... to think this parent is being a bit prescious, and this school a bit weak?

[mw14]

Speaking to a friend yesterday, I began to think I've turned into an old git, but on consideration I'm convinced I'm right. My friend has a daughter who is 13. For the first two indoor PE lessons of the term, she claims she forgot her trainers, and as a result, her teacher allowed her to sit out the lesson. The school were displeased though, and emailed my friend to alert her and ask for her support in ensuring she had her full kit. The girl got a talking to from her mother, but then, yesterday, her mother received a phone call from the school.

Apparently, she'd yet again claimed to have forgotten or lost her trainers, clearly expecting to once again sit on the sidelines. However, this time the teacher did the right thing, and ordered her to get changed into her PE kit and to do the lesson in bare feet. For some reason, this upset her, and she's since had the audacity to complain to her mother about it being "unfair" and "horrible".

I don't want to sound like a miserable old sod, but it's almost unbelievable on several levels. Firstly, that the school accepts "I have no trainers" as an excuse. Secondly, that my friend, like so many parents, has not got a proper grip of her daughter, and thirdly that she saw doing PE in bare feet as such a bad thing! AIBU?

[Squishabelle]

Lanky - that is EXACTLY what PE was like for me. Enough to put you off for life.

[mw14]

lankyalto, I don't thiink your concerns applied in this particular case though: I think it was indoors, in shorts and t-shirts, doing gymnastics..

[tvaerialmagpiebin]

No, mw14, just sharing my concerns over PE in general. Teenage girls, taking off clothes, personal space, all issues which might be relevant here though

[mw14]

I seem to have sparked a bit of a debate about the ills of PE in general!

But even in commercial gyms, you have to have the correct equipment...

[tvaerialmagpiebin]

Not really,just shoes, surely? And you CHOOSE to go.

[Remotew]

I hated PE as a teen, we had to wear tiny skirts even in Winter. I remember shivering on the defence in Hockey on a muddy pitch being cat called by bitchy girls in the year below.

Sometimes I decided to play just to warm up and was quite good but hated it non the less. Then we all had to strip naked a go into communal showers.

DD at least can wear jogging bottoms and they've banned the communal showers.

I do think teens should be given the choice about the type of PE they do, e.g gym work, badminton etc as well as the choice to do hockey, netball and the worst in humiliation cross country running.

My DD is in key stage 4 now and at least they are not forced to go swimming.

[happywomble]

I think pe (as in running around type activity) should be a daily lesson...if you get your heart rate up you are more alert and will concentrate more and be less likely to feel depressed and eat unhealthy food.

However I think gym at secondary level should be optional. Still have horrid memories of doing gym wearing airtex shirt and navy knickers..

[mw14]

well yes, but the girl was only lacking shoes!

[Docbunches]

YANBU. At my DC's school, detentions are given out quite readily to children who persistently forget any item of PE kit, which I completely support.

For children who find PE humiliating, this is handled well at my DC's school as children are placed in ability groups so that all the very sporty and competitive children are in group A and the less-sporty and less-competent are all together in group C where they don't take it as seriously and no-one gets picked on for letting the team down. Also there is a group B for inbetweeners such as my DD. It seems to work very well.

[tvaerialmagpiebin]

My former PE teacher is now a priest. She came to my parish church once and recognised me althogh I was terrifed and hid behind a pillar. I asked her about her career change and she said that being a PE teacher had been very unsatisfyig, having had therapy before training for the priesthood she found she had been using PE teaching and associated bitchy cowness as a defence mechanism. Hmm. I didn't forgive her for making me play hockey though.

[AnyFucker]

errr, people, if you give teen girls the choice they will exercise their right to do nothing at all

and for those with horror stories about their own schooldays and PE, I can assure it is very different these days

and if it isn't then you should complain to the school

not excuse your teenager, thus reinforcing the fact that many of them (and their parents) think that teachers exist just to make their lives horrid

I am not a teacher, btw

[LynetteScavo]

EVerything is "unfair" and "horrible" wehn you are 13, isn't it?

I mean, just doing PE is unfair and horrible.

[mw14]

when was my friend's daughter's PE teacher behaving poorly then - when she allowed her to sit out, or when she made her take aprt in bare feet?!

[tvaerialmagpiebin]

AnyFucker I am glad to hear it.

But these things really stuck with me, a long time since I was at school, I admit. I do recall that in the sixth form we were allowed to wear tracksuit bottoms (still only navy though) which was a huge relief and I believe the school now has a shower curtain......

[tvaerialmagpiebin]

Yep that's so right Riven.

I am actually contemplating going to the playgroup ladies' netball training tonight - I am nearly 40 and it will be the first time I have participated in any non-solo sporting activity since I was 16.

Mind you, I might just stay on here instead

[Remotew]

I'm glad it's different nowadays as the communal showers idea would probably be classed as child abuse.

I'm not saying teens shouldn't have some form a physical exercise as part of the school week, just not be forced into cross country running etc.

I think that the DD in the OP case has an issue with PE that should be looked into.

[AnyFucker]

many schools do not have the resourse to offer choice

probably because PE tachers are leaving the profession in their droves.....

[tvaerialmagpiebin]

..they are all becoming priests and repenting of their cross-country and communal shower sins...

[MorrisZapp]

I don't see what's wrong with a brisk walk. I'd happily have done that, and it's great exercise, as well as developing good habits, ie walking places instead of taking bus.

I was never going to develop a hockey habit so what's the point.

And dance - show me a teenage girl who doesn't like/ love music and dance of some kind. Think of all these girls dancing like dervishes in their bedrooms then dragging their sorry arses onto a hockey pitch at school.

Surely it isn't beyond the wit of man/ woman to train PE teachers in a bit of entry level hip hop/ street dance, belly dancing or whatever?

[Hulababy]

So who is going to fund all this gym equipment, and the necessary qualified instructors to supervise thm doing it, whilst also providing instructors to supervise and coach the whole other array of sports activities we should offer?

It is just not a practical thing in most schools.

As for Maths not being humilitating as sport...a lot of Maths these days, especially at start and end of lessons, is done out loud in groups. Often teachers will select the ones keep quiet specifically as part of their requirement to ensure everyone in the class is participating. Now if this is a shy quiet, Maths hating child who can't do it, of course it is humilitating to an extent. Obviously a good teacher will do what they can to build the child's confidence and prevent this. Just like should happen in every other subject's lessons, including PE.

[tvaerialmagpiebin]

Do schools do PE in sex-specific groups? I went to a girls' school so that wasn't an issue, but I would have hated mixed PE even more.

I like the idea of dancing. That would be inside (no snow on hockey pitch scenario)