To think PE is a waste of time

[ICantfindagoodusername]

I'm totally prepared to be flamed, but please take the time to read the thread rather than just saying YABU because of the title.
I think PE is a waste of time because:
•Why is it the school's job to make sure our kids get enough exercise? An example of the government parenting our kids for us.
•Why does it always have to be team sports? Schools could do other more interesting PE choices, such as zumba, aerobics, and other things that don't involve running around outside in the cold and rain.
•What good does it do for your education? If a kid is overweight, a couple of hours of standing on a football pitch won't change anything. The time could be better spent covering more of the curriculum. Kids run around at lunchtime anyways.
•PE is supposed to make kids foster a life long love of sports. But in reality, lots of kids LOATHE it, and as soon as they are 16, quit PE, never to do it again.

Dd loves PE. I loathed it. The teachers looked down their noses at anyone not good at team sports. We once did circuits on the apparatus. I excelled at that, did the most laps. But as I say, we only did that once in 4 years.

I hated PE at school. We did aerobics, rounders, gym, badminton... I hated it all! I love exercise now though, I'm in the gym daily.

I also hated Physics. That should go instead.

Don't feed the troll

I think it depends if schools are willing/able to differentiate for children who aren't as able in PE. DS1 has ASD and is due to start secondary next year. He loathes team sports, has real issues with shorts/trainers and is not the most coordinated child either. Weather is also a real problem!

Whilst the local school does offer extra support for Maths, English and Science (which he doesn't need) when I mentioned the PE problems, I got phrases such as "one mother got tough with her child's sensory issues" and also "parental anxiety" got thrown into the mix. I get it is only a small percentage of the school timetable and DS1 is at the extreme end, but for the local school here it's pretty inflexible. (And yes he has a statement soon to be EHCP)).

I think it needs an overhaul. The dyslexic child is no longer,humiliated. The needs of the dyspraxic need to catch up.

I dreaded it. My DD dreaded it. A form of ritual humiliation. The attitude of PE teachers had not changed between 1971 and 2009. Except of course that they didn't dare stand in the showers making sure each compulsorily naked girl showered properly.

Its not the PE itself, but the routine of it - communal changing and all the unpleasantness with it. Plus if you have a lousy teacher, like we had a very creepy old man, its awful.

I hated, hated pe. Being forced to run and play hockey. I cant run, still cant. I hated running around a field. Seemed waste of time. However i love playing tennis and netball. Very rarely was this offered. I did tennis in my spare time till gcse. However, Pe put me off sport pretty much for life.

What's wrong with being outside in the cold and rain!???

Seriously?

Yes, I hated it. It's humiliating having to get changed in front of others when your body is changing. It's a source of bullying. Our PE teacher used to touch us inappropriately too. I dreaded it all week. It's worse than prison showers. It made me so miserable. I wish I could go back in time and tell the school exactly what I thought.

The other day I went passed my sons school while they were doing PE outside and most of the children were just standing around not doing anything. It did make me think what is the actual point of this lesson?

Whats good about it?

If you are very uncoordinated it turns into an ordeal because of team games. This would not happen in academic sessions because it would be the equivalent of the most academic children being able to pick on the less academic.

I think either alternatives to team games should be on offer or the subject should not be compulsory.

A secondary school near me is linked to the sports centre next door. (I think it must be only for ages 16+) During the pe lessons they can choose from swimming, classes or using the gym alongside usual centre users.

I used to hate pe, but am now a keen gym user. I would have loved something like that.

Rubbish.

PE as a general rule is not a waste of time. It depends entirely on how the school handles it. Our school does Games, Dance and PE all once a week. The Games is competitive, with a chance for all levels of ability to compete, but PE isn't. In PE they do gymnastics, yoga, cross country, athletics.

As for the Government parenting your children, why relate that only to Physical Education? Why should it be up to the Government to teach your kids to read, write and count?

I hated PE at school. Because my school was a sack of shit basically and left my useless self at the back with nothing to do. Neither of my DCs are naturally athletic but they both love their active time at school. I'd hate for them to be stuck at a desk all day.

I gave up geography after 3rd year - others did it for gcse then gave it up and some enjoyed it at a level then gave it up and some went on to study geography at uni - pe is no different

I was absolutely rubbish at sport at school, but they must have been doing something right because in spite of this I loved PE lessons .

The other day I went passed my sons school while they were doing PE outside and most of the children were just standing around not doing anything. It did make me think what is the actual point of this lesson?

The teacher was in her coat and scarf and the kids were stood their shivering.

OhtheRoses, I was just about to write virtually exactly what you did.

My school PE lessons were more like exercises in ritual humiliation. I loathed it, it did me no favours audit is the reason why I totally agree with everything the OP says.

Isn't PE in primary school very different to high school though. I remember loving PE in primary but bloody hated it in secondary. I hated that for the 5 years I was at high school (2 different schools in different cities when we moved) it was netball, hockey, rounders and athletics in that order every year with the occasional gymnastics or badminton thrown in when it was snowing. I also hated having to wear a polo shirt and gym skirt in the freezing cold yet the teacher was stood there wrapped up with a coffee "you'll warm up if you run around" evil fucking bitches.

However I do think a more reformed and varied version of PE is a brilliant idea because done right I think PE would have been a lot of fun.

As I recall also, a period was 40 mins and a portion of this was spent changing. Hardly worth the hassle.

When I was 16 and anorexic (under 6stone) I was shivering in the cold hall and the teacher wouldn't let me put my jumper on.

Nothing worse than having swimming first period then sitting with wet hair the rest of the day.

Yabu

Given that the biggest issue we have is that we are getting fat and that exercise cures many ills, I think that physical education is even more important than it ever was.

We need to get our children moving - be it through sport or exercise. It's so so important.

I loath PE because of the team sports thing too. I discovered exercise in my postgrad years. I love all the exercise classes, from dance, boxing, floor aerobics, steps, pump. In my 40s, I discovered yoga and pilates too. I'm very active and love rambling too. I know runners who have similar stories about hating PE but discover running and now running marathons regularly.

I think PE should expand to include non-competitive sports. It shouldn't be dropped because i think it's an important part of education.

I hated PE but I wouldn't want to axe it from the curriculum. I found the ridiculous gym knickers, gym skirt, knee high socks combo horrifying as a child with legs like tree trunks. Also communal changing rooms and communal showers were a source of massive anxiety and I would skive off rather than turn up for PE. I used to gown down town for an hour or so and come back in time for the lesson after.

PE and cookery. Being physically active and nutritionally aware are strongly linked to health/aging well. Both are essential to life. Poor nutrition and activity levels cost the nhs and tax payer. There's a huge diabeties and fat problem in the UK, and quite a lot of parents struggle to model appropriate behaviours.

We didn't exclusively do team sports - dance, gymnastics, tennis and athletics were core sports that we did every year. We'd also have random lessons where we'd do something different, so there was certainly variety. And secondary school girls 100% do not run around at lunch time. (I despised PE btw but I do think it has value)