Physical education is one part of high school every student remembers, some students for positive reasons and some for negative reasons. Physical education class is an important aspect of high school, no matter what the students think of it. First of all, physical education class can help children perform better in their other classes. Exercise is proven to help kids with memorization, testing, and retaining information. Physical education class also puts children in the routine of exercising every day and provides them with information about being healthy. If they learn all of this as a child or teenager, they will likely carry this trend into their adult life and become healthy adults. There is an argument that physical education class is not enjoyable for children, however there are ways to improve the class so it is appealing for all types of people. Bringing in technology and promoting individual fitness can make many children feel more comfortable and make gym class more enjoyable for them. Lastly, exercising in school is forcing children to exercise which can help with the increasing issue of childhood obesity. Physical education class should be required in high school because it helps kids with factors that will carry into their education classes, it is something kids enjoy or we can change for more children to enjoy it, it helps with the issue of childhood obesity, and it provides kids with important information that will help them become healthy adults. 

Although it sounds quite obvious that physical education classes should be required in high schools, there are many people who oppose the idea. Many people are very surprised at the percentage of schools who do not require physical education. “In its biennial survey of high school students across the nation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in June that nearly half said they had no physical education classes in an average week” 

(Baker). Many schools across the nation do not believe physical education is important if almost half of the students surveyed did not have any classes in an average week. While some schools do not have any physical education, another issue is not enough physical education. It was found that only 20% of all elementary schools in San Francisco gives kids 20 minutes of physical education a day, which is the state’s requirement (Baker). Having little to no physical education is a problem because physical education class is a crucial part of a child’s education. There are also different reasons for why physical education classes are not required in some schools. In a video supporting physical education in schools, some reasons were proposed for why there is little to no physical education at some schools. These reasons include inadequate schedules, limited equipment and space, no specific curriculum, and lack of certified physical education teachers (video). A huge issue is that physical education is not supported by the Department of Education so many school administrators blame the lack of class on budget cuts (Baker). While there are many reasons for why there is little to no physical education in many schools across the United States, there is no excuse for it. If schools have the money and resources to have every other class, they should make space and time to have physical education class because it is just as important. Physical education classes are so beneficial for students that they should be a requirement in every high school across the United States. 

There are many people across the United States who support the idea of required physical education, but there are some who do not feel it is necessary. One popular reason physical education is seen as unnecessary is because people believe the students are never going to use in life and it does not help them. Galanty Miller argues that you will use your skills from math, grammar, history, and science classes later in life, but you will never utilize the things you learn in physical education (Miller). This is a common misconception because physical education class does affect the students and their futures in a positive way. While classes such as history and science will be used in the future for college and possible careers, physical education will help promote healthy living and regular exercise. If children learn to be healthy and exercise regularly, which they would in physical education class, it will carry into their adult life and create healthy adults. Exercising as children is also known to help develop stronger motor skills, which carries into adulthood. While it is understandable that some people believe physical education is unnecessary because it will not be used in the child’s future, there are many ways physical education can help children in the future into their adult life.

Some people believe physical education class is not important because children are never going to use it in the future and it does not have any health benefits, there is a lot of evidence to prove its importance. Physical education class is the time of school where children are taught about exercise, nutrition, and health. This is also when children learn basic skills like stopping and starting, standing in a line, and identifying body parts. If children do not learn these things, when they grow up and become adults, they will have trouble with things like basic motor skills. Surprisingly, motor skills are not just something you develop, they are something you acquire from doing things. With physical education class, we are giving these children the opportunity to develop motor skills that will carry into their adult life. Also, if you teach children to be active every day up until the time they are 18 and now an adult, they are more likely to continue this on their own outside of high school. If people are in the habit of exercising every day, they are likely to continue it, even if they do not have someone making them do it. This means physical education class in high school promotes healthy adults. Another argument is that exercising for that short amount of time is not going to have any major health benefits. However, this could be the only exercise the children get all day. If their parents do not promote exercise and let their children sit in front of the television all night when they get home, the kids need physical education. Physical education can have major health benefits for kids who do not exercise otherwise, or kids who do not have the opportunity to go out in a big yard and play ball after school. Although it is a reasonable assumption that physical education class is not important because children will not need it in the future, there are many facts to show that the class is beneficial to kids and helps kids grow into healthy adults. 

The most common reason people think physical education should not be required in high school is the fact that “real” classes, such as science and history, are more important. “44 percent of the nation’s school administrators have cut significant amounts of time from physical education, arts and recess so that more time could be devoted to reading and mathematics since the passage of No Child Left Behind in 2001” (Patterson). Obviously schools do not see physical education as important if so many of the schools in the nation have cut time from the class to focus on other subjects. Another reason schools want to focus on other classes is because there is a lot of pressure to perform well on standardized tests. Many schools are more focused on academic performance than they are with the children and their well-being. While it is reasonable to assume that other subjects are more important than physical education, what most people do not know is physical education class actually helps students in their other classes.

