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coryroushAug 11, 2010
I'm pretty sure that I'd rather have a generation of healthy, active young adults than a bunch of jocks who actually think that the traditional gym class of yesteryear taught you anything about "performance" or "teamwork".
Nice article, but kufurex is missing the point entirely.
Closed AccountAug 11, 2010
Because those who got into gym and sports for the last how many decades weren't healthy and active? If you were never on a team in the past what would you know about performance or teamwork?
karatemediaAug 11, 2010
"Because those who got into gym and sports for the last how many decades weren't healthy and active?"
Obviously not, since we're now saddled with a nation of fatasses. The point is to combat child obesity, which is a very real problem. The current system obviously *isn't* working, because the kids are still obese. That's not to say that their home life doesn't cause some of it, but the school can only fix what it has control over. That means rethinking gym class to focus on specific activities and rethinking the cafeteria to focus on better nutrition.
As I said below, if you want to teach your kids about performance and teamwork, there are hundreds of options outside of the gym class.
pxmmAug 11, 2010
Agreed, all competitive sports do is reward the sporty and humiliate the more 'rotund', which is both counter-productive and cruel.
Closed AccountAug 11, 2010
It's not the athletics in a school system that is causing that though, it's the horrible school lunches, the home activities etc.. Reducing the level of competition etc. in the gym is not going to help the situation.
pxmmAug 11, 2010
I know here in the UK there has been a reform in school meals, but we've ended up with them all going to the take away http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/may/16/junk-food-threat-school-lunches
Closed AccountAug 11, 2010
Hopping around like a frog and aerobics at school aren't going to do anything but make you look like an idiot. Do you seriously think that what they do is exercise? School systems have such low intensity workouts now that you burn MAYBE 50 calories in an hour. They're afraid to push kids that say they're tired when they're just being lazy fat asses which is the cause of the problem in the first place.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
karatemediaAug 11, 2010
@jguy2 - Jesus, people, the "hopping around like a frog" activity is for THREE YEAR OLD KIDS, as it clearly states in the article. What kind of exercise do you expect three-year-olds to do? Kids are not exactly ready for team sports at that age. Have diggers ever even seen a f**king toddler?
Closed AccountAug 11, 2010
@KarateMedia I started playing soccer when i was four years old. I'm pretty sure they could be doing more than hopping around like a frog. Why couldn't they go play tag or something? Oh wait, that would be too competitive for the liberals.
By the way, if you're going to try to bash me, then pick out something other than the first five words of my post before i even get to my point.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
gordon2108Aug 11, 2010
Way to try to turn this into political douchebaggery jguy. Being liberal or conservative has JACK s**t to do with how you think kids should exercise in school.
I would call myself a liberal. I think your idea of tag is just fine, we did it when I was in school and it wasn't terrible exercise (we had ~60 people in a gym with about 6 people being 'it').
I would also say the current PE in schools doesn't do much of anything. We had 55 minute class periods, say 10 minutes on each end changing with 10 minutes of instruction before we did anything. That gives us about 25 minutes of exercise.
As for after school sports.. lets just say an out of shape teenager does not find a team of physically fit and competitive peers very welcoming, especially if they are not good at the particular sport that team belongs to.
e36wheelmanAug 11, 2010
@jguy2
I can assure you hopping around like a frog can f**k your world up. I'd like to see you do it for 75 yards. It's one part of a workout we call the Bill Cosby, because it turns your legs to Jell-O.
jebryathAug 11, 2010
I worked much harder in gym classes that were "work out" or "everybody runs ten laps" than I did in competitive sports classes. I wasn't good at sports, why did I care whether I tried and failed or just let the other guys win?
If they're keeping physically active, it's a physical education class. Sports are not innately more active, nor are they the only chance to learn about teamwork and competition. (Nor are they COMPLETELY REMOVED because kids may now spend phys ed classes doing other things. As pointed out, repeatedly, sports are generally available as extracurricular activities. Kids can join leagues for baseball or soccer or hockey or whatever you want them to play).
karatemediaAug 11, 2010
HAHAHA! jguy2's account now reads "inactive"! He really did "f**king quit digg." Hahaha!
Let's see... I responded to two of his four sentences from that post: "Hopping around like a frog and aerobics at school aren't going to do anything but make you look like an idiot. Do you seriously think that what they do is exercise?" That's *half* of his comment right there, yet he claims it was just something he said "in passing." Not to mention that the rest of his post, that the workouts are too low-intensity, appears to steam directly from the first half of his post.
So if you're still reading, jguy2, let me get this straight - you threw a hissy fit and quit digg because I responded to at least 1/2 to 2/3s of your original comment? Did you stop to consider that I didn't even bother commenting on your final grand statement ("They're afraid to push kids that say they're tired when they're just being lazy fat asses which is the cause of the problem in the first place") because I thought it was so full of s**t it wasn't worth commenting on?
Really, you spew some tired, worthless s**t and have an aneurysm when somebody doesn't treat it like a gem of wisdom. Christ, that just makes me so much happier that you quit digg. Guess you can't take competition, can you? Sticking around and actually defending yourself with intelligent comments would be... what were your words? I believe they were, "Oh wait, that would be too competitive."
atomic1fireAug 11, 2010
Thats why the gym class should atleast have a unit on one sport or activity, then switch to another one at a later point.
That's what my highschool did,
I wasn't good in most of the heavy team sports, I sucked at most of them, but dodgeball was easy,
It's one of the team sports where all you need to do is duck and throw the ball hard. (we used foam balls, obviously)
chriskzooAug 11, 2010
Life is competition. Get over it.
karatemediaAug 11, 2010
Great, then encourage your kid to join a sport, and/or encourage them to excel academically. There are numerous opportunities for your child to learn the value of hard work and personal achievement. If you think the only place your kid can learn that "life is competition" is PE class, then you obviously came in last place anyway.
I'm in my 30s and I didn't learn about teamwork or competition from my elementary school gym class. I learned it from all the other opportunities in life.
Closed AccountAug 11, 2010
My school didn't even have PE class. We learned competition in the classroom. It also taught me that if you don't care about competing that there's nothing wrong with going to sleep and isolating yourself from the world. Or "life", if you will.
lukeatronAug 11, 2010
So you're saying that we should just tell the fat kids to get over being fat?
I know this article probably offends some people's delicate sensibilities about testosterone driven competition but we need to look at the reality of the situation. These are facts:
1) There is an epidemic of childhood obesity.
2) Childhood obesity tends to translate to adult obesity.
3) Fat people put a huge strain on the health care system.
4) We all end up paying the extra costs incurred, one way or another regardless of whether health care is a public or private enterprise.
5) It is in all of our best interest to curtail this growing problem.
6) The traditional way of doing PE isn't doing much to help the obese kids who have plenty of reason to be dissuaded from competitive sports.
If you want gym class to continue being about the athletic kids pumping up their egos, then by all means, tell the fatties to get over it. If you'd rather get a return on your investment of tax dollars, there are far more effective means of accomplishing that goal.
nextAug 11, 2010
@lukeatron:
Exactly. I was a really uncoordinated kid growing up, which led to a hatred of gym class. That then translated to a hatred of sports and anything active, which a lot of kids shared.
It was only after getting toward the end of high school and into college where I really threw away that mindset and realized that physical fitness was 95% of the time a very personal activity, and I started to get into running, cycling, etc.
This sounds like they're focusing on teaching these kids the skills they need to learn to take care of themselves, and doing it at a young age. It's much better than having half of a class of PE students growing to hate sports and contributing to our nations increasing health problems, because they learn to equate physical fitness with being smacked in the face with a dodgeball.
niedarAug 11, 2010
PE is never going to be the solution to weight loss for kids. It is much much harder to burn calories then it is to eat them, the easiest solution is to reduce the amount of calories that are being consumed. With the short amount of time that is available for PE each day if it is even every day and the level of dedication that you will get from students it just wont have much of an effect at all.
gotbannedagainAug 11, 2010
I played football, basketball, baseball, and power lifted when I was in High School. I also was on the debate team, took Vbasic and HTML classes - and was apart of the history club.
