Gym Class Isn't Just Fun and Games Anymore

Hello readers. It's been quite a while since I've posted anything in this space. Coaching high school basketball during a hectic but successful season has made it difficult to find time to write but today I managed to spare the time to comment on an article in the online edition of the NY Times entitled "Gym Class Isn't Just Fun and Games Anymore," which discussed a trend to incorporate academics in physical education classes. Happily for me, the Times chose to print the comment. Here is the comment:

"Incorporating academics into PE class is nothing new. For years, high school teachers have been discussing anatomy and the physiological benefits of exercise (among other topics) while leading their students through calisthenics and teaching them various sports skills. I am bewildered by the comments of those who do not approve of this practice. These are physical education classes with the emphasis on "education," not recess; students receive credit for these classes and can not graduate without having successfully completed them; and they take place in schools (institutions in which children are supposed to be learning) not playgrounds where kids can go to play without being bothered to learn.
I would also like to make the point that they are physical education classes not "gym" classes. "Gym" is the location in which these classes are taught not the subject matter that is presented. English classes are not referred to as "room 104 classes" and history classes are not called "room 323 classes"

The writer is a retired NYC physical education teacher."

For those who are interested in reading the Times article, here is the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/edu...