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.

Sport / PE taught me nothing about teamwork, it taught me that it's a total waste of time running around trying to prove that you're better than someone else at throwing / hitting / running (and I was actually quite good at it). Drama taught me far more about teamwork than PE.

Anewstart sadly you are probably right but my kids are at a school where 25% of them are obese at year 6.The parents are doing fuck all about it. Most of the overweight children get driven to school or live within 10 mins walking and don't go To a single one of the 8 extra curricular activities put on. If the school didn't make them move a little bit, they may never. And maybe just maybe one of those kids will go on to doing more exercise as a result of PE as otherwise they may never.

A lot of the children we know who are home educated really didn't like sports in school, many have asd, dyspraxia etc which can make many aspects of team sports difficult. So lots of teasing, getting picked last and all that.

DH runs a sports club for them now where the emphasis is on building skills, they try loads of different sports and it's small groups. What's really interesting is that when it's come up in conversation in his day job (he works in a shop with lots of regulars) a staggering number of parents have said they wish he could run a class on the weekends because their kids are active, but are being put off by school sports.

Physical activity is very important in schools, but the range of activities done, particularly at secondary school, is far too small.
I completely agree that a much wider range of activities should be provided. Team sports don't suit many kids.

Agree that secondary school PE definitely needs an overhaul. I absolutely bloody hated it and it put me off doing exercise for a long time - I thought I was crap at it. But now I do classes at the gym - body combat, body pump etc - and I adore going. I wish we could have done things like that.

YANBU. PE was horrific for me, from the age of 14 I just point blank refused to participate any more. I hoped it had got better for today's kids but it doesn't sound that way.

YABU - but agree with posters who think that the focus on traditional team games - most of which are very niche activities for adults - and athletics can put more kids off than are enthused by them. More 'real' activities would be better, but I'm not sure that many of them are practical as they need equipment and cant be done on school premises. Not sure what can be done realistically.

YANBU - PE is still as dire now as it was 30 years ago. Worse if anything since they are now given grades and targets for god sake.

More variety is an excellent idea and exercise is not the answer to the obesity problem anyway.

And most schools are still putting teenagers off PE and exercise

I'd be interested in more information as you where you are getting this most figure from.
As PrincessHM says - teens tend to "hate" a lot of things, (you know, like getting up or going to bed or being seen in public with a parent) but that's not really a reason to stop doing them.

I'm sure there are lots of schools where PE might not be well taught, but there are also lots of schools where it is. Of course that can be said about every subject.

My DS's current PE at high school is called "walk and talk" it consists of wandering about talking to your mates....

The PE teachers can't win though - my local secondary school have worked really hard to enthuse the pupils - kit was changed to t-shirt, trackies and hoodies, kids were no longer made shower afterwards, more time was allowed for getting changed, privacy was possible with changing cubicles for those who wanted to use them, activities included some team games but lots of other things like trampolining, Zumba, circuits, boxercise, dance etc.

Guess what? Pupils still complain about PE, avoid doing it, get their parents to write a note, forget their kit.

When I referred to ritual humiliation in my first post I meant secondary school PE.

If you weren't competitive you were useless. The best and most competitive pair in the class were put in charge of publicly picking their own teams from the rest of us. This ensured that those of us who were not athletic were left until last and humiliated every single time. We were the dregs who were not good enough and that is a feeling that stays with you for a long time

My DD3 tells me that these days in her school the teachers usually pick the teams and mix it up a fair bit, so that part of the ritual humiliation might at long last be changing slowly in some schools.

I recall from my schooldays (70s and early 80s) the showers where we were expected to strip off and the teacher often turned them to cold.

I also recall being given totally inadequate time to change back int uniform at the end. Perhaps as little as just a minute or two, including the obligatory cold shower, and then turned out into the playground or school corridor in just your underwear. It could be horrific. I think a lot of that is no longer allowed now (hope not) and nor should it ever have been.

I don't actually think PE should be dropped, but like others have said, it needs a long overdue and radical overhaul.