I'm tired of people lumping the playing of sports with jocks. My father liked for me and my brother to have active lives, because it kept us positive - kept us out of trouble, and we worked very hard to make sure we kept our grades at the A level. It also taught me a lot of team-oriented skills that I use now in my professional life. I know how to take and give criticism, I know what it means to openly compete with other people for jobs and companies for clients, and I know what it means to inspire those that work under me.
The notion that we're giving our kids nowadays seems to be, "Don't worry. If you don't like something, or it's too hard, you don't have to do it." I used to stay up studying for 36 hours straight. Not because I wanted to, but because I had to. I sometimes work 80 hour work weeks. Not because I want to, but because I have to - and because the job needs to get done.
If you continuously subscribe to this bulls**t, you'll see the (ahem) pussification of America.
I'd rather have a bunch of 'jocks' that took their academics seriously than have a bunch of people with an "I can't/won't do this" attitude.
karatemediaAug 11, 2010
I agree that you can be both athletic and smart, but I'm also recognizing this part of cory's comment: "traditional gym class of yesteryear."
Since he doesn't say "let's get rid of all organized sports," I'm going to assume that he is strictly speaking about gym class, in which case I would agree with him. I don't think we're really losing an important fount of "teamwork" etc by rethinking PE class.
That said, if cory comes back and adds that all organized sports should be banned, then I'm going to have to disagree with him...
cougar3429Aug 11, 2010
Do you also agree that all kids on all teams of little league baseball should get participation trophies and the games should not be scored? That's a huge problem in the attitudes of kids growing up and then in the adults they become. Everything thinks they deserve everything given to them without working for any of it.
iclavdivsAug 11, 2010
Your life sounds awful. It sounds like you need to work smarter.
nextAug 11, 2010
The thing about physical fitness is that it's a very personal activity for most people. How many grow up to play on professional sports teams, or even recreational leagues? Most Americans work privately and/or independently on maintaining their physical fitness.
What they're teaching these kids is how to take care of themselves for the rest of their lives, and getting them to take an interest in personal physical fitness. If their image of physical activity involves being the slowest person in class, getting pegged in the face with dodgeballs, and all those wonderful experiences, then they're probably going to focus on what they're good at, whether it be academics or what have you.
And that right there is the problem. No matter how skilled you are at sports, or how adept you are at anything physical, anyone and everyone is capable of living a healthy lifestyle and staying physically fit, and that's what this programs seems aimed at doing. It isn't stopping people from playing sports, it's just teaching students that personal fitness and well-being is more important than softball, football, and every other sport.
gotbannedagainAug 11, 2010
@KarateMedia - while I would tend to agree, my point was more or less that just because someone plays sports or cares about their physical and internal health doesn't make them a 'jock', anymore than someone who plays video games is a nerd.
The problem with gym class is that it's for kids who, sadly, aren't given a lot of the right positive direction at home. I recognize that there are also people who just do not like to play sports, but most of the kids I grew up with that were in gym class were very unhealthy, and sadly, they were typically poor or had parents who didn't care about their well being. If your own parents want to sit you down in front of a TV so they don't have to deal with you instead of pushing you to go outside and play or be active, how can we expect the school system to do anything positive when everything good is just ruined when the child gets home?
Gym class is, in a lot of areas, seen as a joke. Why? A healthier body normally tends to equal a healthier mind and a healthier out look on life. I've rarely met anyone who was in good shape that was carried a negative persona.
@next - I think you bring up a valid point. However, there needs to be more of a push to get them, and keep them, active when they're not in school. As I pointed out to KM - a lot of this starts at home, and when parents refuse to take responsibility for their kids, nothing the school can do will help them be healthy.
jebryathAug 11, 2010
"Gym class is, in a lot of areas, seen as a joke. Why? "
I'd say that the current paradigm of it being enforced "games playing time" is a significant part of that. People see it as a class that is given to the kids purely for their enjoyment, not because of any major benefits to them.
The fact that it focuses on the teaching of worthless skills, like throwing baseballs or catching dodgeballs, tends to not help. Sure, it increases engagement for the kids who enjoy those sports, but that's not all the kids. I'd argue that's not even MOST of the kids. Skills like teamwork are taught by being on a team - and it doesn't matter whether it's your sports team or a study group.
A physical education program that focuses on keeping healthy over fun or competition - because being healthy is not a competition - has the potential to be a lot more sensible.
lukeatronAug 11, 2010
No one is saying there isn't a place for competition. That's not really the goal of gym class though.
zaynexzandersAug 11, 2010
This specific incidence isn't entirely what the people who say we aren't encouraging competition are talking about. I agree that PE isn't necessarily for teaching competition but there is a place in PE for it. Getting beaten down (metaphorically) in gym by kid's who are better at sports teaches kids a lesson early on about hard work, if you don't want to be embarrassed by the better kids you have to be the better kid, so they learn to work hard. A gym class is a place in front of their peers where their failings are seen plain as day, no better place for losing if you want your kids to grow. They can join organized sports but even those today don't encourage all that much competition (unless they're highschool sports but I'm refering to little league and little kid basketball) for the most part those organiztions give trophies to every kid. That doesn't help anyone. If one team or kid awarded it gives other kids a goal, yes it might depress one kid or might anger one person but for the most part its better for society. Everyone winning doesn't offend anyone, it's politically correct, but it doesn't help anyone and takes opportunities of growth away from everyone. But in society today we are ok with not advancing for the most part as long as every single person isn't upset.
jebryathAug 11, 2010
"Getting beaten down (metaphorically) in gym by kid's who are better at sports teaches kids a lesson early on about hard work, if you don't want to be embarrassed by the better kids you have to be the better kid, so they learn to work hard."
For some kids. A great deal of others learn "I'm not going to win. This game is stupid and arbitrary." Then they don't play at all.
Gym classes encourage competition in the least important areas of people's lives, and teach kids that they can "lose" at being physically fit. Hella useful.
zb757Aug 11, 2010
You always know the "dropouts" in gym. They are the ones who always choose outfield and don't pay attention/make up their own objectives. Not saying there's anything wrong with that…
zaynexzandersAug 11, 2010
My point was that the arguments were not all about gym class necessarily they were about the lack of proper training in competition. I'm not saying that gym is "hella" useful just that it is another instance of the idea that everyone wins in our society, and that it does a disservice to everyone involved. Most kids in my class that didn't play had to run laps which helped them get excercise and that is not a problem.
I hate it when people say hella... god damnit...
noslodecoyAug 11, 2010
When I was in school I remember quite a number of academic oriented competitions. We'd play games of bingo or jeopardy built around the curriculum. We'd have math relay races in front of the class on the chalk board. These competitions would indeed have winners and loses. I certainly wouldn't insist that they be taken out of the classroom.
Regardless, even if you seem to take out all competition, kids will still compete. Their competitive nature will have some kids work harder or faster on their aerobic exercises and other kids who just won't do so well. Some will feel embarrassed, envious, or sometimes spiteful, but hopefully they have another outlet in which they can also find that sense of achievement.
Some degree of sense of accomplishment should remain as well as a little bragging. However misguided arrogance, both in academic accomplishments and athletics, should be dealt with. Good sportsmanship needs to be taught correctly as it also teaches humility. This and teamwork should be the highlights of PE not aerobics and softball without a ball.
zb757Aug 11, 2010
Good sportsmanship is definitely important to teach from the beginning. Also, people who view academics as a competition can be real downers. It's one thing to win the math races (I never did, couldn't recall multiplication facts back then); it's another to dick-measure GPAs, especially in college
illinestAug 11, 2010
i'd rather take a dodgeball to the nads than participate in gym classes that de-emphasize competition.
cause competition is fun.
