In our last poll, we asked you to tell us what you think about your school's physical education program. Almost a third of respondents told us it was great, but nearly 50 percent think there's room for improvement. In her introductory post, our new blogger Bronx Mom said that the lack of satisfactory physical education facilities was one factor that lead her to look outside of her district for schools. Thanks for your comments on her post and on our poll!
One parent told us: "Physical education is given in the cafeteria. Kids only get it once a week and all the supplies including balls are paid for by the PTA, because there isn’t enough money in the budget to cover that stuff. Upper grades have recess in the street because the yards are too small to accommodate everyone."
Elizabeth, a NYC public high school teacher said that large gym class sizes and short class length are a huge problem. She noted, however, that she's thankful her school offers rigorous dance and yoga classes. " These make physical fitness an integrated part of students’ lives - doing things that are active but that students are also invested in," she said.
Marge cited the need for physical fitness opportunities outside of schools: "Let’s do all we can for kids while they are at school, but our society needs to address some of the imbalances outside of school as well, like affordable summer camps and sports programs and after school activities that allow for adequate physical exercise and making neighborhoods safer so kids can play outside."
This week, we’d like to know whether you think school's should require summer reading. Vote now, and add your comments below!
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