If students had a say in their physical education they would engage more
Why is it that most students hate Phys Ed so much? Could it possibly because they don't get a say of what kind of sports they want, or the way that they are forced to participate even if they hate the sport? Some students say that if they had a voice to what they were to do in Phys Ed, it would be more fun and they would get engaged. Photo attributions to Alicia Massey.
by Alicia Massey, staff reporter
Physical Education, commonly referred to as, Gym, is a requirement for high school students. Students must earn two units of credit in physical education to be able to graduate. Generally there are eight semesters and ¼ credits are earned per semester. Each year, the teachers decide what sports will be played and what the curriculum will be. They decide on the rubric for each sport and what standards the students are tested on. Students are expected to participate in each of the sports we learn and demonstrate the skills being tested. It does not matter whether or not the students like the sport; they are required to participate either way.
Students do not always want to participate in the chosen sports. Some students do not enjoy the sport, while others do not excel in the sports chosen by the teachers. If students had the opportunity to choose their sports, as well as the criteria they are graded on, they would excel more. Not only would they excel, but they would also enjoy themselves. Students often are more motivated to participate when they are enjoying the activity.
“If people have a choice in what they want to do, I think gym would be a lot more enjoyable and everyone will be more involved and in turn, people would be able to keep their grades up while also having fun. I know now the grading is very specific, and involves things like sportsmanship, being prepared, and how well you are doing. I think it should be more participation based because some people are failing due to very minor requirements. Having it be participation based wouldn’t ask too much of the students who need to keep their grade up in the class,” senior Alessandro Leto said.
In order to encourage students to play a role in their education, they can fill out surveys for the teachers. They could answer what sports they enjoyed, what sports they would have liked to learn, what skills they developed, and how they would have liked to be graded. This would enable the students to take part and the teachers to take into consideration the student’s feedback. This would make for a more enjoyable year as well as a more successful year.
“If you have a say in what you do, you will be more interested,” sophomore Emely Ferreira said.
On the other hand, not everyone agrees that students should be able to choose the sports they are tested on. Some argue that students wouldn’t try as hard and would only be more involved in order to get better grades.
“So many students have so many different opinions. If given the choice, a lot of students would pick what their strengths are and would not get out of their comfort zone. Focus on your weaknesses, not strengths. You cannot climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pocket,” P.E. teacher Mr. Maroney said.
If students had a say in their physical education, they would most definitely be more engaged. The teachers and students would both be happy. The teacher would see the students engaging more and trying to strengthen their skills. Not only would it build better relationships between the student and teacher, but overall it would be a better class environment.