Elementary school students must have at least a half-hour of physical education each day under a bill signed Thursday by health-conscious Gov. Charlie Crist.
Crist and state lawmakers say the requirement, which takes effect with the new school year in August, can help prevent childhood obesity and related health problems. A state task force found in 2003 that millions of schoolchildren were at risk for Type 2 diabetes and other ailments because of poor exercise and nutrition habits.
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9 comments:
This is a major victory for physical educators, students and society as a whole! I commend Gov. Crist for pushing this law into effect and hopefully it will serve as the catalyst for change in other states as well. Please feel free to read my blog as well! Physed4life.blogspot.com
This would be great but my school cut a p.e. position and are going to have the teachers teach most of the days of p.e. I was certified to teach this and know the appropriate way to do so but I will not have the chance. It looks like the teachers will send their kids out for an extra 15 minutes of unorganized reces..
This is an absolutely wonderful thing Governor Crist has done. It is unfortunate that other states have not felt compelled to do the same. This is a small victory in a large war, but just goes to show us that the right people in the right places really can and will make a difference. It is up to us to put those people into a position to make such a change happen. I think Governor Crist should send a memo to all Governors and give them a piece of his common sense.
My wife is a 1st grade teacher who is impacted by this new law. Her school and all others she knows teachers from haven't hired any new phys ed teachers to support this activity so now the regular teachers are responsible for teaching PE to their children. And how are they doing this? In 1st grade the kids will be doing stretches in class to music. Forget about these comments of outside sports.
And to really top it off, it isn't like they added more time to day. So for my wife's classroom the only way she could accommodate this requirement is to cut time from Math and Science. Why am I paying tax dollars and sending my child to school to do things other than to learn? The point of school is that professions with college degrees can teach my children better than I could. I would rather them be able to come home earlier and let me or them decide how they want to exercise.
Just yet another example of the government stepping in and controlling things that they have no right to involved in. And as usual resulting in a horribly thought out and implemented plan.
As a Florida PE Teacher this is not great news to me. We are already doubled up on classes just to fit in the 150 minutes passed by Christ last year. now we are going to have to double more classes up. This does not ensure a quality experience for all involved. We need more teachers and more time in the day.
I teach 5th grade. My school cannot afford to hire new PE teachers, so I am responsible for the extra 30 mins a day. Goodbye academics! I can't even use recess as the extra time. It has to be teacher directed activities! This law is NOT what it seems to those on the outside.
Shame on anyone who does not support a law that gives their children a much needed break from their monotomous school day!! I realize teachers have their work cut out for them, but giving children a little fun during the day is going to make them more receptive to learning over all. You do NOT need to hire more P.E. teachers to provide this. Just some recess to release a little stress is more than enough!!P.E. teachers are for the once a week education which they already have. You do NOT need to hire more P.E. teachers to accommodate this law. Can we really expect our children to sit still and be quiet at their desk for six hours a day??? Give them a break. They are just kids and they are our future! To the father that just wants his tax dollars to go towards JUST learning and no fun, and he'd rather them come home early, I suppose he'll be there to pick them up at 1:30 in the afternoon to whisk them away to their favorite after school activity since his wife will still be working!!! Give our kids something to look forward to during the day!!!
Shame on those giving kudos to a program which they do not even understand. And shame on Crist for mandating something with absolutely no way to implement the plan. Students are NOT allowed recess because recess apparently does NOT count! What children need...is recess. A 30 minute period of un-structured play where they are able to socialize with their friends and make up the games that they do. PE instruction is already a joke and most kids dislike it because the mass numbers mean PE coaches are doing things that are less than fun, and do not allow the children to talk to make it more manageable for them. (Silent speed ball) Teachers have to sign off on giving their kids 60 minutes of uninterrupted writing instruction, 90 minutes of reading instruction, (and so on for each subject.) Well Crist and others should do the math before they start cheering about a law that is nearly impossible to implement. There literally aren't enough minutes in the day to have added on a 30-minute uninterrupted PE session, without taking it away from another academic area. It's as fouled up as so many other things about this state's academic program.
AMEN anonymous (3/4/09)!!! I am an elementary teacher who has been trying to get all my academics in for FCAT testing, have RECESS (because Lord knows these poor kids need an UNSTRUCTURED break) and now I'm trying to borrow Peter to pay Paul to squeeze in my own 30minutes of PE????? REALLY?!?!??! Govenor Ludachirst obviously never had to fit lesson plans into a schedule for a school day. (Did anyone metion this teacher directed PE must be 30 minutes uninterrupted?) Please pay me less this year(ie. less state funding to education=less pay) and ask more from me! These kids need time to socialize and learn to get along with others. They don't need me taking away what little freedom they had built in to their school day. So much for being flexible!!!! My students are now losing precious learning time to do push ups and sit ups while I look on (in my professional attire and heels no less).
Can parents not parent anymore? Where will it end? Do I need to be the disciplinarian, tutor, teacher, mentor, nurse, nutitionist,behavior modification specialist, counselor and personal trainer so parents don't have to do anything but turn on the TV for their kids? Let's take some responsibility for these precious gifts we are given. Don't leave it up to the teachers to do everything parents should be doing at home. I became a teacher so I could make a diffenence. If I wanted full responsiblity for 22 eight year olds then I would have a reality show on TLC and make a lot more money than I do after teaching for 15 years!
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