Gym class for Blue Valley students consists of two dreaded semesters meant to teach students how to lead physically healthy lifestyles.
According to ShapeAmerica.org, 26 states require some form of physical fitness assessment, and 33 states allow students to substitute gym credits with other activities, such as school sports.
What’s the educational value in student athletes taking physical education when the class is meant to promote the healthy lifestyle athletes are already getting?
For someone who gets home tired and sweaty after soccer practice at 6 p.m., a study hall would help during the day to make up for lack of time after school instead of running a lap around the track and throwing around a frisbee for 50 minutes.
Why should a student athlete be required to waste their valuable time with an easy-A class they don’t need to be in in the first place?
With so many core classes along with electives, student athletes would benefit from removing gym class from their schedule in place of a class they would actually gain from.
Gym workouts don’t compare to those of practice. For a student athlete who runs five miles a day in cross country, or hits the weights every other day in football, the curriculum’s activities would seem like a mere joke.
Why would an athlete have to waste an entire year in a gym class designed for students not in any way physically active?
It is ridiculous not to count a semester of high school sports as a gym credit when they are often more physically challenging and time consuming than any physical education class.
