Aspies For Freedom

i think just make the fat kids take PE, because i dont think i should have to waste more class periods taking gym class.

I agree with you on this.

Tim

i was bullied in pe class in middle school, so much that i hid out in algebra class in sixth grade instead of putting up with the mostly older kids in pe class that always bullied me for being different than them.  i wish that there was a bit more anti-bullying measures in pe class though, because i wasn't really happy in pe.  but yeah, we need more physical workouts for kids as it is pretty much gone now, and i personally don't think there's anything wrong with eating an oreo cookie once in a while if you eat right the rest of the time.

Our beloved President Bush's absurdly named "No Child Left behind" laws are making it increasingly difficult for schools to provide any flexibility on requirements. Its iron-clad 'one size fits all" approach to education may be fine for 20% of the kids in the middle, but for any of the 80% who need something different, it's a disaster.

This is a really interesting thread.  Having such a wonderful PE teacher at my children's elementary school, I had forgotten how PE is most everywhere else.  Many of you have accurately described the "not-so-positive" experiences I had with the "subject" growing up.

What you aren't factoring in is the simple fact that most parents (NT, I guess) WANT PE in the schools.  And many teachers do, as well.  Children who run off a little steam in physical activity focus better on their studies, and have more energy.  Now, that may be NT children and not Aspie children, but that is where the push for the return of PE comes from.  It isn't just about obesity; it is about the connection studies have shown between being active, and being a good student.

My son hasn't had an issue with the PE he has been getting at school, but it's only once a week and, as I said, the teacher is wonderful.  She is hired and paid for by the PTA, not the the school district, and her focus has been on skill and fitness building activities, not on organized sports and games.  The kids do all sorts of unusual things that are challenging and new to all the kids, not just to the non-athletic ones.  I've seen them do balancing exercises, navigate by hands then just by feet on these go-cart like things, juggle, and so on.  Most of the stuff comes from a sports philosophy about using activity to increase brain connections, and our PTA has purchased a lot of specialized equipment designed by a company pushing that philosophy.  Whether it is valid or not doesn't really matter, I guess; what I see is all the kids at the school really enjoying PE.  And that includes my very non-athletic son.

So ... if PE was taught by more of these non-traditional teachers, it might not be such a bad thing.  But if it's going to be something that emphasizes competitive sports, I'm with the rest of you:  it's not a positive class.

If you live in american, learn english. If i go to any other country they aren't going to speak english for me. I think anyone who can't speak proper english should take speech classes, no matter what race. (personally for me, race is a non factor). I had to take speech class in elementary school. Now my speech is fine. So should everyone else that can't speak well, especially illegal immigrants! It bugs the hell out of me that they can come in, illegally, and then we have to change all of our labels to spanish to accommodate them.

Gym class is a pure waste of time for me. I get plenty of physical activity nearly everyday. Why should I be required to take gym? I would rather have that class period be put to good use by taking other required courses. If gym MUST be required, I think it should only be required for people who NEED it.

In 5th/6th grade, our PE would sometimes be for competitive sports, but they were new, invented games that had rules I weren't familiar with, and I take such a long time to learn new rules to new things. The other half the time we did those alternative type activities such as taking turns pulling each other on these plastic carts with a rope attached at the end.

I hated them. I love exercise, and have loads of energy, but I was at a clear disadvantage to my peers for reasons of the rules and the bullying. The way my schools have usually dealt with bullying during recess and PE has been by excluding me from it. I would gladly run laps for the hour, and one time when I used a sick note to get out of PE, I spent the time running laps. Although I also have had some unhealthy eating, this widely disparate lack of exercise, I believe has exacerbated problems relating to weight and coordination.

I think PE should offer more opportunities. If someone objects to an activity, not because of the athletic value but because of the nature of the activity, there should be alternatives available, like running laps, or a combination of running and walking. Other things, too, but I'm low in energy now.

Now I am in taekwondo for PE, and this is one of the first real PE experiences for me to have on a regular basis. Even in 7th and 8th grade I didn't have PE because of the bullying, and this was easier than to actually punish anyone or anything.

everyone dies eventually.

I have heard that if someone is thin but eats junk food or doesn't much exercise, then they are more at risk of disease than someone who's overweight but who exercises.

but why should already healthy people have to take gym class if they already do enough physical activity and eat healthy? I have soccer practice nearly EVERYDAY and I usually have 3 balanced meals a day, thus it is very distressing for someone like myself to waste credits on gym class.

And some people's natural weight is a hundred something pounds.

I agree that I shouldn't of said "fat people" I should have used the term "morbidly obese" Because slightly overweight people can be healthy, such as one of my best friends. She has hypothyroid, eats as good and exercises just as much, so she shouldn't have to gym class either. But I still think morbidly obese people should, Im sorry, there is nothing healthy about morbid obesity.

You say I act like being thin gives me a pass... you are sadly mistaken. Hypothyroidism runs in my family so I watch what I eat and exercise nearly everyday outside of school. So if you can say that about me, can I say that you being fat gives you a pass to hate skinny people?!

You say you're fat and healthy, yet in the next paragraph, give the reason that kids are getting fatter as a need for exercise. It seems you don't really belive in the idea that one can be fat and healthy.

thats awesome, I would want to do that. But our classes we ALOT smaller.

The people who produce all that junk food wouldn't unless there was a demand for it. It seems to me that it's common for people to medicate their boredom and unhappiness with excessive eating, smoking, and alchohol consumption and that much of this is because our society discourages expression of unhappy emotions such as sadness and anger.

i never experience the endorphin rush either, I don't get what all the hype is for cross-country... just seems like too much pain for it to be worth it.

I like to run the mile. I think I'm one of the only ones in my taekwondo class who does.