was more exercise oriented. She recalled from her experience in the class that, “they did touch on mental health awareness, a little bit, but they went about doing things in ways that could be harmful. We had a project where we had to count our calories that we were eating. You’re making fourteen, fifteen year old girls do that, which is dangerous because it makes some kids scared to eat and that can cause eating disorders.” This isn’t healthy to teach students. She also explains that phys. ed. was more sports centered than anything else, bringing light to the fact that “not every student does well in sports. It’s not fair for them to have a mandatory course where they’re obviously not going to do well.”