Sorry charlies - if the only way you can help the kids who don't enjoy competition is to take it away from the kids who do enjoy competition then on balance you've only managed to shift discontent from one group to the other.
phantomrogueAug 11, 2010
f**k this "everyone wins and everyone is special" attitude we have these days. Life is full of winners and losers, life is a giant competition. Idiots like this teacher set kids up for failure since they think there is no need to be the best at something.
Kids are fat, teaching them about aerobics isnt going to get their fat asses off the couch when they get home from school, but showing them that playing soccer, football or another sport makes you feel better... that will get them practicing and doing more than eating the Twinkies and McDonands that mommy brings home.
cannabistAug 11, 2010
I agree Phantom. Ever since childhood we have been socially conditioned by our parents to believe in that s**t. It is truly damaging to children when they grow up because they fail to grasp the magnitude of real life.
I am still trying to reprogram myself to get rid of that conditioning.
swiftfoottimAug 11, 2010
Another agreement from me Phantom. How the hell do they expect to get a job in today's world? I believe it is through competition. "If you ain't first, you're last." comes to mind...
marx2kAug 11, 2010
http://www.amazon.com/Not-Everyone-Gets-Trophy-Generation/dp/0470256265
lukeatronAug 11, 2010
Why is every one acting like having a less competitive gym class is going somehow damage these kids? Is the goal of gym class to foster competition or make these kids healthier? How does being good at a sport translate into a life lesson outside of that context? Do you really believe that sports are the only way to learn about the competitive nature of our society? Or even the best way?
There's a whole lot of misplaced ideals and false dilemmas being tossed around in these comments.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
useraccessAug 11, 2010
I always looked forward to competitive sports. It felt great when we won and understood that losing was part of the game. It allows for learning the lessons of sportsmanship, which is very important both on and off the field. The last thing we need to be doing in this country right now is building a more individualistic and egocentric society.
Closed AccountAug 11, 2010
@lukeatron: Ok, think about it like this. What motivation do they have to actually try when they're supposed to be exercising now? Absolutely none. Do you think they really care that they're fat? They might care a little, but not enough to actually do something about it. Now, what if they had a reason to exercise, such as, oh i don't know, WINNING a game or something? They're going to try a lot harder. I know it's hard to believe, but most kids actually enjoy playing sports and they don't realize that they're exercising while they're doing it.
darkshroudAug 11, 2010
@lukeatron, gym class isn't a sport. You must be a Millennial or not had to deal with them yet.
They are a bunch of snooty little s**ts that expect everything but can't really do anything on their own. They also can't handle being told "no" or failure & punishment/consequences.
cougar3429Aug 11, 2010
@PhantomRogue
Thank you. The "everyone is a winner" attitude was created by losers to make themselves feel better. THAT is the growing epidemic, and probably a contributor to childhood obesity.
In Canada now they have gone even further. Now if your team is ahead by more than 5, then your team FORFEITS THE GAME. WTF?! You freaking pathetic pansies! Let the kids learn how to deal with losing so they don't snap when they don't get their way! Adults that can't cope with negative aspects of life are the ones who bring assault rifles to work one day.
nextAug 11, 2010
"but showing them that playing soccer, football or another sport makes you feel better... that will get them practicing and doing more than eating the Twinkies and McDonands that mommy brings home."
Do you remember the kids who didn't give a s**t about gym class? Playing those sports didn't make them feel better.
Do you still play competitive sports now? Even if so, the people who play anything competitively or as a team after school is incredibly small. For most people, physical fitness is a personal activity: lifting, running, cycling, etc.
This program is teaching kids how to live healthy, active lifestyles in a manner that allows them to continue to live that way for the rest of their lives. Traditionally, gym classes are full of competitive sports, where some students excel and do well and enjoy it, and others do not and have bad memories that tarnish their view of physical fitness.
So with that said, in a class about physical education, which is more important? You may like sports and competitiveness, and there's a place for that, but it shouldn't be the classroom.
poesprogenyAug 11, 2010
I would agree with you, but isn't this attitude what everyone's cheering with regard to socialism and classism in today's politics? Equal outcomes for everyone?
phantomrogueAug 11, 2010
Everyone isn't equal. That is the biggest bulls**t in the world. I am better than some people in certain areas, and some people are better than me in other areas. In no way shape or form should everyone be subjected to the lowest common denominator. I feel bad for the kids who want to play dodgeball, soccer, kickball, etc and are now hopping around like frogs because the teacher doesn't want to offend the fat kids' parents.
gekkeijyuAug 11, 2010
nah, fat kids aren't gonna learn to enjoy sports by playing them. they'll end up being the s**ttiest player on the team and sitting on the bench and being a liability on the field when they play.
life isn't black and white. it isn't always about winning and losing. is a man who makes $50K a year a winner or a loser? how about a man with 3 kids? my friend just bought his first iphone. did he "win"? life shouldn't have to be winning and losing. it should be about improving yourself. winning the 1 mile race over the 15 other guys in your class isn't going to make you a better person. constantly setting goals and surpassing them, THAT"S a better lesson to teach. run that 1 mile at the beginning of the school year and write down your time. now play soccer, do aerobics, run laps for the rest of the school year. on the last day of class, run that mile again. see how you got better? THAT'S how you teach kids to enjoy sports and physical activity.
ronlaenAug 11, 2010
@PhantomRogue Couldn't agree more. People seem to confuse being equal and having equal rights all the time. Obviously everyone should have equal rights but as you say not everyone is equal especially when you get right down to specific areas. The best thing schools can do for you is to help you in the specific areas that you are good with. Instead we all get the same generic education and fitness that is molded to the lowest common denominator.
gsydiggerAug 11, 2010
Competition is how you get better at things, without competition you might as well be sitting on your ass all day watching f**king shopping channels
If I didn't have serious competition then I'd sure as hell be doing that instead of going to med school, which in the UK is extremely competitiveComment is buried, click here to see the rest.
necrozimAug 11, 2010
When i was younger, back in school, i was a weed, i wasnt fat, i was the opposite, but just as useless. It was incredibly demotivational being picked last and always knowing that I was the weak link in sports. It took me to the point where i no longer wanted to participate in sports as i knew i was s**t.
Then i grew up, realised, wait. im s**t at stuff, so because of that, i began to experiment with new things that i never considered when i was younger. One of which was weight lifting, and now im happy, healthy and doing a sport that i thoroughly enjoy.
to wrap up the point of that my story, having this nanny cuddle style everybody is a winner attitude will warp people's mindsets into selfish, i want everything and i want it now attitudes whilst even though the odd kid will get up set from losing whilst theyre younger, theyll grow up, get the f**k over it and more importantly, it may spur them into a more dertermined and focused frame of mind.
nextAug 11, 2010
But wouldn't it make more sense to teach kids how to take care of themselves? My school was started to migrate toward some smarter educational classes about living healthy lifestyles toward the end of high school. They taught us how to properly lift, and things of that nature.
Wouldn't it make more sense to prepare these kids for living active lifestyles in school, so that they can carry it out with them into the real world? Not everyone decides to experiment with weight lifting and such. They instead focus on academia, careers, etc, and let their health spiral out of control.
Let's teach kids the skills they need to take care of themselves, not let them throw dodgeballs at each other and pretend they're learning how to stay fit.
necrozimAug 11, 2010
it is a valid point that not everyone chooses to experiment, but in those cases health is not a forefront concern to themselves.
Everybody has been educated on the issues related to being overweight or living intense forms of life styles. By the adult age where these people arrive at leave them with their own decisions, and i believe that (based on my own observations of tv and how my younger cousins are growing up) when people are not subjected to failure through competition, they become very arrogant, they want everything with no effort because they’ve never been in situations where they try and still fail.
I do agree, cycling, swimming, aerobics and such should be introduced, and lifting for children shouldn’t be done because of the damage that could happen to their bones whilst their growing, that was simply my own example. However the element of competition should never been removed from these exercises and classes for the sake of the kids! Corny as it is, the no pain no gain really can apply, not in the physical sense, but i think the mental sense of "damnit my friend beat me, im gonna try harder to beat him/her next time" principal.
then again, I’m not a psychiatrist or a fitness/health expert and perhaps the damage done from losing may be influencing children to become less interested in living active lives and then in turn leads to them being unhealthy and fat when they’re older. I might just have been a rarer case that looked upon my past and decided to act.
sliceofpiAug 11, 2010
A lot of you guys are completely missing the point. The point of moving away from competition is NOT so kids feelings won't be hurt. This may sounds lame, but this IS about the physical health of everyone.
