All over the nation we have been hearing about rising obesity rates in our adult and our child population. The adult problem is a whole other issue, but how can I make an impact with my students when it comes to being in shape and fighting obesity? As a coach, it is my job to prepare my athletes for their competitions by learning the sport and getting them in the best shape possible. But how can I do more in the classroom and in my school? I have made efforts to get my kids moving around by adding a few new lessons that require some physical activity, but I am limited in how much I can do. In North Dakota, most of the school year there is snow on the ground and the gyms are almost always being used. A high majority of the job falls onto our physical education department.
As we have discussed in previous weeks, my school and many others across the state/country have been struggling with meeting AYP and other various school wide improvement plans but they typically don’t involve getting our kids healthy. Eberhart Elementary in Chicago is a school that knows this better than most. There they reduced the physical education program down to 40 minutes a week in a very poor and limited gym. They, as many other schools, have been consistently pushing PE farther down the priority list because of pressure to improve standardized test scores. According to a USA Today article, an estimated 21% of the students in Illinois are obese. This puts them fourth highest in the county behind Mississippi, Kentucky and Georgia. After reading this statistic I started thinking, why those states over others? What other factors play a part in obesity other than amount of exercise? I found some interesting information at this website on national statistics. I have found that there is somewhat of a correlation between obesity and crime, economic status and education. States with higher crime, lower graduation rates and higher poverty tend to have a higher obesity rate.
Now I understand that more research should be put in to prove these correlations, but I have come to determine that child health, much like all other aspects of their lives, is the responsibility of their parents. Schools can help guide them in the right direction but ultimately it is the parent’s responsibility to make sure that their kids are playing outside more and playing video games less. It is an unfortunate reality that with new technologies for kids such as playstations and ipods, comes less games like basketball and backyard football.
As we have discussed in previous weeks, my school and many others across the state/country have been struggling with meeting AYP and other various school wide improvement plans but they typically don’t involve getting our kids healthy. Eberhart Elementary in Chicago is a school that knows this better than most. There they reduced the physical education program down to 40 minutes a week in a very poor and limited gym. They, as many other schools, have been consistently pushing PE farther down the priority list because of pressure to improve standardized test scores. According to a USA Today article, an estimated 21% of the students in Illinois are obese. This puts them fourth highest in the county behind Mississippi, Kentucky and Georgia. After reading this statistic I started thinking, why those states over others? What other factors play a part in obesity other than amount of exercise? I found some interesting information at this website on national statistics. I have found that there is somewhat of a correlation between obesity and crime, economic status and education. States with higher crime, lower graduation rates and higher poverty tend to have a higher obesity rate.
Now I understand that more research should be put in to prove these correlations, but I have come to determine that child health, much like all other aspects of their lives, is the responsibility of their parents. Schools can help guide them in the right direction but ultimately it is the parent’s responsibility to make sure that their kids are playing outside more and playing video games less. It is an unfortunate reality that with new technologies for kids such as playstations and ipods, comes less games like basketball and backyard football.
Yes, child obesity has definitely become a problem in the U.S. In the 60s when I was in school, phy-ed was a requirement all four years. President Kennedy initiated a program that was followed in many school. Today phy-ed may not be required all four years, and for the most part, it still uses the traditional competitive sports activities in class. There are a few exceptions, but it seems to me that if phy-ed would promote life-long activities that promote health, maybe more students would take it.
ReplyDeleteObesity is related to low economic status. With the cost of food, buying expensive fruits and vegetables is difficult.
The shift from an industrial/farming to more sedentary jobs is not helping either.
I agree with you in that there is a correlation between crime rate and poverty. I worked at a school that was in a mostly wealthy area. The kids there were mostly average to thin in body shape. I have now moved to a Title 1 School. Most of the kids at this school are average to overweight. It is rarer to see thin kids at this school. Think about it, parents who can afford to live in a wealthier area, normally are home with the students and can make dinner for them. In less fortunate areas, parents tend to be working most of the time, sometimes even more than one job, just to make ends meat. They don’t always have the time to make dinner. Instead, they end up buying a lot of fast food. Parents that are home in a wealthier area that might want to go out to eat wouldn’t necessarily go to a fast food restaurant because they have the means to attend a nicer and maybe healthier restaurant.
ReplyDeleteI was a fat kid growing up. To this day, when I go back to Alaska, they call me by my nickname, Doughboy. I did not know any better; I just thought that I was destined to be chubby all of my life. It was not until college that I learned about proper nutrition, mainly carbs. It is the job (a 6 am to 11 pm job) of everybody to take control of what they put into their body. Kids are going to do what they see. If they see a world where people are conscience about what they put into their body, then they will follow suit. But if they are looking at a world of starvation, fat burners, and unhealthy appetites, then they will follow that. It is not an easy job. I must look at my meal plan weekly and plan accordingly.
ReplyDeleteWhen we became teachers, we wanted to set an example for students, so why is this any different? I am not saying that we need to teach these habits (unless you are a phys ed. teacher), but we should be an example for our students.
The fact that gym classes are being cut is beyond me. There are studies that show the power of P.E. and I cannot control the administration. But I can control what kids see of me.