Making Sound Decisions about Nurturing a Sound Mind and a Sound Body

Several magazine, newspaper, and website articles about physical fitness and physical education have caught my attention in the past few months. A few of the most prominent stories described the alarming increase in obesity in American children and adolescents. A recent Newsweek article noted, "Baby fat has morphed into a national health crisis. Nearly 15 percent of kids between 12 and 19 are overweight—up from 5 percent in the late 1970s."

The article continued, "They're also more sedentary than ever. Less than 25 percent of school-age children get even 20 minutes of rigorous daily physical activity, well below the minimum doctors prescribe." Public health officials warn that this inactivity will lead to "costly, debilitating illnesses like high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes even in their 20s and 30s." Relatedly, the American Diabetes Association published a report noting that about 20 percent of childhood diabetes cases are type 2, non-insulin dependent diabetes, which is linked to being overweight.

These warnings have prompted some physical education teachers to re-evaluate the purpose of physical education classes; they no longer devote most of their time and energy on students who demonstrate the greatest athletic talent. Newsweek quoted Peggy Hutter, a physical education teacher at Kearsarge Regional Middle School near Concord, New Hampshire, who observed, "We were taught that if kids want to sit on the side and not participate, too bad, that's their problem. But now gym teachers are looking at all those kids on the sidelines and saying, ‘Hey, maybe we're the ones who have the problem.'"

Phil Lawler, who teaches at Madison Junior High School outside Chicago, found that physically out-of-shape students were expending as much energy as the best athletes, but because they were poorly conditioned, their performance was compromised. Lawler recognized that instead of teaching students how to win a race, he should concentrate on educating them about how to remain in the "fitness zone," that is, the most efficient heart rate for maintaining good health, for as long as possible. Lawler's goal is to provide "students the knowledge, training, and experiences they need to keep themselves fit for their entire lives."

I cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of physical education classes, especially when they focus on enhancing the fitness of all students and not just those who are already fit. However, during my visits to numerous schools I have spoken with many physical education teachers who have described the low regard shown for physical education activities. (I should note I have heard some of the same laments from music and art teachers.) Unfortunately, in today's world of high-stakes testing in which the worth of a student and a teacher is measured by a test score, we are in danger of drifting away from the concept of the "whole child" or "whole adolescent." A false dichotomy has emerged in some quarters that views time devoted for physical education as diverting time and monies from academic pursuits.