The sad state of PE in MCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the obsession with changing? We'd rarely bring our clothing home they stunk.

Anonymous wrote:I just don't think you can genuinely practice a sport in your ripped denim jeans and Timberland work boots. Do you?

Tons of kids don't like being humiliated while changing in the locker room. Kids can't participate without proper shoes.

You know what's strange? The kids aren't allowed to go into a bathroom stall and change, at least at DD's middle school. They can either change in the open or not at all. She's been wearing a lot of gray shirts and black leggings and they don't force her to change.

[Anonymous]

My DH was required to shower after PE. Can you imagine that now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the obsession with changing? We'd rarely bring our clothing home they stunk.

Anonymous wrote:I just don't think you can genuinely practice a sport in your ripped denim jeans and Timberland work boots. Do you?

Tons of kids don't like being humiliated while changing in the locker room. Kids can't participate without proper shoes.

You know what's strange? The kids aren't allowed to go into a bathroom stall and change, at least at DD's middle school. They can either change in the open or not at all. She's been wearing a lot of gray shirts and black leggings and they don't force her to change.

My 8th grade DD wears t shirts and leggings and sneakers to school every day for this reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem with recognizing extracurricular sports as PE (which I'd love to see) is that they're not necessarily coached by teachers.

This. There would need to be an established set of standards, a method for assessment, and some oversight. That's not possible with private clubs.

MCPS needs to increase its staffing for sports programs and teams to include non-elite players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DH was required to shower after PE. Can you imagine that now?

I’m so glad this has changed. We had mandatory — ugly and oddly revealing — uniforms. In middle school there were occasionally required showers, with the teacher watching, and a choice between a gang shower and getting one of the 2-3 private showers which publicly indicated that you were on your period. Yoga class, individual sports, weights and fitness, and wearing your own t-shirt and leggings sound like heaven to me. Glad to hear that things are so much better now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh... my kid isn't into sports except one. They do it outside MCPS and get plenty of exercise. They don't need that nonsense.

Good for you, I guess.

Meanwhile, Maryland has the 10th highest childhood obesity rate in the country: https://www.mymcmedia.org/maryland-has-10th-highest-childhood-obesity-rate-in-u-s/#:~:text=In%20Montgomery%20County%2C%20the%20obesity,the%20Youth%20Risk%20Behavior%20Study.

Wonder if getting them to actually exercise during PE might help?

Doubt it but MCPS could start with healthier lunches.

My kids would prefer they be edible first.

True.

Edible kids? What is this, a fairy tale?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem with recognizing extracurricular sports as PE (which I'd love to see) is that they're not necessarily coached by teachers.

This. There would need to be an established set of standards, a method for assessment, and some oversight. That's not possible with private clubs.

MCPS needs to increase its staffing for sports programs and teams to include non-elite players.

The current crop of kids playing MCPS sports are not elite players. The real elite players play for club and travel teams and not the high schools. So that's already a non-issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Meh... my kid isn't into sports except one. They do it outside MCPS and get plenty of exercise. They don't need that nonsense.

Good for you, I guess.

Meanwhile, Maryland has the 10th highest childhood obesity rate in the country: https://www.mymcmedia.org/maryland-has-10th-highest-childhood-obesity-rate-in-u-s/#:~:text=In%20Montgomery%20County%2C%20the%20obesity,the%20Youth%20Risk%20Behavior%20Study.

Wonder if getting them to actually exercise during PE might help?

Doubt it but MCPS could start with healthier lunches.

My kids would prefer they be edible first.

True.

Edible kids? What is this, a fairy tale?

Your reading comprehensions sucks. We very clearly were talking about school lunches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem with recognizing extracurricular sports as PE (which I'd love to see) is that they're not necessarily coached by teachers.

This. There would need to be an established set of standards, a method for assessment, and some oversight. That's not possible with private clubs.

MCPS needs to increase its staffing for sports programs and teams to include non-elite players.

The current crop of kids playing MCPS sports are not elite players. The real elite players play for club and travel teams and not the high schools. So that's already a non-issue.

It’s pretty hard to make certain teams at some of the McPS high schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem with recognizing extracurricular sports as PE (which I'd love to see) is that they're not necessarily coached by teachers.

This. There would need to be an established set of standards, a method for assessment, and some oversight. That's not possible with private clubs.

MCPS needs to increase its staffing for sports programs and teams to include non-elite players.