Do you see what happens in every single game of dodgeball or soccer or any team sports in elementary school? You have the strong, athletic students being superstars and making all the big plays. Then you have the weak, slow students making sure they get out of the way. And you can't blame them either, because the weak students know they're in the way. Take dodgeball, too often the weak players just give balls to their better teammates. Why? Beacause that is the nature of competition.
I'm not saying competition is the bane of children everywhere, but you have to understand why competition would be bad too.
nextAug 11, 2010
Exactly. And we're never teaching these kids how to become stronger, faster, and more fit so that they can actually enjoy and contribute to these games and sports in high school and beyond.
If you teach kids how to take care of themselves, how to live active lifestyles, and stay fit, the slow, weaker kids will actually be able to grow up to not be stronger and more able to compete.
drunkcatholicAug 11, 2010
You guys act like PE class is dodgeball and competitive team sports day in and day out. No PE class I was in was like that, it was mostly running and push ups and the like, with competitive stuff maybe once a week if that.
Competition is good for kids. It teaches them to try harder and get better at things they're not automatically good at. Unfortunately there are kids who won't try and just give up because sports are 'lame' and only for jocks. Those kids are a lost cause, and will be for the rest of their lives if they aren't willing to try to get better at something.
nextAug 11, 2010
@drunkCatholic
That's interesting. We also seemed to have themed weeks. We'd have two or three weeks of football, softball, even golf. I think there's something to be said for having dodgeball, as it's pretty fun. However, most traditional PE programs are heavily sports-oriented. There is very little about self improvement. The only time we ever really measured anything was for the president's fitness award thing they do in high school where you count your situps, pushups, mile run time, etc.
However, we just did that out of nowhere. We never prepared for it, we were never doing sprints and getting our times up (I had track for that, heh), and never learned about how to improve. It was a measurement of how we currently were, and then we went back to basketball drills..
zb757Aug 11, 2010
My middle school gym class consisted almost entirely of prison ball (a variant of dodgeball) and matball with occasional team handball. I wasn't one of the big players (otherwise I wouldn't be on Digg), but I wasn't the lost cause. It still felt good to be on the winning team or make an assist to the more athletic kids there.
My sister, however, was the "lost cause" of gym class, although she now cares about being in shape
Closed AccountAug 11, 2010
So nobody read the article and just reverted back to stereotypes?
This article had dick to do with "competition". It was about adjusting a PE program for the reality on the ground; kids aren't getting as much aerobic exercise as they should be and childhood obesity is something that needs to be solved. It's not even entirely clear that competition sports were being removed, just that aerobic exercise was being stressed over sports like baseball (where you have to admit, you're mostly just standing around).
You'd think that all the fatty-haters on digg would support efforts to teach children that they need to be moving for an hour a day. You'd think that all the rational diggers would appreciate modification of a program based on statistics, not "feelings".
pbrbeerAug 11, 2010
FTA: "The trend is to move away from competitiveness"
You post = lose
Closed AccountAug 11, 2010
But that doesn't mean eliminate it, just move toward aerobic exercise, which is better for the 'obesity' problem being adressed
I'm glad that my post forced you to read the article to hunt for that cherry to pick. My battle is against generation 'tl;dr'.
nextAug 11, 2010
"You'd think that all the rational diggers would appreciate modification of a program based on statistics, not "feelings"."
Yeah, that saddens me as well.
It's pretty clear that existing PE programs aren't working for a large portion of students, so the obvious question is to keep it up. :\
smacksawAug 11, 2010
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smacksawAug 11, 2010
And they were all svelte in 2 weeks time.
kazbotAug 11, 2010
I always liked dodgeball
alexthehoopyAug 11, 2010
We only got to play it a couple times a year. No matter how much we asked to play more. No idea why the coaches were so opposed to it.
darkshroudAug 11, 2010
Because some parents bitch to no end at PTA meetings about dodge ball not being good for the kids.
atomic1fireAug 11, 2010
It encourages arm strength, Lots of physical movement, hand eye cordination, and team work,
at least with team dodgeball, if you couldn't throw that well, you could pass the ball to someone who could.
smart kids always went as far back as possible, so the balls wouldn't hit them.
Closed AccountAug 12, 2010
Dodgeball FTW
captininsanityAug 11, 2010
Dodgeball is a good stress relief for kids. Sometimes it feels good to hit people in the face with balls.
mizzrymAug 11, 2010
It was also a great way for the nerdy, bullied kids to get back at the bullies.
bryceman111Aug 11, 2010
And sometimes it feels awesome to get some balls to the face.
Wait, what?
s0nicfreakAug 11, 2010
@mizzrym
Yeah, because nerds are SO good at dodgeball, and if by some chance a nerd managed to hit a bully, the bully would not majorly kick the nerd's ass later.
rhendalAug 11, 2010
We played dodgeball during recess almost every day in elementary school from 2nd grade to 5th grade. It didn't matter if you were good or not, everyone played and everyone had fun.
mizzrymAug 11, 2010
Woot for doctor dodgeball. Smoking those doctors was endless enjoyment.
theinformerAug 11, 2010
I preferred bombardment myself.
cougar3429Aug 11, 2010
Best sport ever.
pilot85Aug 11, 2010
CROSS THE BRIDGE!!!! RAAHHHHHHH!!!!!
sloiAug 11, 2010
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ktsy2cvdzx1qz9tjmo1_500.png
whoretowaterAug 11, 2010
Look around for a dodgeball league - I'm 25 and I play in a co-ed league every Friday night during the late Fall and through winter. It's more fun than I remember it being back when gym class and recess were the highlights of my day.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
Closed AccountAug 11, 2010
We played dodgeball inside during the cold months and capture the flag outside during the warm months in Grade eight.
spydr101Aug 11, 2010
When we played dodge ball I would always aim for the fat kids in the back first - I did the same thing playing kickball. During the typing of this comment, I realized that gym class was awesome because it rewards you for hitting fatties.
sloiAug 11, 2010
NOBODY MAKES ME BLEED MY OWN BLOOD.
zb757Aug 11, 2010
Nothing like prisonball! It combines the fun of hitting other students in the face with the aerobics of running free from the "prison"
Closed AccountAug 11, 2010
i really like hitting people in the face with my balls. Because the impact sound so good and it makes me feel good.
monickerlAug 11, 2010
This is such total bulls**t. We're too damned soft on our kids where they need structure, and we have authority figures bullying them when they need to show compassion.
pxtlAug 11, 2010
As much as the jocks loved their gym class experience, remember what phys-ed is like for the fat lardballs in the class - it's the worst part of their day.
Now, if the goal of your class is to inspire a lifelong committment to physicality and being an active person, WTF are you doing making the kids who need it the most hate the very idea of putting on their shorts and running?
Just segregate it. Let the athletic kids have their basketball, and let the chubby kids learn to find some way to enjoy athleticism without being berated for the way they waddle around the bases.
Most classes are about *learning*, but let's not pretend that phys-ed is about learning a damned thing. Nobody cares whether you know how to throw a ball or not. It's about getting some exercise and finding some way to stay physical throughout your life. With the latter in mind, you have to make it so the kids *like* this class.
Kids will accomplish the goals of math class whether they hate it or not. Either way, they'll learn math if they want to pass.
Gym is not like that.
aaronpdxAug 11, 2010
Agreed. I was the chubby kid, and I hated it, and it convinced me that trying to be athletic would just be an embarrassment, so I didn't even hit the gym until 15 years later to start actually getting in shape. Thanks, gym!
That said, I always liked dodgeball.
solkreAug 11, 2010
This will match up perfectly with the non-competitive world we live in!
