When I was growing up Elementary School P.E. coaches were certified teachers with the same educational requirements and payscale as classroom teachers.  At some point after 1982 P.E. coaches were thrown into the classroom and replaced with near minimum wage workers who would man the playgrounds.  I like to file this under “You get what you pay for” rule of thumb.  Next time you drive by an elementary school playground during school hours I’ll bet you can find a 30-on-30 kickball game with no adult in sight.

In the district I teach in our local junior high P.E. program is unbelievable!  They have homework, learn to juggle and perform akido.  I believe this should be the purpose of P.E., to create a well rounded individual.  I love the idea of exposed kids to physical activities that they would not normally be exposed to.  I think every campus should also have a putting green.  Expose the kids to as many physical experiences as possible and see what sticks.  Pool tables, ping pong tables, air hockey, dance dance revolution, shuffleboard, lawn bowling, these are all examples of things that schools can expose the kids to in school.

Some people think that our P.E. programs are responsible for fighting the child obesity problems in the U.S. but I do not.  P.E. is usually about 50 minutes and if you expect kids to break a sweat then they have to change into and out of gym clothes which usually eats up at least 15 minutes.  That 35 minutes of P.E. can not compete with the 6 hours that these kids will probably spend on the couch eating cheetos and playing video games.

Florida law now states that elementary schools are to provide 30 minutes of continuous exercise daily for their students.

Some P.E. programs include stretching, yoga and pilates. This also gives non-athletic students the feeling they can excell at a physical activity. It also provides the athletes with the stretching techniques to prevent injuries, as well as promoting balance and flexiblility. These activities can also calm the mind and can lead to academic benefits as well.

Many gym classes today are focused on competitive sports that for many kids, are not interesting. There are always too few winners and too many losers.  I would like to see P.E. courses only have competitions on Friday, the rest of the week should be able skill and confidence building.