Kids’ Weight and Health At Risk

Teachers must set aside so much of their class time to train their children to take the high-stakes tests that the other important kinds of learning are being neglected.

What ever happened to grabbing a bouncy-ball from the teacher’s back locker and zooming out to the playground for a few minutes of four square or dodgeball? Why can’t youngsters swarm like safari ants on the jungle gym, or do frantic chin-ups on the metal bars?

Or, asked another way, why can’t our kids learn important lessons on how to move or how to balance their bodies?

One answer you will hear from teachers is The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Many of the classes that would broaden a child’s mind and develop a child’s body have been cut, including physical education and recess. For gifted children, those are the times of day when they can they can focus on non-academic topics helping them to relax and to become more in touch with other children and the world around them.

Further, the National Association for the Education of Young Children noted that, “Those doing away with outdoor activity claim that it is a waste of time better spent on academics, that playground injuries promote lawsuits, and that children are at an increased risk of coming in contact with threatening strangers while outdoors…”

I can’t help but wonder how many actual teachers were brought in for that part of the report.

Finally, it seems ironic at a time where schools are being blamed for a proliferation of overweight children, the NCLB has squeezed out most of the classes and activities that can help kids stay healthy.

Resources:

National Association for the Education of Young Children (1977). Early Years are Learning Years.