Why? Who cares? It's just supposed to be exercise- the kid can run around the track, walk around the track, whatever they want to do that gets them moving. Honestly, they could hire aids to monitor this (if they could find them). I also hated PE. Not every kid is athletically inclined and enjoys being humiliated during team sports like softball, volleyball etc., I think it's fine for elementary school but I would rather see the county spend more money on academic and special education teachers than PE teachers. All I remember is that our PE teachers in middle school used to stand around with a clipboard watching us do whatever the activity was. Not exactly a good use of teacher salaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting idea from a Whitman student: Count student athletics as P.E. credit: https://theblackandwhite.net/64647/opinion/mcps-qualify-school-sports-as-p-e-credits/

The main point of a P.E. credit is so students can exercise, so for student athletes, this requirement isn’t only excessive, but also unnecessary—they already spend countless hours exercising outside of school with their respective sports teams. Student Member of the Board elect Nate Tinbite proposed removing the P.E. credit requirement for athletes who play on a school sports team. MCPS should adopt this policy and qualify two or more seasons of school sports as a P.E. credit, so students have adequate time in school to pursue their interests and take other classes.

Eliminating the P.E. requirement for student athletes allows student athletes to explore other topics of interest. The average Whitman athlete spends around two hours at practice for five to six days a week. With more time to delve into new subjects and classes, student athletes can become more well-rounded individuals instead of spending most of their time exercising.

If student athletes are exempt from the credit, each gym class will have fewer students. Teachers will be able to give students increased attention and instruction—especially to those who aren’t as athletic. In addition, students won’t need to substitute out as frequently, making students active for longer periods of time and each class more productive.

Makes sense to me. I bet no one on the BoE or at MCPS has ever even considered this idea....

Didn't read whole thread but a QOHS in 90s (first graduating class) sport could be used instead of PE after you did one year of PE. So you needed 3 semesters to graduate or 2 plus a sport and I think marching band also was eligible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do you know? A Washington Post columnist just published an article on this very topic last year:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/06/05/physical-education-classes-schools/

I didn’t like daily high school physical education classes. I was a poor athlete. I made the tennis team but lost every match against opponents from other schools. I would have preferred anything to P.E. exercises.

Many classmates shared my view. But I didn’t realize until lately that our anti-P.E. bias has come to rule our education system.

In her delightful new book “You Are Your Own Best Teacher!: Sparking the Curiosity, Imagination, and Intellect of Tweens,” social scientist Claire Nader offers startling statistics. Decades ago, daily P.E. was the norm. These days, she said, only 4 percent of elementary schools, 7 percent of middle schools and 2 percent of high schools have daily P.E. the entire school year. Twenty-two percent of schools have no P.E. at all.

There's just no way you can schedule daily pee pe unless you hired more gym teachers and had more spaces for PE class

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids got their PE credit in their MCPS high school through classes like yoga and net sports. I'm not sure they were the most rigorous classes ever but my kids enjoyed them enough.

One of things I really like about PE in our MS and HS is that kids are introduced to physical activities they can keep coming back to as they get older. Lots of choice in the HS and lots of variety in the MS. No one has to change- it wastes time and is distracting at that age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids got their PE credit in their MCPS high school through classes like yoga and net sports. I'm not sure they were the most rigorous classes ever but my kids enjoyed them enough.

One of things I really like about PE in our MS and HS is that kids are introduced to physical activities they can keep coming back to as they get older. Lots of choice in the HS and lots of variety in the MS. No one has to change- it wastes time and is distracting at that age.

I agree. My son was bullied in the middle school locker (they were “forced” to change but he learned to immediately go out the other side.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The state of PE at my kids' DCC high school is depressing. Many kids don't change. They walk around on their cell phones and just hang out. The PE teachers don't care and none of the kids actually learn how to play sports.

This is NOT what my experience was like as a kid in MCPS. You were required to change for PE and if you didn't change or participate, it impacted your grade. I was exposed to a wide array of sports including, volleyball, badminton, fencing, tennis, soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, basketball, baseball, kickball, gymnastics, track and field, etc.

All for free and through MCPS and through my PE class. I didn't do sports as an extracurricular.

If PE is not going to be taken seriously, and if kids aren't going to be required to be physically active and engaged in the class, then why should it even be required?

Who's to blame for this mess?

If we cared about student Health and Wellness (and make no mistake- we do not), PE would be graded solely on the students athletic performance in the class. Not on written tests. We also wouldn't break up middle school PE to force health Ed into one of the 4 quarters. High school would require PE during all 4 years.