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. However, I think it would be beneficial to the school and the students if they enjoyed physical education. If kids enjoyed physical education, they would be more involved in the activities and get the most out of the exercise. Parents, students, and school administrators should become educated on the importance of physical education so they can enjoy the many benefits of it. 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. 

Physical education is something many students could not imagine school without while other students do not even get the chance to experience it. Physical education is opposed by so many schools across the United States. “In its biennial survey of high school students across the nation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in June that nearly half [of the students] said they had no physical education classes in an average week” 

(Baker). Due to the fact that nearly half of the students surveyed do not have physical education class in an average week, we can conclude that many school administrators do not see the importance of physical education. They do not feel it is important to have physical education on a weekly basis. While some schools do not have any physical education, it is just as big of an issue that some schools do not have 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).  There are many different reasons as to 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 (McKenzie). 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. 

Although it sounds quite obvious that physical education classes should be required in high schools, there are many people who oppose the idea. One reason many schools do not see the importance of physical education is because they believe it is not something you are going to use in the future. “No, you’re never going to use your ‘standing around the outfield with twelve other people’ skills later in life” (Miller). Many people provide this reasoning for not thinking physical education is important. Another argument many people provide is that education is more important, therefore, time should not be wasted on physical education. A school in New York claimed they need to “devote resources to test preparation” (Baker). This school is saying they cannot waste time on physical education when they have material to cover, tests to take, and information to learn with not much time and resources. According to another report, “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” (Patterson). This is another argument that kids are in school to learn and not to be active. Lastly, many people claim children do not enjoy physical education, so why should the schools take the time out of their learning to force it upon kids. “High school gym class has long been a source of anxiety for teens who may not be naturally adept at or interested in competitive sports like basketball” (Pannoni). This is supporting the idea that many kids do not enjoy physical education. While some people believe that physical education is not going to be used by children in the future, that education is more important, or that kids do not enjoy it, there is so much evidence to prove these ideas wrong. 

Physical education contains some of the most real-world information they can get from a high school class. Physical education class is the time of school where children are taught about exercise, nutrition, and health (Pica). 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 other 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. 

School administrators should be concerned about the affect lack of physical education can have on their students. One way schools can help many problems that come on to children when they are young is by requiring physical education. “Physical activity is critical to preventing childhood obesity and contributes to children’s overall physical and cognitive health, yet fewer than half of all children achieve the recommended 60 min per day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity” (Wright).  Physical education is crucial to children and their health, parents and school administrators need to be aware of it. Parents should be on top of their child’s physical activity as much as they are on top of their homework. Failing to get regular exercise can truly harm children. “Lack of regular physical activity is among the top preventable risk factors for premature mortality in the United States, attributable in large part to its contribution to the childhood obesity epidemic” (Zimmerman).  That means exercising in physical education class every day could help minimize or stop this problem. Although not many children die from lack of physical education class, there are other health issues they can have. Lack of exercise can cause children to experience more stress, poor sleep, and depression (Zimmerman). Many parents and school administrators should feel concerned when they hear these facts. Just by taking a fraction of their time to help minimize these problems would be making a huge difference. If schools do not feel they have enough time, they can incorporate physical education in the classroom such as reading books where children can act out the story or playing music that includes movements (SPARK). There are such simple ways to make such children get exercise throughout the school day even with lack of time or materials. 

Physical education class is actually proven to help students with academic performance. It is very common for parents to conclude that when their children have exercise in school they come home more settled and calmer. Exhausting children with physical exercise in school can help them calm down and pay more attention in school, but there are more ways the exercise can help children in school. 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). Retaining information is a tool all children can use in the classroom to perform better academically. One last study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine found, "fourth and fifth-grade students who ran around and otherwise exercised vigorously for at least 10 minutes before a math test scored higher than children who had sat quietly before the exam (Reynolds). This proves physical activity can help children perform better on tests and help them in school. All 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. 

 

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. A simple way to get children to exercise without competition is to incorporate it into other classes. Teachers could have children hop, walk like an animal, or stand like a stork during class (SPARK). This does not take up any room and allows for fun, non-competitive exercise for children. Moving desks and other classroom furniture out of the way could also make room for simple games like a bean bag toss (SPARK). 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
