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

@Bythemillpond

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

If only sports lessons had been once a week! It may have been different in girls' schools but at a boys' grammar we had two 'ordinary' periods and a whole afternoon.

I hated every moment and gave up sport the minute I left. But then I had undiagnosed asthma, coeliac and a degree of hypermobility and all too obvious but ignored flat feet.

So I have a lifelong hatred of both sport and sadists in tracksuits.

@tattleandbagels

Bu that isn't what we are saying. We are saying that PE teachers treat everyone as if they should have the same ability. In other subjects you differentiate the tasks and the teaching to match the ability of the kids concerned. But PE teachers just assume that if you are slow or can't catch a ball, you aren't trying, rather than teaching you ways to get faster or improve technique.

exams are not designed around or cater for different abilities though..
The basic requirements for most sports is perfectly suitable to reachfor average children, the fitter ones just do better.

I agree that exams aren't built around ability.

But, in the academic subjects, the students are taught what the levels are, what knowledge they need to answer the questions, and crucially, students are taught exam techniques.

They aren't thrown into the deep end and expected to know what to do.

PE needs to be taught properly. And that includes teaching the right techniques. Not just to help the children to improve speed and fitness, but also to reduce and avoid injuries and longer term problems caused by not knowing the right techniques.

OP, I think you are handling this well - best to collaborate and find solutions rather than hit the nukes - I hope you can find some resolution here.

It's a form of physical punishment which is not acceptable in 2021.

Teacher needs to account and give a reason for their action

Definitely take it further op

@OhMyAttic

They used to do that 25 years ago and it was pointless then too. It's a teacher on a power trip trying to humiliate a child.

^This.

School PE classes were an exercise in ritual humiliation when I was at school and instilled a deep seated hatred of exercise on me that I have found very hard to shake.

Since you've asked for any possible reason, the only thing I can think of is perhaps he's messing about on the original lap and he's being told to do another because of that?

Is this happening to any of the other children or is he being made to do this by himself?

Either way (or for any other reason) it's good you're getting in touch with the teacher.

This is the psychological equivalent of making the kid who does not know the answers stand in the corner wearing the dunces cap.

I would get onto the head teacher, school governors and out on social media. Teachers like this should not be in charge of children.

Not read the full thread, but poor child.
This is bullying off the teacher, you don't punish a child because the parents allow their child to be unfit and not exercise them properly.

You will never get a one size fits all approach for PE at school but I do wonder of how much is this just can't be arsed instead of not trying. Such a fine line.

As previous people have said kids will naturally be lazy and some will need to be pushed

The fitness kick is new, I bought the equipment and he’s motivated himself to get going on it.

He’s not just trying to get out if pe. Or the run. He hates the idea of me talking to the teacher about it. He doesn’t want to make a fuss, but I can’t let it go on. He was very upset

Don't let it go. It's not acceptable for kids to be treated this way. If there are real concerns about their fitness, a quiet word with the parents is the way to go, not humiliating kids in front of their peers. That is not acceptable.

@Veuvelily

The fitness kick is new, I bought the equipment and he’s motivated himself to get going on it.

He’s not just trying to get out if pe. Or the run. He hates the idea of me talking to the teacher about it. He doesn’t want to make a fuss, but I can’t let it go on. He was very upset

Does he know how to get a good workout from the bike? He could cycle for hours without doing much to raise his heartrate if he hasn't accessed a useful training video or workout plan. He could have a look on YouTube for some workouts that would challenge him and learning to use the data to track his progress could motivate him to continue improving.

I would seriously consider home ed for your “square peg in a round hole” kid. My DC have various SN and have flourished in home ed, doing things at their own speed. (Not just running!)

Awful behaviour from the PE teacher, I’m another person who still remembers the humiliation meted out in PE lessons. But went on to do a non-school sport at uni and won trophies.

God! I can’t believe this is still happening 25 years after I left school! What the hell is it with PE teachers? As pp said, it is/was the only lesson that had no actual teaching to help you improve, no consideration of those with different ability/size/strength.

One of my friends at high school was a foot taller then me; naturally, at 6’ 2” she was good at the high jump, unsurprisingly at 5’2”, I was not. Yet, the PE teachers would somehow think that I should be able to clear the bar just the same as her and I just “wasn’t trying” 🙄.

When we got to Yr 10/11 we were sometimes allowed to do aerobics, if we were ‘good’ and didn’t chat in the changing rooms. If people want to play team games, then fine but alternatives should be offered for those who don’t. I’m not competitive at all, I couldn’t give a shit if someone can run faster/jump higher/throw further.

I do martial arts now and the focus is on quality, not quantity. My instructors often say they’d rather we spent time doing one kick perfectly than doing 100 poor kicks. More importantly, the instructors spend time explaining, demonstrating and encouraging. There is no bullying and if any of the members mess about or try to take the mick, it is clamped down on VERY swiftly and firmly. Schools could do to take a leaf out of their book.

Professional misconduct.

It depends on how the child reacted, did he challenge the teacher and as a result got an extra lap etc ? Sometimes that's how it was at our pe lessons

Chrissy Plummer, I echo what you said and remember it well. I had quite a phobia about PE, it was so humiliating, yet I was fit.

It is bullying, and should be unacceptable in school. Your poor son.
I was always last in a run at school (thankfully without any humiliation from my lovely PE Teachers), and only learned how to run at a gym, in my 30’s, with the aid of a personal trainer and front facing mirror. The constant back problems that I had prior to that were caused by poor posture and pronating feet, and once that improved, my tolerance and speed improved enormously.
You say he’s tall for his age - sometimes this causes poor posture and associated running efficiency - maybe some Pilates videos could help him if this is the case...

Beyond buying the new exercise equipment do you do anything active outside of school? It sounds like he’s very unfit and keen to do something about it?

He does no extra curricular activities
He’s bored, restless, irritated
We’re going swimming soon, he’s a v strong swimmer.
Activities we would normally do have all been closed. Cinema, theatre etc. I book actives with him, like axe throwing! Escape rooms

@Veuvelily

He does no extra curricular activities He’s bored, restless, irritated We’re going swimming soon, he’s a v strong swimmer. Activities we would normally do have all been closed. Cinema, theatre etc. I book actives with him, like axe throwing! Escape rooms

Could you do the couch to 5k together? He might have more motivation if you do it with him. It’s free too!

This is bringing back nightmares of PE lessons in the seventies. I was the asthmatic child (medication was primitive then), who was shorter than most others, totally uncoordinated, slightly chubby (not overweight) and a very slow runner. I was always the last to be picked for teams. PE teachers can be bullies, this is the only way to describe it.

This is something they do in post schools. The kid will be fit in no time.

Sounds like bullying to me. Glad you are going to get to the bottom of this. PE teachers who humiliate children can put them off exercise for life. I refused to do PE any more once I reached the age of 14 because it was miserable and shit.

Dh said his old football coach used to do this, he said one particular boy was larger than all the others so always came last.
It made the boy more determined and eventually was one of the best players and when doing warm up laps was one of the 1st to finish.