I often find myself thinking about phys ed class while I'm out exercising. I graduated from HS over 15yrs ago, but I can really remember the impact that my gym teachers had when I was in grade school: which was NOTHING! It infuriates me to think about it.
I wasn't the sportiest kid, not everybody has that naturally or confidently. But I wasn't a lost cause and none of my grade school gym teachers ever took the time to find out what I was capable of. Oh sure, they all flock and fawn over the natural athletes, the kids that love to play ball, the kids that can magicially do pull-ups (as if a 10yr old is pumpin iron on his off time and deserves a trophy for a pull up versus a 10yr old who can't do one). They love the students who run the whole mile, or the student that's not afraid of the ball.
But what about me? Do you think I WANTED to give up running the mile? Do you think I didn't WANT to do a pull-up? Might you have encouraged me and shown me how to do it rather than give me a failing grade, turn your back and focus on the sporty kids? Maybe you shouldn't have let team captains choose their teams, maybe you should have assigned teams and TAUGHT everyone how to participate because it didn't feel good to get picked last every single time... couldn't you see that? Every year it got worse... my "can't do" attitude got worse and worse and no teacher ever cared to said TRY.
I don't know where I'm going with this, all I remember is a series of fat gym teachers who were buddy buddy with some kids and ignored me and others like me. I am a teacher myself and I go out of my way to engage students regardless of their abilities. If you're in my class you get as much attention as anyone else, and evenmore so when I don't see you pushing yourself.
Now that I've started exercising I've become my own gym teacher, pushing myself, demanded the extra effort, working through the pain. And you know what, I'm pretty athletic after all!
I had the same experiences in gym class..there are those kids that are just natural athletes and excel in sports..and gym teachers DO tend to flock to those kids..and it makes us that are stuck on the "sidelines" feel inadequate. It's really a shame, because maybe with a little encouragement we could have excelled in athletics as well and not been in this position...gym class should be all about teaching healthy habits, team work, and exercise for life..unfortunately a lot of gym teachers are so biased against anyone who isn't sporty that they neglect the other kids. It's a shame.
It was the same for me, but at the time I wanted nothing more than to be left alone in gym. It was mostly embarrassing because I couldn't do what other kids my age could. I guess now that I think of it I do feel differently, like I would have wanted the coach to help me.. but it probably would've only made me upset at the time.
Something else that comes up with me is when I was in the 8th grade, I wanted to join the volleyball team (I really love it and of course was hoping it would help me lose weight). The school I went to was smaller but has really, REALLY good teams in every sport, boys & girls. All the girls on the vball team had been playing together since they were little. I registered for the class & on the first day of school I walked into the gym and saw all the other girls already dressed out and playing. I had no idea what to do, so I just sat on the bleachers and waited for the coaches to come in.
When they did, they said NOTHING to me. I felt invisible! :/ So I walked up to them, and they proceeded to convince me to get OUT of the class, because I'd never played on a team before (I'd been taking lessons over the summer to try and help me get ready) and for whatever other reasons they had. I mean, I was already over 200 lbs by then, so I can only assume that had something to do with it. It hurt my feelings so much! I eventually transferred to another school... but I don't think it was right that they didn't even give me a chance!
I have always found it odd that in Maths or English or other subjects if you are struggling it is brought to the attention of your parents, there are remedial classes and programmes etc. In PE there is nothing. If you are struggling no one will even mention it to you, except on your report and even then no one really cares.
I remember very clearly hating the cross country. I actually told my PE teacher this and that it was because I didnt think I would do well. She said to me "well aim for a C and get a D". O_o Why would you tell a student to expect to fail?
Last week I ran 10.55km in 1 hour 16 mins. So my old PE teachers can put that in their pipe and smoke it. Aim for a C and get a D my ***!
Now that I have daughters who participate in sports, I am acutely aware of what I missed out on. I didn't know that half of this stuff was available. Lifting weights? Would not have even been on my radar. PE was done in summer school to get it over with ASAP. There was no opportunity in my childhood for the joy or competition of sports.
I was gypped.