Competitive sport is not everyone's cup of tea, and there are other more individual pursuits which can be more suitable for some.

Also in terms of sport, the schools tend to only be interested in kids that are already competing for clubs.

DS1 is a really good swimmer - he's probably only competitive in 2 strokes though. He didn't get selected for a club though he'd been invited on several occasions to try out. He didn't get selected as he isn't competitive over all 4 strokes. Very few top level swimmers are though.

Anyway, his school doesn't have a pool so PE teachers obviously have no experience of his abilities. DS and i have said that he'd be keen to compete in school competitions but they just ignore him because he isn't a club swimmer. It's such a shame as he isn't good at team sports though always tries his best.

I wish they taught yoga in PE. It's so good for you on many levels and I wish I knew how to do some some sequences properly, cost of lessons is prohibitive at the moment.

The only issue DC1 has had at school (to date) has been about picking of partners for PE. Really basic stuff I was amazed school didn't see system they had in place was a problem.

I think that what matters, more than anything else, is how it is handled by the school. My eldest is not a natural football or rugby player, but is a good swimmer - the school are kind with him when it comes to football/rugby, he is given extra support (as it is compulsory) and make a big fuss about his swimming ability. My other 2 dc are far sportier and it is good for them to have the opportunity to shine (dc1 more academic). PE is definitely not a waste of time, providing teachers treat children as individuals and differentiate accordingly.

I wonder has the attitudes of PE teachers changed? That was a huge part of the problem for me. They were to a man, sadistic, machismo laden bullies with an IQ the same size as their football boots. Not being good at a particular sport seemingly made you fair game for ritual humiliation and having a football chucked at your head, made to run round the pitch or press ups.

If you have issues with PE then I think the School is at fault

Secondary education PE is excellent in my experience and my DD is even taking it for GCSE. It's good. Educational and fun. They do lots of things not all team sports

Oh and she's not top of the class sports person I think their school just have very good (and cute I may add) PE teachers and an excellent attitude towards engaging the kids

Well it depends on the school doesn't it?

Not all schools are offering just the typical team sports e.g. Netball, hockey. Many have expanded their range and have staff who can (and are happy to) offer yoga, aerobics-style classes, etc etc.

Not all families are lucky enough to have highly motivated parents who enjoy physical activity, so yes, in that sense, the school does have a responsibility to ensure that children develop their sporting / movement / teamwork skills. Otherwise our fabulous Daily Mail would obviously be slating schools for enabling obesity and sedentary lifestyles.

It can be tough to motivate some students to do physical activity, especially at secondary age, but to many students it makes the rest of school bearable and provides an hour a week of something they can succeed at.

A good PE staff are able to cater for accomplished sportspeople (through competitive sports, extra practices etc) and those who would rather not bother (through less traditional activities - once knew a school who offered wiifit back when it was the in thing).

So yes OP, YWBU and also quite judgemental to assume that the experience of every other school and family matched the one you have in mind.
Not all schools get the balance right, but very few make it as dreadful as you make it sound. What's your viewpoint based on out of interest?

Is there opportunities for out of school hours team sports for young girls other than football (usually with the boys).

No.

So they do it in school. Or they would never know the fun and camaraderie of playing in a team.

I'm sure most of the fitness instructors, sports science graduates, coaches etc. would disagree with you. It's not everyone's favourite subject, but there are kids who go on to study PE at a higher level. You could say the same about any subject you deem to be 'non important' - art, music, RE. It's about giving the child a good general education and allowing them to decide if they'd like to pursue sports.

My DD loves PE, its where she shines and it gives her a boost of confidence because she knows shes not the best academically.

PE lessons, and more precisely PE teachers, have given both of my DDs a deep and abiding loathing of sport with a side order of body shame.

I would love to go and tell the female PE teachers just what I think of them and their teaching methods. But I know that they are in a position to make DDs' lives a misery and stupid and nasty enough to use that power.

So op I'm sorry to say I agree totally with your final point

100% agree OP.