Quit worrying about hurting kids feelings when they're young, or they'll have no coping skills when they're older.
sliceofpiAug 11, 2010
Except this topic isn't even about the kids' feelings.
chriskzooAug 11, 2010
FTA: "The trend is to move away from competitiveness"
WTF. We are creating a generation of kids who have no idea what it means to fail and build off those failures. Sign up for tee ball? You get a trophy. Participate in a spelling bee? Get a ribbon. It's out of control. And people wonder why the Millenials feel so entitled when they get into the real workforce when they have been told all along how wonderful they are how they are entitled to a good and interesting job right out of college - hey, sometimes you have to get the coffee.
My kids will not be raised this way. "Participation trophies" have a different name in our house - firewood.
fhwqhgadsAug 11, 2010
You give me hope for the future.
chriskzooAug 11, 2010
In a way, I am actually kind of glad to see it because I know that my kids will not be raised that way and when it comes to getting ahead in life, they will know what it takes to win and when they fail they will take that as a lesson learned. What they will not do is whine like a little bitch because "Mommy always told me I was special!"
Yes, my kids are special - to MY family. They should not expect to be treated as being special by anyone else but us.
Closed AccountAug 11, 2010
"My kids will not be raised this way. "Participation trophies" have a different name in our house - firewood"
This made my day
rsm33Aug 11, 2010
I agree with you, but the kids in the article are 3 and 4 years old. I am fine with them hopping around like animals for a couple more years.
hatmadderAug 11, 2010
Eighth graders were included as well. Besides, you really think this is only pertaining to 3- and 4-year-olds?
noslodecoyAug 11, 2010
@rsm33 FTA:
"When his preschoolers' class is over, Hawkins shifts his attention to his next class, eighth-graders. Beginning with a tutorial on aerobics,
...
The students bound into step aerobics and then begin a game of "softball," a batless version with no teams and a small, yellow rubber ball."
rpatrick819Aug 11, 2010
Agreed with it all, but dugg for "my kids will not be raised this way ..." Just because many parents have their heads up their ass doesn't mean we have to. Besides, the more their kids fail, the more ours will succeed.
It will probably bounce back eventually once the problem gets bad enough.
e36wheelmanAug 11, 2010
I agree with the general idea of your comment, but I think gym class should not be competitive. Leave the competition for afterschool sports. Gym class should be about REAL exercise, more than just running back and force in a 20'x20' square hoping to not get hit by a ball. Kids should be doing effective exercise and learning about how to keep themselves and their workouts healthy. The competitive gym class has failed us.
number127Aug 11, 2010
Absolutely. My high school had a great physical education program. On odd days we'd do traditional team-based sports (soccer, basketball, floor hockey, etc.) and on even days we'd be at the track, running for twenty minutes and doing stretches and resistance exercises.
We all hated it at the time, but in retrospect it was the best of both worlds, and really helped get us into shape (and still have some fun, on alternate days :P).
chriskzooAug 11, 2010
I agree that not everything has to be competitive, but it is on the gym teacher to split up teams and play games so that certain kids don't always lose. I remember playing games like team handball where everybody on the team had to touch the ball before shooting - it was a good compromise, still kept it competitive, and kept everyone involved.
gekkeijyuAug 11, 2010
except that we were never taught to build off our failures. we were always taught to win at all costs and if you lose, you should be ashamed of yourself. all this does is make PE and sports a punishment for any kid that didn't have good coordination or an early growth spurt.
but yeah, you can't just drop competition altogether. there has to be a healthy mix of competition and just plain physical activity.
pxtlAug 11, 2010
Maybe the reason our schools are so screwed up is that kids are competative in the one subject that doesn't matter a damned thing?
They don't *compete* with each other in math, or science, or any other real subject. But once we get to chucking a friggin' ball around it's suddenly all about winners and losers.
chriskzooAug 11, 2010
Really? My teachers alwasy posted deidentified test scores and I always relished being near the top.
tophmeisterAug 11, 2010
<3
Tunarolls7Aug 11, 2010
This is why china has now surpassed the USA. I said it, surrpassed. Grow a sac. Competition is great it makes kids better stronger and smarter. Looks like im moving very soon.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
captininsanityAug 11, 2010
I have no issue with you leaving the US, but China? Really?
Tunarolls7Aug 11, 2010
not China lol....Japan or Italy. ^_^
kingbpdAug 11, 2010
Why don't you move to Troll Island.
maccawaccaAug 11, 2010
good luck in Italy. You'll learn all about competition there. For your sake I hope you're an uber macho type or you will be eaten alive
gsydiggerAug 11, 2010
Hong Kong I could understand providing you're having a child and are above the standards there for the job you want
but China? it's a whole new league of s**t you don't want to be dragged into if you can stay in the US
archangelzltAug 11, 2010
Of course -- China has surpassed the U.S. in education! That is exactly why the top universities in the world are ALL Chinese universities. Harvard, MIT, Princeton... These are all the Chinese universities that laugh at the U.S.
P.S. Good luck coping with the censorship system in your land of wonder.
rmxzAug 11, 2010
"That is exactly why the top universities in the world are ALL Chinese universities. Harvard, MIT, Princeton... "
If you look at any grad student class there, then indeed they do seem to be predominantly Chinese universities.
zoltan9Aug 11, 2010
Well you bring up a different problem. First of all, none of these universities have people born after 1990. Lets see who has the better universities in 30 years, when our and their kid will be teaching.
Second, we usually have no problem giving student visas and educating these people in our top universities but once they are done most are send packing, taking all of their knowledge and skills with them. Instead of having them stay here and create/develop here, we are training our future competition.
archangelzltAug 11, 2010
I fear that we may be getting off-topic with this discussion, which I started, but It's not the people that are important; it's the policies. If China's government continue to meddle in scholarly affairs and to put CCP officials in charge of universities, I think the U.S. will still have the better universities.
To respond to your second point, it doesn't help that one of the requirements to get a student visa is to demonstrate "compelling bonds" to your country of origin. In other words, show that you'll not use that visa to immigrate illegally. Still, the quotas for immigration from China are usually filled rather fast, and many do choose to stay for their own reasons.
But, as I said, that was off-topic to the issues cited in the article. My original intention was to show the poster who said that he wanted to move to China. My point was that there are worse things to do than boosting a student's confidence to unrealistic levels, and China's education system is doing many of them.
zb757Aug 11, 2010
A solution to the brain drain would be to staple a green card to the diplomas of foreign grad students. We should try to keep them here instead of filling up spots that could be filled by Americans only to send them back home
theinformerAug 11, 2010
Ooooo there are actually people on Digg that think the USA is good for something. I'm in utter shock.
bruuksAug 11, 2010
Can't wait for all these trophy kids to get old enough to realize that in real life there are actually winners and losers, you sometimes fail, and your boss won't chearfully say "well, at least you tried hard" when you've missed your project deadline and soiled the company reputation.
pxtlAug 11, 2010
And the best place to do that is in phys-ed? Phys-ed is the one part of the day where you want to make sure every single kid *likes* the class so they don't spend the rest of their lives sitting on the couch. Let them compete in math class.
zb757Aug 11, 2010
How would be an effective way to compete in math? Speed math?
elmundio87Aug 11, 2010
getting the answers right would be a start
s0nicfreakAug 11, 2010
@zb757
Get rid of the No Child Left Behind act and do things the way Japan does; post test results in order from highest to lowest for everyone to see.
bahamut240Aug 12, 2010
Speed math WOULD be a good way to compete. While rare, I remember doing it in school. You send several students to the board and see who can solve the problem quickest.
zb757Aug 13, 2010
How would speed math be useful in determining who is better in math?
I sucked at speedy recall of math facts back in the day, but that never stopped me in later years.
I do like the list of test scores. You wouldn't even have to post names to make it effective
elmundio87Aug 11, 2010
newsflash: real life isn't a game of phys-ed football
vioarrAug 11, 2010
Competition is healthy, reasonable, and simply a part of life; it's not something which should be shunned or viewed as detrimental to a child's well being. Fact is that when you grow up, the only way to get ahead is to compete against others.