But I was also gypped out of a sane/safe/healthy/happy childhood, so that's just one more piece of loss.
But just like it is never too late to have a happy childhood, it is never too late to embrace your inner athlete. I never learned how to lift weights, so now I'm learning. I was never competitive--well, I've run a handful of races. I think it would be fun to play volleyball in an adult league....maybe I'll sign up.
I'm not sure that PE class was ever given the credit that it deserved. I know that it was mandatory when I was a kid, and that a D in PE was differently viewed than a D in Math or English. I know that not many career paths stemmed from PE directly and the PE wasn't a prerequisite for any university or college degree paths other than Education (Phys Ed) paths.
I know that PE wasn't mandatory after grade 10 in any event and that the first costs to be saved at most schools was in the PE and inter/intramural sports programs.
I know that parents who were told about their kids unathleticism really didn't care too much, but if they were told their kids had problems reading help was made available, probably because of the future employability/educational impact reading/math difficulties would have.
And I remember that when I was a kid, PE wasn't the only forum in which kids exercised. All us kids walked to school (gasp) even in the winter (double gasp), biked unsupervised around our neighborhoods (unheard of today!), and generally were kicked outside to play when we got bored and unruly inside. No sitting infront of the Xbox for us, because they just didn't exist.
It was the same for me, but at the time I wanted nothing more than to be left alone in gym. It was mostly embarrassing because I couldn't do what other kids my age could. I guess now that I think of it I do feel differently, like I would have wanted the coach to help me.. but it probably would've only made me upset at the time.
I've thought about this myself because I do recall feeling disconnected and uninterested in participating in gym class. But I don't think that had anything to do with my character, I think it was a defense I built up after being ridiculed or ignored. I didn't want to try because I was afraid of the consequences of failing... plus there didn't seem to be any expectations.
Aside from gym I can recall times when I didn't care about my classes so much, but I distinctly remember that I didn't care because I didn't understand those lessons or I felt lost or confused about those subjects. It was much easier to pretend like I didn't care, it was a better excuse for failing than "I didn't get it."
Well, not much can be said for our educational system. Its hard to respect an institution that values a teachers popularity amongst their peers over how good of a teacher they actually are (aka the tenure system).
Not sure where you're located but the tenure system is not based on a teacher's popularity amongst their peers. It has nothing to do with peers actually. In most states tenure is based on years spent in the system and educational qualifications.
I do agree though that gym plays too small of a role in the educational system.
When I was in middle school, the gym teacher gave out nail polish to the girls and left us alone. It was single-sex gym class so I have no idea what boys did.
When I was in high school, my gym teacher (I hung onto this guy for dear life because I loved his classes so much) worked every student to the best of his or her ability, graded on improvement from your beginning-of-the-year levels, and he is a wonderful, wonderful man who deserves all sorts of awards.
My middle brother is currently in a phys ed teacher program and will be graduating next year (I think). He will be a great teacher so at least there will be one. Well, two if my HS teacher hasn't retired!
I didn't have this experience in gym class, but in math class. Teachers (generally, and in my own experience) tend to be excited about and push those that seem to be naturals, whether they be athletes, or seemingly smarter or more vocal on a given subject.
It is the rare teacher that takes the time to cultivate a real love for learning in their students and helps them be the best they can be.
I had the same experience with mathematics until I had a teacher my sophomore year in high school who truly cared about his students. This changed my life and put me on the road to a career in mathematics. If you had asked me a few years ago if I could envision myself as a math major I would have laughed! It is just amazing what a good teacher can do!
I had similar experiences in PE. I think also because I was "no good" at sports, clumsy, not really athletic at all. I honestly think if someone would have given a crap that *maybe* I wouldn't have disbelieved in myself physically as much as I have the last 25+ years. And these feelings of inadequacy come back often - I remember when I was running Week 5 of the C25K program back in June and I couldn't run for very long for some reason, I just broke down and cried. I had the same feeling then that I had when I was in school. That I was no good. That I would NEVER be sporty. That maybe I should just give up and do something else. All I wanted was to do something physically and be GOOD at it.
