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Morgan Shade

Mrs. Cramer

Comp Pd. 6A

17 March 2017

Endangering This Country's Youth, One Banned Dodgeball At A Time

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

obesity and increase mental activity.

First, mandatory physical education in schools decreases childhood obesity rates.

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

2. Rhetorical A question asked in order to


Question. create a dramatic effect or to
make a point rather than to
get an answer
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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
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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,

race, or gender have to participate in the daily, mandatory gym class.

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.

In conclusion, enforcing mandatory and increased physical education in schools would

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

this issue is the importance of our country's future leaders.


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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.

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