And yes, to a certain extent PE classes to teach teamwork; not to the same level as being a part of an actual athletics squad, but it does give them a lesson while exercising.
mtheadsAug 11, 2010
If you don't teach your kids to want to win, they'll end up being losers.
ianmgullAug 11, 2010
If you don't teach you kids critical thinking, they'll end up quoting bumper stickers.
dadumtishAug 11, 2010
Fat bastards. Always ruining it for the rest of us.
darkmatter911Aug 11, 2010
What a load of crap.
sgerwel1985Aug 11, 2010
People want to kill competition in all shapes and forms. I remember back in the day when i was younger dodgeball, and other competitive and "harmful" gym activities. Thinking back to a year ago, i was watching real sports on HBO and there was an interview on the activities in gym class today. They used a school in arizona i believe, and they did not play dodgeball. Heck they didn't even play REAL tag, they played SHADOW tag because touching someone might emotionally bother them. Oh also, there was a segment on jump roping. You know, very simple... Well now its even easier for kids, jump roping without the rope.
In the end though, what i see happening is we are developing these kids with their "everyone wins" sports leagues and etc into these kids who later in life can't deal with things when they realize they are not equal to everyone. Doing this to kids is a complete disservice to their overall development IMO.
I wish i was making this up, but i'm not. If i get time today to search the internet, i'll see if i can find a video to post in response to this. If anyone else happens to know the exact segment in 2009 that i'm talking about, please post it.
chriskzooAug 11, 2010
LOL - If you're not using a rope, it's jumping, not jumping rope.
f**king idiots running these schools.
sgerwel1985Aug 11, 2010
Amen... It's called "jump rope without a rope." Really hoping i get some free time in the next few hours to do an extensive search for this segment of the show.
sgerwel1985Aug 11, 2010
Sadly it is past my time to edit. However, here is the video... Sorry it is broken into two parts.
http://www.rubyhornet.com/new-post/real-sports-the-dodge-ball-debate
darkness123Aug 11, 2010
sgerwel1985: I thought you were exaggerating, but you weren't. You left out the no-touching policy at the shadow tag school. Where the kids air-five instead of high five... I cannot believe it, wtf is wrong with some people. These kids aren't going to be able to deal with people who hit them in high school or in the workplace getting told off for doing something wrong.
Closed AccountAug 11, 2010
Commenting just to remind myself to watch that video after work.
Is this just an American thing? I'm from Newfoundland and went through school from 90-2003 and can never really recall anything like what's being described in the article. Yes, we were told about be special and all that crap, but we also had dodgeball (we used deflated basketballs and volleyballs), wrestling, real tag and all kinds of other competition in school (academic and physical). I have younger siblings who have experienced the same thing as myself (so there experiences are more recent). Any other Canadians dumbfounded by this as much as I am?
arkveldAug 11, 2010
@ fmasterdragon
I'm from NL as well, and from what I experienced, high school still has dodgeball and etc, with levels lower than that (say younger than 13/14 years old) are what's moving to what's describe in the article, though nowhere near that far yet.
jbob2000Aug 11, 2010
Any physical activity done through these programs is going to be completely negated by the can of coke, bag of chips, chocolate bars, or mcdonalds that obese kids will no doubt be eating for lunch/snack.
ennuistudentAug 11, 2010
You mean if they include more of those foods.
If you take an obese kid who eats X amount of food each day, and introduce regular exercise, they will either stop gaining weight, or start losing a bit of weight. Only if they started eating more to compensate for the exercise would there be a true "negation" (as if the exercise hadn't occurred, aka situation same as before exercise was put in).
Just nit-picking...
rexxhuntAug 11, 2010
the point he is trying to make is that these kids are burning like 700-800 calories in this class then going right to lunch and eating 1000 calories of complete crap.
Weight loss is 70% nutrition and 30% exercise. Do these kids get thought proper nutrition?, Do the cafeterias promote eating healthy (Having a $5 salad next to $3 for a burger and a drink is NOT promoting healthy eating).
xpinchxAug 11, 2010
FTA: ""The trend is to move away from competitiveness," Hawkins says."
Wow. Just wow. I hate to sound like an old timer at 24, but when I was a kid not everyone got a ribbon at the science fair, not every peewee hockey team got a trophy for "participation", and not every kid got a shiny star on their paper just for trying. You had to earn that s**t.
I'd rather deal with a generation of diabetic 16 year olds than a generation of self-entitled little s**ts.
</rant>
illinestAug 11, 2010
"I'd rather deal with a generation of diabetic 16 year olds than a generation of self-entitled little s**ts."
enthusiastically endorsed!
brewbeauAug 11, 2010
There should probably be a happy medium somewhere in here. Obviously, life is competition, so to not teach kids that is foolish. However, the old school "winning is everything" or "second place is the first loser" bulls**t has no place either.
darkshroudAug 11, 2010
Gym was the happy medium for people who did not want to or could not play on the team sports.
sliceofpiAug 11, 2010
Holy s**t, you don't even understand why they even want to move away from competition. If you read the rest of the article, you would get it, but you were too hung up on that line, so you don't.
surkitAug 11, 2010
I will say one thing. I remember last semester during AFROTC PT, having to leapfrog in two man teams across a football field. Sure we're older, and bigger, and it was freezing outside, but that stuff sucks.
bstew22Aug 11, 2010
This account has been closed by the user
bertqbAug 11, 2010
I blame Oprah.
zaynexzandersAug 11, 2010
Dugg for Oprah hatred
pacoxAug 11, 2010
I support this notion.
karatemediaAug 11, 2010
1) Did you happen to notice that the students "hopping about" like frogs are *3 years old*? Three-year-olds are not exactly dodgeball material.
2) The emphasis is on actual physical health instead of just having games. I'm all for the next generation of kids not being fatasses, and if this will help, then great.
3) This is PE class, genius. They're not doing away with the entire athletic department. Baseball is still baseball, football is still football. Want your kid to engage in competitive physical activity? Get them to join a sport. Let me know when they ban all competitive sports, then we can talk.
4) By the same token, let me know when they do away with grades, too. Or do you find it ungodly to encourage your kid to do well academically? Is that not simply another form of competition that you can use to encourage your child to perform better and understand hard work and achievement?
The initiative is meant to encourage health. If you're against that, please skulk away and die.
dehaan33Aug 11, 2010
I couldn't agree more, KarateMedia. We need to give kids a healthy foundation for physical fitness in the future. Nothing turns a "fat" kid off from gym class than getting hit in the head with a dodgeball. Sure, life is about competition, but let's give these kids a chance to feel good about exercising before they start worrying about winning. I'm all about competition, but your never going to win if you don't have a solid foundation.
Also, pure speculation, but I bet most of these "pro-competition" commenters were actually fat kids themselves and don't want to give other fat kids the opportunity to excel. I've seen it time and time again.
illinestAug 11, 2010
everyone else is discussing a wider issue and you're soapboxing about a tiny subsection of 3 year olds. Failure.
Competitive games DO encourage health - and frankly they do a better job of it than 'frog-hopping'.
Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
karatemediaAug 11, 2010
I made four distinct points, only one of which was about three-year-olds, and somehow I'm "soapboxing" about them and ignoring the wider issue?
