Why Gym Class is Ineffective
The problem isn’t physical — it’s also social
School is starting up in the northern hemisphere. Fresh books, old friends, maybe some new clothes. Pencils, Chromebooks, markers, loose-leaf paper. And with all of that comes the class that for far too many is synonymous with dread: gym.
Physical education, or PE, has been part of education since ancient Greece, when it was seen as necessary for training soldiers. But it wasn’t until much later that people began worrying about the ills that supposedly plagued scholars due to their sedentary lifestyles. And it wasn’t until the Enlightenment and the writings of several late 18th-century scholars that physical education became part of a program designed to counterbalance scholars’ associated ailments.
In research about some of the early efforts at physical education in America, history professor Rebecca R. Noel wrote that:
“Educational reformers had in common a tendency toward ill health, so the dilemma of scholarly frailty particularly engaged them. Spinal curvature and pulmonary consumption added to the previous concerns for students and teachers. In addition to exercise, improving schoolhouse ventilation, heating, and desks could keep students healthier, and teaching physiology could train them to keep themselves healthier.”
