Making the unfit kid who comes last run round the field again?

[Veuvelily]

Can anyone tell me the logic here.
What is the games teacher trying to achieve?

The child has tried his best and feels like he’s being punished unfairly
Plus he’s then used up all his energy, so is tired for the actual games lesson

meant to be sixth form and enjoy

Reminds me of that SAS programme.

I would check with the teacher what is happening. It could be bullying, or it could be because as others said he is just slower at doing the laps and everyone has finished whilst he completing his last lap or he is mucking about and so has to repeat the lap.

I was a crap runner, just couldn’t run. If my teacher had done that to me, I’d be heartbroken. That’s cruel and unnecessary.

My teachers used to make me do this. It just made me really embarrassed to run and hate PE lessons. it wasn't til sixth form i actually enjoyed any sports when we were given more freedom and i didn't have to do any running....prior to that i'd use any excuse to get out

To this day i detest running - i do aerobics and other high impact exercise but point blank refuse to run. i am just too self councious

"Sports is like anything else in life, someone will come last and need to practice more until they progress. "

No! I could practice forever and still be bad at sports.
Exercise is what you need for your health - it doesn't have to be sports at all.
I've been jogging for the last year and am actually getting worse at it, not better, but at least running wasn't used as a punishment at my school.

The only way I could think that this is in any way logical is if your ds is messing about and that is why he's last? If you're absolutely sure this isn't happening I'd be going in all guns blazing. Tbh though the story a teen tells is generally VERY overly one sided lol.

Check with the teacher. There's likely more to this than you've been led to believe.

This should be the first response every single time.

To punish them and humiliate them infront of everyone. Literally no possible other reason. It's hardly going to inspire or encourage them to work on their fitness is it? And anyone who claims to believe it would is delusional.

I'm amazed that this still happens. It was common enough 50 or so years ago; and probably put loads of people off physical exercise for life! But I'd have thought PE/games teachers had more sense now.

@Veuvelily

Yes he’s my child He’s not massively overweight. He just looks regular size in his clothes. You wouldn’t immediately say fat kid.

We have lots of issues at the moment, dyslexia, adhd, demand avoidance. I think he’s on the spectrum.
Had lots of problems since he started senior school. Trying to get some sort of balance with the school but ultimately they’re trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. They’re not flexible

At school I hated PE was always told I was unfit and unhealthy.

At University finally got tested properly for dyslexia - the testing process also revealed I had dyspraxia a common comorbidity- which everyone who knew me as a chid went oh yes when they read the criteria.

On top of that I got out of breath and got stiches a lot - as an adult I was diagnosed with asthma - and told I had probably always been boarder line. DD1 had great PE teachers - they were concerned about her having similar issues in PE lessons and recommended we talk to GP - after tests and moinotoing she has mild asthma and exercise is a trigger for her.

I think I was perceived as difficult by PE teachers - in fact when I had them for normal lessons they assessed me as less good despite me doing well in end of year tests as normal - but I was just really struggling with PE.

DS doesn't have such great PE teachers -he was recently complained of joint pain due to running laps in PE - I suspect we have overly flexiable joints in family as well - and I strongly suspect he has dypraixa though I can't get any disgnosed without going private - but I did some reading and buying and we found barefoot running shoes have helped him a lot.

So I wonder if it's not fitness but another issues meaning running isn't working - I's suggest talking to the school and teacher and/or SENCO see if they are willing to help though that sounds unpromising.

Is it possible that he is saying this so you get him out of the lesson? I’d have thought the last thing a pe teacher wants is someone doing another lap and holding up the start of the lesson. Def ask.

I'd go to the head. This is bullying.

I was that unfit child.

At 50, I have discovered that I have exercise induced asthma. I thought it was normal to feel like my chest was on fire when I ran, and I just assumed it was because I was unfit. I would subconsciously slow my pace to avoid that chest on fire feeling, so it looked like I was just being lazy. It would never have occurred to anyone that I had asthma, because I never wheezed, or had a full-on asthma attack.

With an inhaler, suddenly I can breathe freely when I do exercise, and it is a revelation. I would urge anyone who gets very out of breath with exercise to ask their doctor to let them try an inhaler. Essentially, if the inhaler works, you have asthma.

Wow, that's awful. My DD isn't unfit necessarily, but she's way behind her peers physically and unfortunately nearly always comes last in most races. She has autism and has been doing physiotherapy since she could walk. I would be extremely unhappy if she was made to run around the field again and would certainly be taking it up with the school.

Im going to be unpopular but in for a penny in for a pound. All of those saying it's like something from the 70s, can I just point out there were a lot less unfit/overweight kids in the 70s

But even in the 70s sports lessons were only once per week and I think it was more to do with the fact we didn’t snack between meals pasta for a lot of people was a rarity and we didn’t have as much sugar in our diet (now every ready meal seems to have sugar added) rather than kids doing pe umpteen times per week.

I wasn’t one if the popular kids so was always the one left till last to be picked. It was humiliating and the fact I was quite good at netball (despite being the shortest in the class) made it more of a popularity contest than picking someone for a winning team.
In no way would making a child run around a sports field on their own in front of their peers going to instil a love for sports.

I would be asking the reasoning behind it to start with and go in softly before screaming blue murder at their pathetic attempt to make themselves look big

The task was to run round the field. He has achieved that. The task was not to win the race.

If it is true then go to the head and get bully PE teacher sorted. The fuckers dont appear to have changed much in the 40 years since I was at school.

OP it would be helpful to know your DS height and weight.

That's horrible and I'd consider it a form of bullying by the teacher. Have a word with the school and tell them this is not to happen again. Then tell your Ds to say no next time he's told to do an extra lap. If the asshole teacher has an issue they can contact you - if it were my child they'd get a bollocking for shaming a child.

I was that child. PE teachers like that (and mine) put me off exercise for years.

I would be reporting to the head and governors.

If he really did try hard then totally unacceptable in my opinion. If he rolled his eyes and didn't try at all I get the logic. We go to junior parkrun regularly and cheer the slowest as much as the fastest as they're still doing it and should be encouraged.

Xpost with randomlylostinwales!

Interesting, my sons also have both asthma and dyspraxia. They hate running, but they do ok with swimming, and eventually cycling. Ball games are a no-no too.

@applesandpears33

What is the aim of PE at school? If it is to try and foster a lifelong interest in health and fitness then bullying behaviour such as this could just put a child off for life, particularly if it makes someone think they are just no good at it. I'm in favour of keeping competitive sport for those who want it and making PE lessons for everyone else fun and informative, not opportunities for bullying.

Totally agree. I was your DS in school, OP, because - as it later turned out - I have a disability affecting my sight and muscles in one leg. I wasn't diagnosed until after school, but my PE teacher was lovely - always encouraging, and positive about what I managed. Even so, it was so humiliating always to be last - all the sports we did were competitive and required running, so I was crap at all of them.

It took me years to learn to enjoy exercise and, even now, whenever I try a new physical activity, I am on edge, waiting for someone to make me do something that everyone else finds easy, but which is almost impossible for me.

because PE teachers are sadistic bastards who peaked in high school and never leave.

@RantyAnty

OP it would be helpful to know your DS height and weight.

No it wouldn't. If he is overweight, it's even more stupid to put him off exercise by humiliating him.