Should Fat Kids in High School be Required to take PE?

[Nasriel]

No, I don't think that the overweight kids should be singled out. That's completely unfair. I think EVERYONE should have to do PE. Fat, Skinny, Short, Tall whatever. Overweight people already get treated like rubbish (Don't give me it's their own fault for looking like that BS. Yes we know alot of you people hate those who are overweight. Who cares. Get the hell over it. You aren't cool for saying nasty stuff about someone who is different from you and made different choices) don't give assholes another excuse to make them feel even more like they are worthless garbage.

[Bolson13]

Was wondering something about the US. I am from Europe so let me explain.

In Europe we usually "join" a sport by going to the local club. The most popular sports like football/soccer have different levels in the same age group. So basically you have the first tean with the best players, then a second team, a third and so on. But there is always room for a boy/girl to play the sport even though he is bad at it. And those 3rd, 4th, 5th teams also play in competitions so they can also be champion of their (lower level) competition.

Anyways, this is a little bit how it works in Europe. Now, my knowledge on the US system is based on movies and what not but I think most of the popular sports in the US are played through school teams correct? And there is a varsity and a junior team or something like that right?
Now, doesn't that mean that a lot of boys/girls don't really get a chance to play a sport they like because they are not good enough? I can imagine a lot of people not want to do Track and field or something like that (a sport which doesn't really require a team or where there is a limit on the number of competitors for each competition).

And what about more obscure sports like say Badminton or Table tennis. Are there teams for these sports like in Europe?

[An-Tuirseach]

Forcing one group to take it would be wrong. At my high school, you were only required to take PE your freshman year. Afterwards, it became an elective course like foreign languages, art, family & consumer sciences, band, choir, theater and shop class. Forcing a child to lose one of those classes just because they're overweight is a punishment, and that will discourage them from wanting to become active and live healthier lives. That's actually one of the bigger issues in lower grade gym classes, back in my elementary and junior high school, anyway. The teachers would use physical activity (like running and other exercises) as punishments, which makes children grow to despise doing such activities. Education on nutrition and the necessities of physical activity, as well as encouragement to be active and healthy, are needed more than forced PE.

[Wælcyrie]

Forcing one group to take it would be wrong. At my high school, you were only required to take PE your freshman year. Afterwards, it became an elective course like foreign languages, art, family & consumer sciences, band, choir, theater and shop class. Forcing a child to lose one of those classes just because they're overweight is a punishment, and that will discourage them from wanting to become active and live healthier lives. That's actually one of the bigger issues in lower grade gym classes, back in my elementary and junior high school, anyway. The teachers would use physical activity (like running and other exercises) as punishments, which makes children grow to despise doing such activities. Education on nutrition and the necessities of physical activity, as well as encouragement to be active and healthy, are needed more than forced PE.

And then they grow up and stay fat and then end up soaking up benefits due to their weight which puts a drain on the country.

[Hisholyness]

I think the PE system in high school should be reworked, with everyone having to take PE all 4 years. (Or equivalent)

But, the PE class itself would actually have to make people work out, unlike now where we just sit in the gym and shoot hoops, or play on phones.

No? Us cool kids dont want to have to change clothes every day for every year, and dont want to get sweaty after we've gotten our credits

[brob]

in AUS you have to do it until the second last year and it doesnt help.

because the unfit people never want to participate. for many reasons maybe there just lazy. or there embarest of doing physical stuff because there fattys.

so having a PE class devoted to fats whouldnt have to deal with that. and the teachers dont have to worry about other students so they concentrate on methods that are good for fat kids

[Loaf Lord]

I thought forced PE was the norm?

[Deleted]

Requiring people to take a subject doesn't mean they'll actually do it.