Please f**k off and die. Or at least learn some reading comprehension skills before you put fingers to keyboard again. Perhaps you spent too much time playing dodgeball in school and not enough competing on an academic level, eh?
iclavdivsAug 11, 2010
Finally, a voice of reason in a sea of idiots.
cougar3429Aug 11, 2010
Oh my.....KarateMedia you said something that scares me. I had never considered them doing away with grades, but I GUARANTEE that some people would love that idea. Please refrain from putting that out in public. I mean, it is the next logical step for the whiney, "we're all special" crowd. "Why should my child be graded based on your opinion, yada yada"....*shudders* They're breeding generations of pathetic losers.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
jackschitttAug 11, 2010
Sadly, some places have done away with grades. There are schools in my area where the teachers aren't even allowed to fail failing students, instead saying that they are "working towards standards."
serif69Aug 11, 2010
Thanks to No Child Left Behind, we have the next best thing to doing away with grades: grinding the classroom to a halt if some failing student doesn't "get" something. Teachers are no longer allowed to fail students, and the smarter kids in the class languish while the teachers spend more time and energy making sure the slower kids don't fail. Many curricula never get finished over the course of a year, leaving students unprepared for the following year.
zb757Aug 11, 2010
I think education should follow the pirate's code: "He who stays behind is left behind"
torrangeAug 11, 2010
@KarateMedia - great comments.
I would wager the most commenting about competition, grades, etc are not even parents. If you get all your info about these topics from the media, then you are getting sensationalized information.
Have any of you all been in a school lately? I can tell you the competition on an academic level at my son's school is tremendous. The kids compete with themselves and the pressure put on the kids by the administration, the teachers, and parents is amazing. He also plays football and baseball - no "participation" trophies, just first and second place. A few isolated events do not make up the whole.
Giving kids a sound foundation in physical fitness is a good thing.
bahamut240Aug 12, 2010
I want to mention that you can do away with grades and create excellent students. I went to Montessori as a kid where not only did we not have grades, we went off and worked on whatever we felt like that day, all of which was (more or less) fun.
When I had to switch to public school I was briefly worried, as I didn't ever remember doing any real "work". Turns out I was a full grade and a half ahead of every one of my peers on all subjects, and all the fun and games had actually been effective teaching tools.
Note: this probably isn't applicable to some of the no grade public schools that do it because they just don't want to fail all the stupid kids, but if done the right way, it can be successful.
zannaduAug 11, 2010
Erasing competition altogether is ridiculous and harmful... kids should always have games with winners and losers. Still, I somewhat agree with this practice with gym class specifically. I would have liked it more as a kid because I suck at all things athletic and sometimes felt like s**t when that was highlighted during the competitive PE classes.
Learning that life sucks sometimes and people are better than you at things is an important lesson, though.
pkonAug 11, 2010
Every kid has to feel defeat or lose in their life in some way. This is truly one of the ways you can prepare them for the future. If all you ever know in your life is success and winning, then defeat comes at such a heavier price. Life is competitive and you're pretty idiotic to think that it isn't. You fight to: get the job, get the girl, get the contract, get the position and the list just goes on. When you start enforcing ideas that it is ok to be lazy and that "everybody is a winner" you are setting that kid to have a major downfall in his later years.
I have lost girlfriends, championships (football and rugby), laid off work and in the end that is what will make you realize how important it is to strive to try and accomplish your goals. This new mantra that are being taught to the kids is starting to get worrisome.
surkitAug 11, 2010
You ARE so right! What the hell are these three and four year olds going to P.E class to have fun for? First lets make them march 20 miles because "they need defeat", then we have them fight over the prettiest girl in class, but no one gets her.
They are 3 years old! What is the problem with 3 year olds playing leapfrog?
pkonAug 11, 2010
And where did I exactly point out that we have to put 3 year olds through torture by making them march 20 miles? I was trying to get the point across that competition is healthy in nature because that is the way life works.. or did you just miss that point entirely?
You took my point way out of context when I provided examples. Do you not see the changing movement in culture where every kid is rewarded regardless of failure? The 3 year olds can play leap frog, hop scotch or whatever the hell they want. Do I think a game of dodgeball should be played also for some fun competition? Yes I do. It does not have to be serious, but eventually competition will become much more severe.
razorc03Aug 11, 2010
Force the fat kids to revise their diet.
Then maybe we can see it titled "Gym-Class Forces Fat Kids Revision"
spectralsoundsAug 11, 2010
When I was a kid I was extremely fat and faced an amazing amount of negative attitudes from not only my classmates, but my teachers as well. My gym teacher was especially brutal. He would force me to run laps around the gymnasium while my classmates were doing other, more fun activities.
One time it was especially bad. I had already run about 50 laps around the gymnasium when I started kind of foaming at the mouth. I tried to tell him that I was feeling ill, like I was going to pass out. He told me to stop and took me into the boys locker room and told me not to embarrass him... that if I did anything like that again he would make sure I would regret it.
During all this time my mother knew something was wrong. One day I finally broke down and told my mom and she got scared, and said, "You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air." I whistled for a cab and when it came near The license plate said fresh and it had dice in the mirror. If anything I could say that this cab was rare, but I thought, "Nah, forget it. Yo, holmes to Bel-Air!" I pulled up to the house about 7 or 8 and I yelled to the cabbie, "Yo homes smell ya later!" Looked at my kingdom I was finally there, to sit on my throne as the prince of Bel-Air.
serif69Aug 11, 2010
Oh, Bel Air, it's been so long since someone used you successfully on digg.
huntermcwhiteAug 11, 2010
Fierce competition works well in japan. They have one of the highest suicide rates in the world now!
darkshroudAug 11, 2010
Just weeding out the losers.
archangelzltAug 11, 2010
You can't change the way competition works in real life. There are only so much resources, and everybody wants them. Do you think the Japanese wanted such fierce competition? Of course not! But you can't exactly stop competition ever. As long as there is mankind, there will be competition.
And that is exactly why kids need to be taught that real life is tough throughout their education. If anything, giving them false expectations of the fierceness of the competition in real life will lead to their disillusionment once they see that fierceness for themselves. And, dare I say, that disillusionment might lead to suicides.
Closed AccountAug 11, 2010
Yeah, it's not like they did that back in the day either.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seppuku
Now go sit on the couch and cry into your big bowl of ice cream fatty!
tigersfan12Aug 11, 2010
Next thing you know they're going to phase out swimming requirements because it makes overweight kids feel bad about themselves.
I don't get this BS. Kids don't get off their asses these days and go outside, their parents let them eat like f**king pigs, then moan and whine at the school when their kids bloat up. So the school's reaction is to take away the only real motivation that kids these ages will understand, fun and competition. What's fun about learning muscle groups? What's fun about f**king softball without a bat & teams? Are you kidding me? Get these kids out on that damn basketball court, get them out on the track field so they can actually RUN, and get them MOVING.
This isn't just an institutional failure, though there is that. This is a failure with the parents. For every fatass kid there's a parent who's letting that kid get fat. Here's a hint mom & dad, take away the ice cream. Turn off the TV, and kick your fat kid's ass outside!
As to the school who have completely altered their physical education course into something that resembles a fat camp reaffirmation ritual, pull in some actual experts who know how to teach. Obviously you got your degree's from a mail in college.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
surkitAug 11, 2010
Can you say "3 year olds exercising in fun ways"? As that what was stated in the article. Starting exercising at a younger age means there will be less fat kids when they are 6 and 7 and that's when competition starts anyways.
tigersfan12Aug 11, 2010
You deserve an award for missing the point more thoroughly than anyone else I've ever met. Congrats.
Closed AccountAug 11, 2010
Hmmm, can you say, Brave New World?
dirtyfriesAug 11, 2010
I can, but it doesn't really apply here.
archangelzltAug 11, 2010
In Brave New World, they actually eliminated competition through a totalitarian government. This is about giving kids illusions about how fierce competition actually is.
So, no.
Closed AccountAug 11, 2010
I was just asking if people could say brave new world? what are you guys talking about?
archangelzltAug 11, 2010
I was just testing my new keyboard. What are you talking about?
