What is everyone's opinion on gym class -- should it simply be an elective in high school, or should it be required. Where I live, it is required that I take gym every year of my high school career with the exception of senior year. And I HATE it! I believe it should be an elective because for many, gym class is not a good experience because, for example, someone may not be good at sports and get made fun of if they so much as not catch the kickball headed in their direction. For me, gym has been humiliating because I suck at all sports except for basketball, which we never play. I don't know....what do you all think? :happyface :happyface :happyface

yes, I think that P/E should be required unless certain circumstances....like they have an injury or something....but like it is a nice break from our regular classes and I personally think that it is fun, but it seems like I am the only one and also for the people who do not play sports, it gives them so fitness and keeps people who are in between sports seasons some exersize before tryouts and stuff...

It should be an elective because then people wouldn't complain so much about it! Half of the people in gym hate it and the other half like it. Why make people do stuff they hate that will get them NO WHERE in life. I know being healthy is important but you don't need gym class to stay healthy. You can exercise on your own. Thankfully this is my last year of gym ever. I only have about six more days left of gym this year then its over FOREVER!!! I'm glad we only have to take gym freshmen year of high school here.

*Shrugs * I dont care. LOL! It's required in Elementay School and Middle School and than in High School all we need is two years. So in High Schools it's like a elective.. *shrugs* Geez, I have no clue what Im talking about lol.

In elementary and middle school I think it should be required. Gym class isn't just playing sports but it also teaches that you need to excercise regularly and be healthy. At a young age kids need to be taught that. But when you're in high school I think it should be an elective because you already know about staying healthy plus you probably exercise on your own.

I think that p.e. should be a normal class. Some people don't do anything but sit around all day, so p.e. is they only way they excersise. Plus, it's only going to help you later on in your life.

gym class shud be required
b/c it helps u. i like it! my fav-
orite thing we do is when we
climb the rope. lol. seriously.!

well, next year's my last year of pe, you only need 2 in hs. but i think it should be a requirement. it'll help keep us in shape and avoid major health problems later on in life. doesn't matter if you have an injury. there's a special pe class for people who have knee problems, or certain injuries that last longer than a while. so that's good. have you noticed the ppl who complain about running so much are the ones that are always trying new diets and saying they're fat and need to loose 5 lbs..? :)

I totally despise gym....so i dont think it should be a requirement when you're in high school. however, i do think you need when you are younger to help you keep in shape (even tho it neva helped me but w/e). When you're really young i think you need it because you're not exactly sure how to handle your body. but when you're in high school, i dont think its necessary. What we choose to do with our bodies and athletic abilities is completely our choice. In my school, you need all 4 years of gym to get a diploma. And if you fail a semester of gym, you HAFTA make it up or else you won't graduate. And now it costs money to make it up (it used to be free). It would cost about $250 to make up one semester of gym. I can see the good points in taking physical education course but I just dont see why its a stupid requirement.

im sorry but...how does one exactly fail gym? I mean the lowest I ever got was an A- one term....and that was in middle school...I still trying to figure that one out...i got really pissed and asked my teacher bout it....blah....okay so I am one of those people who get really competive....hheehe

Originally posted by hockeybabe528
im sorry but...how does one exactly fail gym? I mean the lowest I ever got was an A- one term....and that was in middle school...I still trying to figure that one out...i got really pissed and asked my teacher bout it....blah....okay so I am one of those people who get really competive....hheehe

Don't dress you'll get a lower grade each time. Don't swim and you get a whole letter grade lowered for each time. I always dress and swim though. As long as you dress everyday at my school you get an A.

Originally posted by tootieismyfav


Don't dress you'll get a lower grade each time. Don't swim and you get a whole letter grade lowered for each time. I always dress and swim though. As long as you dress everyday at my school you get an A.

Same here. Except I never swim.




























We don't have a pool.
:D

I think it should be required. There are far too many children these days who are unfit and overweight because they refuse to excercise. For many school kids, gym class is the only excercise they get so it would be stupid to make it optional. If it were optional the only kids who'd take it would be the athletic ones and all the lard-asses would just sit around and get no excercise at all!
In Britain gym class is required in primary school (that's when you're between the age of 5 and 12) and it's also required in the first 4 years of high school. I think this is perfectly reasonable. I think it's ok that you don't have to take gym in your final 2 years. I didn't take it then because I had so much work to do in my other subjects.
Gym class can, and does, suck. I was awful at swimming and almost drowned on several occasions and I was always the last to get picked in netball and basketball. I hated gym with a passion but I guess it's just one of those necesary evils.

i think it should be an elective. i, personally, despise gym. my class is too competitive -sheesh its just another class!

