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

*so running around the field again is actually beneficial to the child's fitness

It really isn't.*

Explain to me how an unfit person gets fitter then if it isn't by doing more exercise?

Appalling, humiliating treatment of a child.
Not justified at all, especially if the child was genuinely doing their best.

My teacher used to make me do this 20 years ago. She was a bulky as well. It not about being unfit either. I was a lot smaller than the other children. If it's your child I'd complain about this, how humiliating for the poor child.

Only logic in this which makes it acceptable for me is if the dc was not doing his/her best, like running half heartedly instead of trying their best. Otherwise, it's very cruel.

It’s not going to be beneficial to fitness though. All it will achieve is ensuring that child won’t want to engage with PE lessons, and hate exercise. I was (and still am) a terrible runner thanks to joint problems that started in childhood. I detested running, it hurt and I was almost always last. Making me do more running was hugely counter productive, I didn’t get any better and just wound up hating PE and doing all I could to get out of it. There are other ways to improve fitness that don’t involve singling kids out for what looks like punishment for not being a good runner.

Explain to me how an unfit person gets fitter then if it isn't by doing more exercise?

Like someone else said, they all run for a set time and each week they manage to run further. It isn't rocket science. Making someone run an extra lap which then knackers them for the rest of the session isn't going to make them fitter.

Did you see the child in question do the run op?

I was the unfit child too. Always last

That humiliation stayed with me. As an adult I took up running on my own terms and ran London marathon (twice) and countless other half marathons,10k etc ....my motivation was that bitch of a PE teacher and the top popular girls ... I was thinking ‘fuck you’ aa I ran round , not that I thought of those days obsessively but they definitely affected confidence growing up

@Hellocatshome

*so running around the field again is actually beneficial to the child's fitness

It really isn't.*

Explain to me how an unfit person gets fitter then if it isn't by doing more exercise?

Humiliating a child doesn't teach them anything. We tend to use more of a praise and encouragement approach these days.

The tactics described are more likely to turn them off from exercise, not help.

I despise grownups that a mean to children. Report to your senior. Poor child

The logic of making an unfit person fitter is ridiculous - someone is always going to come last?! Doesn't always mean they're unfit

I hated running for years because of this. It was only when I started C25K as a trainer-phobic 38 yr old that I realised that you learn to run by doing it GRADUALLY. By building up in small increments so your body adapts. If the PE dept had offered a C25K type programme when I was at school, instead of forcing me to struggle and fail over and over, with zero guidance, I might not have labelled myself 'shit at games' for so long.

Forcing a tired unfit child to do it all over again while everyone watches isn't helping anyone. You don't give a child a French textbook then yell at them because they're not instantly fluent.

Explain to me how an unfit person gets fitter then if it isn't by doing more exercise?

By doing exercise in a more appropriate, positive, way, as suggested by PPs

My DC's sports teacher times them, and rather than shame them, simply gives them a goal of beating their own best time the next time, so the only person they're competing against is themselves.

Or
DS used to be the unfit child. At his school, they all have to run for a certain amount of time. the key is to aim to keep running the entire time. And then, every time DS would manage to run a bit further than the time before, he was praised.

There is also the fact that "fast" does not necessarily equal "fit" but the OP used the word "unfit"

It's mean because it's conspicuous, but the idea of improving fitness is what lies behind.

Extra help in other subjects (which can also be noticeable - such as being sent to a different group or losinga playtime to it) isn't stigmatised in the same way.

Perhaps it should be remedial PE as a lunchtime club, just like a maths club, instead?

Also, in my experience no one ever taught us about stretching, pacing ourselves etc. We weren't given the skills to improve. We were just told to run 3 laps of the field while the teacher had a coffee. I can't imagine just throwing a book at my maths students and saying "complete this" with no input. I'd be out of work PDQ. I hope for DS2's sake PE is getting better in secondary schools as he hates it in juniors. It was bad for DS1 who has now left school.

@Hellocatshome

*so running around the field again is actually beneficial to the child's fitness

It really isn't.*

Explain to me how an unfit person gets fitter then if it isn't by doing more exercise?

Because it's humiliating, hasn't improved their fitness whatsoever ever and can also provoke bullying by other children. Those things have a lasting effect on people. I've been that kid. It doesn't seem like you have.

My son is very athletic but absolutely shit at maths, he has to do extra maths work and stay behind at breaks/after school to do more. Yes he isnt being stared at by his peers but they all know why he isnt around at breaks.

You really can't compare maths to physical exercise. You don't have a finite capacity for doing maths problems, you do have a finite capacity for physical exercise.

Bloody hell. This was what PE was like in the 80s when no one knew any better.

I was that kid. I couldn't run. My legs went wobbly. I couldn't breathe. Then as an adult I did C25K and learned how to build stamina.

PE should be about encouraging fitness and helping a child find the way to improve fitness. Not punishing a lack of fitness.

He’s always come last in running
He enjoys football, rugby, pe and always comes out hot and sweaty.
I was sports captain but could never run long distance
He says he gets a stitch and can actually taste blood in his mouth. He hates it.
He is overweight, he is very self conscious
But he has an exercise bike and punching bag that he spends an hour a night on.
He’s 13, constantly hungry and 5ft 9

you do have a finite capacity for physical exercise

That's simply not true, barring underlying medical conditions

The child who comes last may not be any more unfit than others in the bottom quartile of their class - they might be similar or more 'fit' but smaller or less far on into puberty. Or for girls, have acquired breasts but no high impact sports bra.

@EdithWeston

you do have a finite capacity for physical exercise

That's simply not true, barring underlying medical conditions

😂😂 of course it is. There comes a point when you just can't run any further.

Obviously this capacity changes with fitness but at any one time, there is only so much you can do. Unlike maths which you can just crack on with.

You really can't compare maths to physical exercise. You don't have a finite capacity for doing maths problems, you do have a finite capacity for physical exercise.

So someone with a processing disorder doesn't have a finite capacity for solving maths problems but an unfit (no physical disabilities have been mentioned) person has a finite capacity for exercise? We will have to agree to distance that one!