For 40 minutes every other day, most students are required to take gym class, intended to interest students in physical activity and keep them healthy. But most students lose their enthusiasm for gym by the end of elementary school and by the time they reach high school–level gym, they feel no need to participate or try to make the best out of the class. Some students even grow to hate exercise and are discouraged from trying it in the future as a result of their experience in gym. The result of this is a group of perfunctory students whose time could be better spent doing other things, specifically, schoolwork. Granted, gym is challenging and beneficial to some people, but the 40-minute block in our schedules could be put to much better use. Gym should be made a reserve class, an alternative to not playing a sport.
It makes sense to include some form of physical education in the public school curriculum, but pretending gym is effective at advocating a healthy lifestyle is silly. Everything important that we learn in gym could be taught in health class. Instead of making a superfluous and time-wasting gym class mandatory, students should be encouraged to play sports in a different way. If students were promised a study hall during their gym period as a reward for playing a sport, it would be universally beneficial. Students would then be inclined to play sports for their school, strengthening school spirit and the sports teams while making the participants healthier. The study hall could then be used to catch up on work—an academic premium. Despite this, gym teachers wouldn’t be put out of work. Not all students are going to play on the teams, so there will always be classes for them to teach.
It’s no secret Ithaca wants to improve its sports teams, if building a multi-million-dollar weight room is any indication. Omitting gym from the schedule would be an even more effective way to bolster Ithaca’s athletic programs. Certainly, this incentive program would add bodies to many teams and increase the competition. One of the main reasons teams such as the wrestling and football team are not as good as they could be is due to the lack of players. If setting aside one hour and thirty minutes after school for practice is not too big of a commitment, potential players would certainly come out for the teams.
Making gym an alternative class has numerous secondary benefits aside from making healthier students. Representing your school is a great way to create loyal and proud IHS students. Furthermore, having a study hall in their schedule would provide some relief in the stressful agendas of many students.
In short, there is no reason to keep gym as part of the mandatory curriculum. If students are playing a sport, they should be exempt from taking gym for the duration of the season. This way, students become healthier, school becomes more manageable, and athletics become stronger.