Originally posted by Mossopp
I think it should be required. There are far too many children these days who are unfit and overweight because they refuse to excercise. For many school kids, gym class is the only excercise they get so it would be stupid to make it optional. If it were optional the only kids who'd take it would be the athletic ones and all the lard-asses would just sit around and get no excercise at all!



ok...i'm not trying to start a fight and if it does end up in a fight then oh well but i have to say this:

First off... a person's weight gain is not always due to lack of exercise. It can be caused by a chemical imbalance, it could be hereditary, or that person could even have medical problem. A person may have a medical problem where they must take certain medications to control that problem. Some of these medications may cause you to gain weight. That medical problem may cause you to stay in a hospital for periods of time as well. Also, a medical problem may not permit you to do certain things, such as: play sports, run, etc.
Like I said before, weight gain can be hereditary. When it is passed down from parent to child, it cannot be helped. You cant change what genes you have.


I am telling you all of this from experience. I have a serious case of asthma. I've had it all of my life. This medical problem doesnt allow me to do a lot of things. I have gained weight throughout my whole life. I did not gain weight because I wanted to or because of lack of exercise. I have a medical problem that doesnt allow me to do what everybody else can. Although I am not extremely overweight, I feel sympathy for those who are and have medical disadvantages like I do.

I think you need to be a bit more sensitive to those at the message board and everywhere else who may have a disability or medical disadvantage.

Originally posted by Mossopp
I think it should be required. There are far too many children these days who are unfit and overweight because they refuse to excercise. For many school kids, gym class is the only excercise they get so it would be stupid to make it optional. If it were optional the only kids who'd take it would be the athletic ones and all the lard-asses would just sit around and get no excercise at all!
In Britain gym class is required in primary school (that's when you're between the age of 5 and 12) and it's also required in the first 4 years of high school. I think this is perfectly reasonable. I think it's ok that you don't have to take gym in your final 2 years. I didn't take it then because I had so much work to do in my other subjects.
Gym class can, and does, suck. I was awful at swimming and almost drowned on several occasions and I was always the last to get picked in netball and basketball. I hated gym with a passion but I guess it's just one of those necesary evils.

I never liked gym. It wasnt because I refused to exercise, it's becuase gym class is just a class for people to get made fun of. Gym teachers don't care if others make fun of you. Kids shouldn't have to go through humiliation because they can't catch a stupid ball. That is why a lot of kids don't like gym class. They don't like it because they just get made fun of, not because they're a lazy lard ass.

Originally posted by hockeybabe528
im sorry but...how does one exactly fail gym? I mean the lowest I ever got was an A- one term....and that was in middle school...I still trying to figure that one out...i got really pissed and asked my teacher bout it....blah....okay so I am one of those people who get really competive....hheehe

a lot of the guys don't shower. once my teacher gave me a d by mistake. she said it might teach me a lesson, god i hated her. a d. a d. a d. i've never had a d. a c, yes, d, no....

I think an apology - or at least an explanation - is in order.
A couple of people have taken offence at my "lard ass" comment and I should probably straighten things out.
I wasn't suggesting that everyone who dislikes gym class is lazy. Hell, I hated gym class myself when I was at school. I know that some people find sports and stuff like that hard because of illness and, if that is the case with any of you, then I am very sorry. What I was trying to get accross is that there are a lot of kids out there who dislike gym because they are lazy and would much rather sit around playing Playstation and eating junk food than get outside in the fresh air and get some much-needed excercise. For these kids, gym class is more than likely the only excercise they ever get. If they were given the option of not taking gym class, they would therefor get no excercise whatsoever and this certainly wouldn't help Americas problem with obesity among it's population.
I guess calling folks "lard-asses" is pretty insensitive and I'm sorry if I caused offence. I should have worded my earlier post a bit better.
Mossopp
x x x

The goal of physical education teachers should be to educate kids about fitness and how to maintain fitness throughout their lives. Sports activities, although fun for some are not for others and are only one method of maintaining fitness. As people grow older and, for most, clutsier playing at sports becomes less and less the prefered method of excercise used for the sake of fitness. Learning how to eat right and excercise regularly, and kind of actually enjoying it, begins at an early age and ends right around death. The methods used in physical education classes in schools probably need revamping but PE should be a reqirement because physical education is a requirement for a healthy life. The percentage of kids who are physically fit continues to decline, and adults grumble about the battle of the bulge constantly. We'd do well to admit that we don't have the route to physical fitness all figured out. So we should just keep trying and not whine about it, too much, along the way.