I'm from the UK, where PE is mandatory up until sixth form. In 4 years I attended maybe 20% of the classes. I only showed up if it was circuit training, rugby or cricket; football, swimming, gymnastics and track&field I really wasn't interested in so I just took the afternoon off and went home early instead. Sure I got told off when I then show up for the 10 weeks of rugby or w/e and the teacher realises he hasn't seen me all year, but it's not like he could actually do anything about it, and the grade for PE isn't important, nor does it affect anything that matters. Hell, I passed GCSE PE but it's not like I'd put it on my CV lol. Literally no-one cares about it except people who want to go on to that area of study and those people are usually fitness nuts in the first place.

So no. It wouldn't work.

[Raymac]

Yes fat kids should have to do PE just like everyone else. Unless they have some sort of actual medical problem then there is no excuse.

[Kathranis]

I think a better policy would be to have group exercise, en masse, every morning or afternoon at a specific time of day.

PE didn't ever really seem to do much good in my school, and it very easily becomes a place where kids are ostracized and bullied.

[skatblast]

Lol everykid had to take PE in my highschool. Too bad we could only take it one year, after that it was weightlifting or nothing.

[Valort]

Forced into PE? Why shouldn't they be in PE as any other student to begin with?

What they should be, is pushed until they thin up. No one needs yet another future useless slob.

If the parents of obese children were forced, by law, to pay extra taxes, all these kids would get thin real soon.

[mafao]

The two hours or so per week of PE you have in school is absolutely pointless if we are talking about fitness. I hope you are not talking about forcing kids to work out every day. And besides, it has long been shown that main cause for obesity is the diet. If you want to reduce the obesity, start by promoting healthier eating habits in the families and higher quality standards for food products.

[Valort]

I think a better policy would be to have group exercise, en masse, every morning or afternoon at a specific time of day.

PE didn't ever really seem to do much good in my school, and it very easily becomes a place where kids are ostracized and bullied.

Survival of the fittest. Even young boys realize a fat kid is eventually going to become an economical, social and medical issue on society... Which they will probably have to pay for with their taxes. And since it isn't a disability (Lets face it, even "bullies" know beating up a kid with cerebral palsy ain't gonna help much), they can possibly beat the fat outta him.

Too horrible? Oh well, sorry for not being a prancing pony.

[Wiizper]

So just because they do PE they'll become skinny?

Doesnt really work like that now does it.

[Deadraline]

Sorry but PE in general isn't that great of exercise. Yea, it's good IF people push themselves to do it, but since all you have to do to pass in P.E. is dress out every day and pass the physical fitness tests (bare minimum at that...and considering they are only once a quarter). Peoples physical fitness needs to come from their own motivation. What does it matter if 20 obese kids are taking P.E. then going to school lunch and loading up on pizza, burgers, and candy? All that activity they did just went down the tubes. Physical health is just as much about what you put into your body along with what you physically do with your body. You can run laps for a whole hour, but if you are pumping 3000 calories into your body it doesn't do you a whole lot of good.

When I first started losing weight about 6 months ago now, I struggled more with the diet than I did the exercise. Thankfully someone told me about a diet journal and I found out exactly why I was having trouble (I always blamed my exercise routine). I found that if I had even 100 more calories than I needed per day (I need about 1500 on days I work out and 1100 on days I don't) I would struggle more to lose the weight in 2 or 3 weeks than had I cut out that extra snack or whatever.

Schools can't force overweight kids into P.E. when they don't even have a viable menu for kids to lose weight. Ironically, a lot of kids weight problems these days can be attributed to the bad food at school. Yes, it's also the parents fault for not instilling healthy eating habits into their kids. But at the end of the day it's all about personal motivation. If anything, these kids need to take JROTC classes. At least they get worked harder than kids do in dodge ball, but they also are taught about being self confident, motivated, and working with a team that backs you up and motivates you. At the end of the day if kids can learn these traits somewhere (many don't learn them from home) they have a higher chance to succeed.

[Gephyrophobia]

Why do you need to physical in a learning environment at all? Stupid.

[twinkleblur]

i think all children need PE and the reason for this isnt for losing weight..sorry thats not how weight works...not entirely. but? the exercise can fight off childhood diabetes.