Ode To Number 3's Gym Teacher

Once again an assumption landed me on my backside.

This all began last spring with Unplanned No. 3's field day. In the years prior field days consisted of the traditional activities. Running, jumping, throwing, etc., with place ribbons being awarded to the children; the proper way to conduct a field day.

Last spring No. 3's field day consisted of non-competitive group activities with no recognition of accomplishments. There was wet sponge throwing, a game using those Styrofoam swimming noodles, a game of placing a strip of fabric in the back of your pants and running around trying to step on this strip to remove it from others; just basically a hodge-podge mixture of games.

This year the gym teacher chose to do field day early for some of the grades and it once again was these group, game activities. I purposely did not attend this latest field day because I knew it once again would be the non-competitive games. I also knew that I would be unable to keep my mouth shut. My son came home angry and disappointed once again.

Being neck deep in the 'sphere you develop knee-jerk reactions to most everything you experience in your daily life. The current PC movement invading our school systems is yet another example of the destruction of inherent characteristics our children have. We all have memories of failures and successes in our childhoods, and how we coped and often conquered our failures in order to improve ourselves. Outward improvement often affects our inner selves and increases our confidence in all that we do.

I personally feel that learning to cope with failure is imperative to a child's development; and that that failure is often a motivator to achieve and accomplish more. Raising children to believe that there is nothing they can fail at is detrimental to their character. Life overflows with accomplishments and failures. Performing a task poorly, and being challenged to improve that task, be it by your peers or yourself helps to develop the fortitude necessary to be successful in life.

Reading of physical education programs in schools that have chosen to take on this new ideology of **EVERYBODY IS A WINNER** will directly affect these children's lives in the future. It equates with the 'Purple Marker' movement occurring in many schools in order to keep children from feeling bad about themselves. Feeling bad about one's self is a good thing, it promotes the ability to challenge themself. I fear a future where no child was ever taught the valuable lessons of success and failure. Without failing you will never discover what your true talents and abilities are. A world functioning on a level where no one was ever informed of their limitations will only lessen standards. I personally was a clumsy, unathletic child that HAD to develop those skills on my own. And here in my adult life, I'm quite the opposite and can recognize how those challenges made me grow, inside and out.

Back to gym teacher:

On Monday of this week I had decided that I had kept my mouth shut long enough. I have always been very pleased with our school district but was very concerned that perhaps they were intending on changing their policies. They have remained on the traditional level in a world pressuring them to cave to the new movements. We still have the Pledge, we still have Christmas programs, and as I stated last spring at my son's graduation, we had prayer. So, big mouth Stacy leaves a terse message for the gym teacher.

"Yes, this is Stacy ______, my son ______ goes to school there and I'm concerned about field day. I take issue with this non-competitive PC thing that has been going on at this event. Please call me."

She returned my call quickly and we had quite a long conversation. She told me of other activities that they do in class, what she expects out of children at their age levels, what they will be doing in the future and reminded me of the Olympic field day that she started that was competitive. She even mentioned that some have been trying to take away dodge ball and that she felt when it is played properly, is beneficial for the children. HALLELUJAH!!!!!

There are gym teachers in this nation whose goal is to not let the children feel bad about themselves, not to give them a 'physical education'. Hence the latest item I read where teachers had children jumping rope without a rope. Items such as those led me directly to the panic mode and the assumption that this teacher was guilty of the same.

I repeatedly apologized, I assumed things I shouldn't have; and this woman is one after my own heart. So Ms. B., again, I am so sorry and please know that I've got your back. You are truly challenging these children with Physical Education as they should be.

Posted by Stacy at September 28, 2005 11:56 AM | TrackBack