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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Am I the only one who thinks mandatory swimming in middle school is a terrible, borderline sadistic idea? I’m kidding about the sadism, but I do seriously feel for these 12 year olds who are forced to wear bathing suits in front of their peers at school at an age in which puberty has hit some but not others, and body image issues and/or body shaming is just beginning to emerge. If kids want to opt to swim, that’s fine, but it seems ridiculous to force every kid to swim, especially at a school that doesn’t even have its own pool. There are dozens of sports that are excluded from the mandatory curriculum, why is swimming, of all things, included? Particularly given the difficult logistics and element of exclusion (what about orthodox kids or kids otherwise would prefer not to be naked in front of peers in the locker room? What about kids whose hair can’t get wet or for whom chlorine is damaging?) Is this alumni pressure or something? Help me understand why this is still a thing in 2023? I’m glad my kid happens to like swimming and is actually looking forward to it, but I feel for the many kids that I am sure are dreading it.

It also seems like forcing kids to run around with wet hair all day in the middle of winter isn’t the best idea from an overall health perspective. I  know I must be missing something (and I’m sure I’m completely wrong about how necessary and normal it is) but it seems like a very outdated model of physical education. Do all the independent schools in the DMV do this? I’m just genuinely curious about it. [/quote]

Yes you are.

Everyone in urban Asia has swim class during most school grades. Maybe American kids are too obese and opt out of PE class and do the sit around the weight room and pretend to do yoga instead. [/quote]

wow.[/quote]

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