The Sedentary Files: Part 2

As started yesterday, I will be discussing my views on obesity and the problems that face our youth today. In yesterdays discussion we looked at the impact technology is having on adolescent activity level. As a physical educator I deal with youth on a daily basis and want to look at the issues I see at the educational level.


Curriculum: As core curriculum's continue to increase in difficulty to allow students access to technological advancement in the competitive global marketplace and a white picket fence lifestyle, the physical is continually devalued. The amount of hours required for physical movement via curriculum per week compared to that of the classroom curricula is staggering. Introduction of programs such as daily physical activity which have little to no ability to succeed based on being put on the back burner behind academics and lack of qualified, quality instruction, were destined to fail from the start. DPA was nothing more than a patch work solution that was an attempt to show we are trying something. When's the last time you did or heard of DPA in the last year?


Budget: Access to quality instructional materials and equipment combined with budgetary concerns of schools and school districts are always an issue. When push comes to shove and it's text books vs. basketballs, text books will win every time. The accountability of schools to produce students to achieve at a high level academically, and the comparison of the students to each other academically across the province, shows where priorities lie. Has anyone ever thought about health and fitness standards that students should achieve along with their academics?


The big push: Students in Physical Education in Grade 9 and lower who fail physical education classes are not streamed, nor are they made to repeat. Instead they are moved to the next level and the only level where accountability to pass remains intact is at the grade 10 level where they must pass to get their diploma.


Safe and Caring: Schools mandate that we have a safe and caring atmosphere. We spend time educating youth on benefits of fitness, bullying, suicide, sexual awareness, nutrition, etc. This is all great material and a stroke in the right direction, but where the issue lies is if we are really worried about keeping our children safe and caring about their well being would we not have them accessing more than minimal levels of fitness and activity; strengthening their bodies, not just their minds. Higher levels of fitness are directly linked to individuals being more alert, more studious, more energetic and the list goes on.


In summation schools need to rethink their current approach to how we are running our schools. The direction we are taking our youth and the effects we are having on them PHYSICALLY are huge. We all know the effects of poor nutrition, lack of exercise and overstress. Throw in a few Red Bulls for good luck and let's see where we are.

WOD
Overhead Press 1-1-1
Rest 2minutes
Rounds in 10 minutes for total reps
5 L Sit Press
AMRAP Sit Ups

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