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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 8 november 2017

American Living:
Move over, dodgeball: Schools pump up phys ed with choices

By CAROLYN THOMPSON emphasis on who’s the best
Associated Press at it.
You won’t find gym class “The most important job of
on the schedule in upstate a great physical education
New York’s Victor school teacher is to appreciate
district. every student in that class,
What you will see: kayak- not just the highly skilled,”
ing, rock climbing, moun- said Whitcomb, whose pro-
tain biking, dance, self-de- gram pre-dates the new
fense, archery and in-line law and is among those
skating — all under the considered models for the
heading of physical edu- more modern approach.
cation. The teachers say it’s Connecticut, Vermont and
a more fitting description of Michigan are among states
lessons meant to last well that include physical edu-
beyond the class bell. cation or fitness in their ac-
“We want our kids as they countability plans for the
walk out of these halls in U.S. Education Department
grade 12 to be active for under the new law. The
life,” said Ron Whitcomb, more holistic view of school
the district’s director of quality is a departure from
health, physical education the old law’s heavy reli-
and athletics. ance on test scores.
With the childhood obesity In the shadow of Washing-
rate at about 17 percent, ton state’s Mount Rainier, Second-graders learn to ride bikes on the school yard from physical education teacher Terrance
the federal education law physical education teach- Chavis at Seaton Elementary School in Washington. At a time when elementary and high schools
are all about getting students ready for college or jobs, physical education teachers are being
passed in December 2015 er Tracy Krause’s students urged to look beyond graduation, too, to make lifelong movers out of even the least competitive
to replace No Child Left have for several years been kids.
Behind elevates health fly-fishing and rock climb- (AP Photo/Maria Danilova)
and fitness to rank among ing as part of an “Outdoor a lifelong skill. Fourth- and parents on weekends after sidelines. The goal should
things like art, music, civics Academy” program that seventh-graders do park- mastering the two-wheel- be to meet all students
and science as elements also incorporates English our, in which students leap er with her classmates at where they are and move
of a well-rounded educa- Language Arts and en- and vault over obstacles Seaton Elementary School. forward, said Cheryl Rich-
tion and makes additional vironmental science. All in a way that’s more free- “It’s a good exercise. It ardson, senior director of
funding available. freshmen at Krause’s Ta- wheeling than skill-specific gives you an opportunity to programs at SHAPE Amer-
At a time when schools are homa High School take a gymnastics. D.C. sixth- ride bikes once in a while,” ica, the Society of Health
all about getting students foundations class that lets graders learn orienteering, Lily said on a recent morn- and Physical Educators, not
ready for college or jobs, them explore things like including how to read a ing, after putting on a shiny “where P.E. is so hard that
experts say it’s a chance for dance, yoga, strength and compass and geocache. blue helmet and making they learn to hate it or as-
more physical education conditioning. High schoolers swim. several smooth circles. “I sociate it with some sort of
teachers to look beyond “Our (school) motto is ‘fu- “We want to teach a vari- feel like it’s really fun. It feels torture.” Gym class was so
graduation, too, and leave ture ready.’ We want kids ety of these foundational happy.” On the flip side, defeating for Christa Craw-
even the least competi- to leave with a plan for movement skills with cy- schools, including in New ford Valency that she trans-
tive students with the will the future, whether it’s col- cling, swimming, parkour. Hampshire, Virginia and ferred out of her private Los
and skills to keep moving. lege or the military or going So that they’re very indi- Maine, are increasingly Angeles high school.
In many places, that has straight to the workforce, vidualized,” said Miriam doing away with “human “The P.E. teacher was a for-
meant more bike-riding, and I think the same needs Kenyon, the district’s direc- target” games like dodge- mer professional football
outdoor hikes and yoga, to be true about their tor of health and physical ball in gym class, as well as player. He was ... ‘We’re
and less dodgeball and health,” Krause said. Wash- education, “and when you team sports that may pit going to run stairs,’ and I
shimmying up a rope — ington, D.C., teachers put have that, you can’t take it accomplished competitive was just, like, throwing up. I
more choice about which all of the district’s second- away.” Lily Morgulis, 7, en- athletes against classmates could not keep up,” Craw-
activity to pursue, and less graders on bicycles to gain visions riding bikes with her who would rather sit on the ford Valency, 31, said.q