Some people believe physical education should not be required in high school because other subjects are more important to a student’s success. However, what is interesting is that physical education class is actually proven to help students with academic performance. In a study by FLEX, a link was found between physical activity, cognitive function, and academic excellence. There is another study that found, “children who are physically fit absorb and retain new information more effectively than children who are out of shape” (Reynolds). Both of these studies show that physical activity helps children with many factors that can benefit them in their other classes. Some specific benefits found were higher test scores and better memorization skills. Therefore, if people think physical education classes should be cut because children need to do better in their other classes, they are only hurting their own cause. Physical education classes help kids in their other classes while also helping keep them active and healthy. 

Another common thought about physical education class is that it is not enjoyable for children. When many students look back on physical education class, they probably think it was one of the worst things about high school. “Gym class sucks. I write this not as an unmotivated teenager who doesn’t want to shoot basketballs for forty minutes and then spend the rest of the school day covered in a layer of rancid dry sweat. Rather, I reflect and contemplate as an adult (okay — still unmotivated) who can look back and say without bias, ‘Yes, gym class was crap’” (Miller). While many students may agree that gym class is unenjoyable, it does not mean that it cannot change to be enjoyable for everyone. There are ways to involve technology and individual fitness so that no one feels left out, unmotivated, or bored. Although it seems probable that physical education class should not be required because children do not enjoy it, there are many ways to improve physical education class to appeal to a larger group of people instead of just athletes. 

Physical education often appeals to only athletes or boys who enjoy sports, many other students do not enjoy it. However, that does not mean it should be optional. There are ways to make physical education class appealing to self-conscious people, not athletic people, and many other types of people who do not enjoy “standard” physical education class. One idea proposed was to incorporate technology and “games” rather than sports into physical education class. Some examples of this includes Xbox Kinect, ping-pong, electric basketball arcade game, and more. The students are still getting exercise, but they are not playing a big game of soccer where many just run away from the ball. Another issue with only playing sports in gym class is the competitiveness. It can often cause fights and bring out hostile personalities. “We're trying to introduce them to things that they can do that are outside of competitive sports” (Pannoni). Instead of playing competitive games, some schools are introducing individual exercise to eliminate negative competition. All of these different ideas can help make physical education class more enjoyable for different types of people. This means the argument that physical education class only appeals to certain people and that many children do not enjoy it can be resolved. 

One major problem with children in America today is obesity. Children eat unhealthy foods, do not exercise, and are more involved with technology than ever. Just like we make children learn in school, to make them more educated, it makes sense to make children exercise in school, to make them healthier. Having required physical education class can help the problem of childhood obesity by forcing children to participate in daily exercise and getting them in the habit of exercising from a young age. “It is self-evident that one of only two likely pathways towards reversing the childhood obesity epidemic is to intervene to increase physical activity” (Zeitler). The problem of childhood obesity could be lessened by simply having required physical education classes, something many schools already do. Physical activity helps children stay healthy in many different ways. “It remains a fundamental truth that successful and sustained increases in physical activity offer a clear pathway towards primary prevention of childhood obesity and secondary prevention of obesity-related complications, such as the metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes” (Zeitler). If all of these problems can be helped simply by having required physical education in schools, why is there even an argument? Childhood obesity is one of the biggest problems all across the United States right now and it has grown rapidly. There is a simple fix to this major issue, required physical education. Physical education should be required in schools throughout the United States because it can help lessen the childhood obesity rate and keep more children healthy.

There is an ongoing debate about physical education in high schools. School administrators argue that there are not enough funds or teachers to support the program, parents argue that other classes are more important, and others argue that it is just not useful. Physical education is an amazing thing for children and it is a crucial part of their education. Physical education classes help children improve their motor skills which is beneficial as they grow into adults. It also promotes a healthy lifestyle of exercising every day and putting children in the habit of that can be beneficial as they grow into adults and continue this lifestyle. Physical education classes are also one of the only times in school children learn about eating healthy, being healthy, and the consequences for not being healthy. Not only is physical education good for children and their health, it helps them in their other classes. Physical activity is proven to help children with memorization, improve their testing abilities, and increase their retention rate. All of this can be beneficial to children in their other academic classes which is important. Although some students do not like physical education, there are ways to improve it to appeal to many more people. Focusing on individual fitness and including technology in physical education classes can make the class more fun for many more students. Lastly, physical education in schools can help tackle the major issue of childhood obesity. Overall, physical education classes in schools are very important for a number of reasons. If more people see and understand these reasons, they will agree that physical education should be required in schools throughout the country because it is so beneficial. 