There were times in school that I tried out for sports, WANTING to be part of a team or a group and I honesly think I was purposely shown the way off the team. I remember like it was yesterday getting tripped, HARD, whilst playing volleyball, being made fun of on track & field, getting a basketball in my face so hard that it sent my glasses flying in two different directions.
Maybe things have changed, but this is how it was when I was a kid (and I'm 41 now) and teenager and yes I'm still a bit bitter about it (my parents also did NOTHING to encourage me, though my brother was encouraged because he seemed to have a talent at sports. typical!!).
Now when I run or do other things I am really thinking "HA! screw all of you who didn't believe!" and if that's what keeps me pumping away then so be it!!
My highschool was a complete joke. If you weren't in a certain group of people, you didn't get a proper education. In tenth grade I wasn't allowed to take Spanish 3. And all of my classes were ridiculously easy compared to the 'college bound' students' classes. Just because my parents couldn't pay my way in to college didn't mean that I didn't deserve a good education! rar!
And don't even get me started on my gym class! The boys got to play basketball, soccer, lacrosse, etc. The girls, stacked cups, jumped rope, square danced, and watched videos on stretching. RIDICULOUS!
With the crappy quality of most schools out there, I'm seriously considering home schooling when we decide to have kids. I wish that I could have gone to a better school and gotten a much better education instead of being stuck in the shadows of all the popular kids. I could have learned so much more, been more if only someone would have given me the push....
ETA: and on the Math subject, I'm not a natural at math by any means. I've always struggled with math. But I had a teacher in 9th grade who made it fun to learn algebra and I actually understood it and did well! The next year, I had geometry and when I went to the teacher and explained how I was struggling and didn't understand he told me to 'get put in an easier math class' which was another joke class where the problems were 'whats one plus one.' So in highchool, I never went past pre algebra because the teacher's just didn't care.
I've thought about this myself because I do recall feeling disconnected and uninterested in participating in gym class. But I don't think that had anything to do with my character, I think it was a defense I built up after being ridiculed or ignored. I didn't want to try because I was afraid of the consequences of failing... plus there didn't seem to be any expectations.
My gym teacher forcefed me cupcakes and huge plates of pasta. Even after I graduated from high school, she kept coming to my house every day and making me eat enormous portions of everything, including entire boxes of cookies in one sitting sometimes. She also refused to let me exercise, and would actually sit on top of me and pin me to the couch if I so much as tried to take a walk. If I tried to protest, to eat a healthy salad or to stop eating when I was no longer hungry, she only redoubled her efforts and made me eat two enormous meals instead of one.
It's amazing, but she has continued to do this every day for the twenty-five years since I finished high school. And that is why I blame my gym teacher for making me fat.
My gym teacher forcefed me cupcakes and huge plates of pasta. Even after I graduated from high school, she kept coming to my house every day and making me eat enormous portions of everything, including entire boxes of cookies in one sitting sometimes. She also refused to let me exercise, and would actually sit on top of me and pin me to the couch if I so much as tried to take a walk. If I tried to protest, to eat a healthy salad or to stop eating when I was no longer hungry, she only redoubled her efforts and made me eat two enormous meals instead of one.
It's amazing, but she has continued to do this every day for the twenty-five years since I finished high school. And that is why I blame my gym teacher for making me fat.
Not sure where this is coming from, but it sounds a bit sarcastic to me as if we who have experienced such a thing from gym teachers are looking for someone to blame other than ourselves. Let me assure you that an ED is something I have struggled with all my life, I take full responsibility for it and am learning to cope with it through therapy and my own determination. But this said there are many instances in our lives when grown-ups could have helped, especially fitness teachers who should have helped. There are many adults out there that don't know how to foster more than one kind of student and play a part in ruining someone's self-esteem. Sometimes a kid is not equipped emotionally to ignore, stand up for him/herself, or say the right thing back. It would be different now if someone tried to put me down, I am better able to handle someone's criticism. But back then I did whatever I could to survive, I developed coping mechanisms (like eating, holding my feelings in) that didn't work out to my best advantage in the longrun and that is now being set straight.
I blame my gym teachers
