The dreaded year of required physical education wouldn’t be such an annoyance if the P.E. department added a few more options to gym class. Students who play soccer and basketball or run seriously can take specialty gym classes that suit their interests. But for those who are passionate about other physical activities, P.E. options are limited. The department should offer yoga, dance or aerobics as optional physical education credits so that students can pursue activities they enjoy.
Yoga, dance and aerobics all require about as much physical activity as any of the other classes offered, including specialty soccer, basketball, personal fitness and weightlifting, said Stephanie Withers, a gym teacher at Northwest, where dance courses are available for students.
Offering these classes could increase female participation and therefore increase their workouts. Gym teachers say that in general P.E. classes, girls are less likely to fully participate in all activities because they don’t like the sports in the curriculum. If a dance, aerobics or yoga class was offered, they believe girls would be more willing to participate and enjoy their gym class.
Five other Montgomery County schools have already begun to offer alternatives that fulfill the one P.E. credit necessary for graduation. At Northwest High School, two segments of dance are offered, one in each semester. Throughout the year, students learn tap, jazz, hip hop, ballet, modern, lyrical and cultural dance. Each class has an enrollment of about 36 students.
Walter Johnson also offered dance this year and had an enrollment of 70 students (35 in each class), said Rodney Fry, the head of the physical education department at Walter Johnson. A yoga class was created ten years ago to appeal to female upperclassmen, but many boys have since enrolled in the class.
The budget is the only obstacle keeping Whitman from offering these courses. Yoga would cost a one-time payment of $1,000 for equipment, but hiring a certified instructor would add several thousand dollars to the budget, which the school can’t afford right now, P.E. resource teacher Nancy Kull said.
Despite the cost, gym teachers at Walter Johnson and Northwest say that the class was worth the extra money because participation has increased, the whole point of adding the class. These classes wouldn’t have issues with popularity because more students sign up for specialty classes than general P.E.; 85 more students are currently enrolled in specialty classes than in general P.E. classes.
Adding dance, yoga or aerobics would create fun alternatives to gym while combating America’s growing obesity problem.
Irrelevant • Mar 11, 2011 at 12:35 pm
Nice job Maryam! Well written and well supported.