Closed AccountAug 11, 2010
simpsons did it?
osabr22000Aug 11, 2010
Do they want it to have a buffet?
maximillionteeAug 11, 2010
While this is a step in the right direction, I think that it's the student's diets that need to be worked on...
cougar3429Aug 11, 2010
step in the right direction? Yeah if you're headed to a lazy, whiney, nanny state.
invictus125Aug 11, 2010
As long as they're moving, it's fine by me. Now we just have to get their dumbass parents to stop feeding them McDonalds every night, and we'll be good to go.
aaronman24Aug 11, 2010
It sounds like plyometric training, which is a tough but rewarding workout. They also get their own personal fitness assessment which is great. Hell of a lot better than my PE class as a kid (square dancing and bowling).
alpha_male65Aug 11, 2010
i remember square dancing in 4th grade( 4th grade boys and girls do not like to dance with each other) but not bowling. some crap about making PE educational something. this was in 1975 or so
zb757Aug 11, 2010
I had to square dance in elementary school (3rd grade and up) and again in summer gym before my freshman year. This was the early 2000's
I also got to go bowling during that summer gym
norman619Aug 11, 2010
YAY!!! The pussification and fattening of our youth is fantastic!
We're doomed...
meanoburritoAug 11, 2010
Dugg up for using the word "pussification". That totally made my day.
stavrogin2Aug 11, 2010
Wow, a non-story designed to get people riled up and linked from around the net for page views gets people riled up and linked, resulting in page views.
rabblerabblerabble!
hetmanAug 11, 2010
It is not the kids fault that we know longer play dodge ball and other activities they may get hurt in. It is the fact that parents were sueing the hell out of schools. They cannot afford to go to court everytime someone gets hurt. That is why they do not do that stuff in gym class anymore.
leif777Aug 11, 2010
I sucked at gym class, no one picked me for dodgeball, I was short, week, I felt left out and frustrated and embarrassed because I was bad at sports...
Now, I run my own company, I'm the lead guitarist in a rock band and I've been working as a professional actor since I was 12.
I think it was because I couldn't succeed at sports that drove me to excel at things I was more physical capable for. Winning is just as important as losing in life.
sleestakslayerAug 11, 2010
Stop bragging, Cory Feldman!
leif777Aug 11, 2010
BAWAHAHAHAH!!!
bibliophageAug 11, 2010
You know, I got all the way through elementary, middle, and high school without hearing a word about target heart rates and such things that are useful information for anyone who actually want to get healthy. It's pretty f**king sad that I had to wait until college before anyone taught me the basic skills to get in shape. I think kids/parents should have the option to put their kid in a health based PE class that focuses purely on non-competitive activities used for fitness and traditional PE classes that focus on the competitive skill-based athletic courses. There's no reason if kids are already in a PE class every day we can't force them to get into shape.
rexxhuntAug 11, 2010
Why cant you have both. In my school we had one class out of the cycle which was called health and was thought in a classroom. We would learn everything from proper nutrition, how the body worked through to sex ed. I would definitely attribute my healthy lifestyle now down to that class.
joemanmanAug 11, 2010
This is sad. Bad on parents and bad on schools. Let kids rip each other apart in competition, it's good for them.
azwethinkweizmAug 11, 2010
My favorite game to play during middle school gym was dodgeball. It was so funny to peg my fat friends in the belly and watch the retarded kids (who were in my gym class as well) hit them in the nuts and get away with it. However, I hit one of the retarded kids in the nuts and I was sent to the office.
But it was still pretty funny.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
zb757Aug 11, 2010
Talk about double standards!
maccawaccaAug 11, 2010
this is very positive. Exercise should be enjoyable and no one enjoys losing. I know many kids who were turned off of exercise due to the competitive aspect of it. I however thrived on this aspect and it killed my buzz to compete with a bunch of half hearted 'losers'. Team sports are there for those who need them and for the rest can enjoy something more relaxing. Not everyone need to be an olympian
aaronman24Aug 11, 2010
Agreed, if anything this conditions the child to develop into a stronger person/athlete later on in life.
baultistaAug 11, 2010
Competition is good, provided that marks for gym class are based on effort, rather than performance. If I were a gym teacher, I'd have a hard time failing a fat kid who gave it his all but came up short in a performance test.
maccawaccaAug 11, 2010
that is a slightly false premise as being healthy requires more than trying hard in gym class for one hour a week. We should be teaching our kids how to maintain healthy balanced lifestyle 24/7. The synergistic benefits of eating well, exercising and being generally active throughout the day are essential for a happy life. Sadly the kids learn mostly from their parents and with lard arse parents eating junk on a daily basis the kid has no chance. It is a tough situation but the hardline in me would like to see over feeding children with bs and letting them sit infront of the computer 24/7 be classed as child abuse. It is just as bad for them in the long run as actual physical abuse
taxmoreAug 11, 2010
You can't stand back up if you don't fall down.
ubitendoAug 11, 2010
Oh'shi! Fedor posts on Digg!
roya11288Aug 11, 2010
this is ridiculous! things were better in the good old days. kids today are being so spoiled that they dont know what they're missing out on. shame on parents today who want to protect their kids frm everything including rejection. kids need that competitiveness it builds strength and character. teaches them to strive towards a goal. smh at society today. kids are fat because their parents feed them garbage and then dont make them go outside to play.
pacoxAug 11, 2010
Its not fat kids. Local schools in my area banned games like tag and dodgeball a couple of years ago because didn't like the competitiveness, thought it was too rough. Yes tag was too rough. Elementary students can't play touch football either.
And its not like high schools really enforce P.E. In our class all you were required to was dress out, thats it. After that you could sit on your butt the whole time. More and more people are just like f**k it, I'll take it online, not like I have to do anything at the physical class. At least these kids are actually learning instead of being subject to so called "competitiveness". Yeah we played sports, but only a certain group of kids got to play, the others had to play lousy 2-3 man games.
I had a friend that walked around with a defeatist attitude because he never got picked to play anything, when we needed a extra man to even out the teams he was just ignored. Thats not fostering a competitive spirit. P.E. needs structure instead of being a glorified recess. This is coming from someone that was always picked no matter the sport because I always knew the captains, even if I sucked at the game. It looks like fat kids actually saved P.E.
mysterycowAug 11, 2010
Hear hear. I don't know why there are people who seem to want to make gym class miserable for clumsy/awkward kids.
Newsflash: not everyone has to be great at competitive sports, douches! And just because some kids get picked last because they suck at football doesn't mean they should have to be resigned to loathing gym class so much they try and duck it. Have activities that non-competitively-inclined kids can partake in as well and you'll find that they'll become healthier...which is the end goal, no?
Keep the football/baseball/dodgeball stuff in there as an option for people, let athletic kids excel also. We don't have to favor fatties over athletes OR vice-versa.
rmxzAug 11, 2010
Next up - removing competition from the Chess Team so the jocks don't feel inferior.
evildoerAug 11, 2010
We are creating an entire generation of pussies.
markglAug 11, 2010
"The trend is to move away from competitiveness," Hawkins says.
Great, lets just give them all trophies as well. WTF. I hate this crap. How will the future of America know what they are good or bad? Why not give test at school anymore and just pass them along. Wouldn't want to hurt their feeling in making them think they're stupid when in fact they are! just as the fat kid that gets out within the first 5 seconds of dodgeball. He'll figure out that he's no good as sports!Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
pacoxAug 11, 2010
TBH, trophies have been given out like candy for a long time. All you have to do is join a youth league team. Most enforce enforce that everyone sees the field at least once. One of the leagues I played for (football) had a
"5th quarter" that didn't could toward the actual game so that those that didn't get to play in the regular game got to play.
sleestakslayerAug 11, 2010
Jeez. How dangerous is dodgeball really? We always used those red rubber gym balls which are pretty light. And they were big so that throwing them really hard was a bit of a challenge. It was a game everyone could enjoy.
pabstyloudmouthAug 11, 2010
How the hell do you ever find out what your strengths and weaknesses are if everyone wins? Some kids are better at math and some are better at basketball, why can't they be recognized for that. We really are moving closer to communism everyday. Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
rodneyws1977Aug 11, 2010
Life IS competition, dealing with defeat and overcoming obstacles. This article implies that if we tell everyone they're a winner it'll just be so. This generation is being setup to fail.Comment is buried, click here to see the rest.
sliceofpiAug 11, 2010
The article does not imply anything about everyone winning at all. The article is talking about how we can get every student to actually do fitness.