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Mrs. Cramer
Comp Pd. 6A
17 March 2017
What is more important: children sitting static in a classroom for seven hours a day or a
healthy, happy child who is both physically and mentally fit?1 In schools across the country,
physical education is being overlooked and in some cases discontinued because it is seen as
superfluous. Children's health is deemed unnecessary in today's society. This is in large part due
to the ignorance from many people of the life-long benefits that physical fitness can have on
children. Having mandatory, daily physical education in schools would decrease childhood
According to the CDC, obesity rates have nearly tripled since the 1970s; today one-in-five
children, aged six to nineteen, are obese (Childhood Obesity Factors). Not only is obesity
concerning when children are young, but it also causes severe issues for them in the future.
These issues include obesity throughout adulthood, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and
bone and joint problems (Childhood Obesity Factors). Addressing the issue of obesity earlier can
be prevent these future complications. The most effective way to stop obesity is through daily,
constructed physical activity. Physical education is quintessential to ensuring that all children
participate in the minimum amount of activity they should be getting daily. The United States
Department of Health and Human Services suggests that children six to seventeen years of age
engage in a minimum of sixty minutes of daily physical activity every day (Erfle). For
approximately one third of the student's day he or she is in school. Therefore the school should
be required to have time allotted for physical education. The National Association for Sport and
Physical Education recommends all students be given the opportunity to engage in sixty minutes
of in-school physical activity and daily PE class that is equal to 225 minutes of activity per week
(Erfle). By making PE mandatory children are living a healthier lifestyle and therefore are less
likely to be obese. Lower obesity rates will increase life spans of the new generation, who are
suspected to die approximately five years earlier than their parents. Daily, constructed PE would
help manage weight and BMI of students and consequently reduce obesity rates in America's
youth.
Second, increasing PE in schools will concomitantly increase the mental activity and
development of the youth. Physical activity promotes blood flow throughout the body and
especially to the brain. Therefore by having mandatory physical education daily, students will
perform better in school and be more attentive. For example, the American College of Sports
Medicine found that students in fourth and fifth grade who participated in exercise for at least 10
minutes before a math test scored higher than children who had sat quietly prior to the math test
(Reynolds). Not only does exercise flow blood to the brain, it also reduces stress and releases
endorphins that make individuals happy. Most importantly, it benefits the individual as a whole.
Another study found that having a higher level of fitness gave the greatest impact in the most
challenging situations that the students face intellectually; in other words, the more difficult
something is to learn, the more being fit will help a child in learning it (Reynolds). Sitting for
Shade 3
hours completely motionless would bore, especially rambunctious children, to death 2. Studies,
similar to those previously mentioned, show the direct correlation between daily physical
education in schools and the mental achievements in students. If thirty minutes to an hour of the
school day was taken from the classroom setting and put outside or in a gym, then schools would
see the immediate and drastic improvements academically and socially. Therefore, the mandatory
time allotted for PE should be increased in schools for the mental health of the youth.
On the contrary, many believe that PE promotes violence and bullying among students.
The opposition of mandatory gym classes claims that physical education is responsible for sexual
harassment, body shaming, and bullying both physically and verbally (Brooks). However the
children who feel this personal threat are generally the overweight and obese children who need
the physical activity. It is necessary to overcome the issue and face it head on. Bullying is not
isolated to the locker room, it occurs throughout the school and is not only due to weight issues.
Kids need to feel better about themselves. Data shows that children who are obese miss more
school days- due to illness or to avoid weight-based bullying- than normal weight children,
which also harms them academically (Childhood Obesity Factors). Experts say the most effective
way to prevent this is to have a physically active and nutritional school environment (Childhood
Obesity Factors). Mandatory physical activity in schools would encourage healthier lifestyles for
the children and also would directly decrease the bullying and fear children face. Being fit
improves mood and boosts self-confidence that young adults need. The entire school is a "bully
free" zone, and all bullies and incidents are punished. All students no matter their size, shape,
Additionally, it can be argued that physical education is not as important as the tested
core subjects and therefore should not take up the students' time and the schools' grants.
Congress has has reportedly given more than $320 million for grants to to promote physical
education (Cloud). However if you take into account the importance and the proven studies that
show how important physical activity is to children then it is not too much money. As it is quoted
"Reducing or eliminating physical education in schools, as is often done in tight financial times,
may not be the the best way to ensure educational success among our young people"(Reynolds).
The quotee based his words on the studies he had done with colleagues to determine the
importance of PE in schools (Reynolds). Schools only cut physical education programs in order
to spend more money and time on the "core subjects" like math and science- that are tested in
Keystones and other state tests. This is because the school receives grants and excess money for
kids who pass and excel. Basically this says that money is more important than a child's well-
being. In today's society it is unacceptable to not help the children. It is our country's future.
only benefit the mental and physical being of the children. Physical activity to the body is like
studying for the brain3. It is necessary for the youth to be successful in school and in life. The
great importance of physical activity for children is strongly addressed in campaigns like 'Fuel
Up To Play 60' and 'Lets Move'. Childhood obesity and in-school physical fitness is so vital the
United State's former First Lady Michelle Obama led a nationwide movement to fix these issues.
Many presidents in the past have passed bills and legislative actions to decrease this country's
obesity rates and increase physical education in schools. If the leaders of our country can see
how much of an issue not having physical education is then why can't you? The importance of
Works Cited
Brooks, Sean M. "Why Physical Education Contributes to Violence in School." Edutopia (2015):
1-2. Web.
"Childhood Obesity Facts." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 25 Jan. 2017. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.
Cloud, John. "Why Kids' Exercise Matters Less Than We Think." Time (2009): n. pag. Web.
Erfle, Stephen E., PhD, and Abigail Gamble, PhD. "Effects of Daily Physical Education on
Physical Fitness and Weight Status in Middle School Adolescents." Journal of School
Health 85.1 (2014): 27-36. Web.
Larouche Richard, Louis Laurencelle, Roy J. Shephard, and Francois Trudeau. "Should the
Curricular Time Allocated to School Physical Education Be Increased?" The Physical
Educator 72 (2015): 701-20. Web.
Reynolds, Gretchen. "How Physical Fitness May Promote School Success." The New York Times
(2013): n. pag. Web.