P.E. Should Think About All of Their Students

P.E. is a class to explore your health, fitness, and capabilities. But many students at Fitz, especially less athletic ones, have complained about P.E. bringing down their GPA and being too difficult despite trying their absolute best in the class. There are actually many complaints about P.E. including motivation and the environment. Would considering some of these complaints make P.E. a fun class to attend? 

One complaint that many students have a problem with is the field in which miles and warm-up laps are done. The field is extremely uneven, bumpy, and full of gopher holes which is unsuitable for running on. On some occasions, the field becomes slippery and a safety hazard after a rainy day. When asked how he felt about running on the big field, Brian Marin said, “No! Too many holes! I will literally break my foot if I keep stepping in them.” And there is nothing wrong with how he feels! If you’re walking the entire lap, holes in the ground might not be a problem for you. But for students who actually put effort into the laps and run, the field becomes a safety hazard for them. Even Mr. Couch, our own P.E. teacher, believes that the field is unsafe for students. He said, “Running on the grass could be ideal for students if our fields were safe and in good condition. Too many gopher holes and weeds makes our fields extremely unsafe for the students to do running activities.” Mr. Couch thinks that if Fitz could fix the field, students would perform better in his class. To add onto this, students might feel unsafe running on the big field and stop running completely. It might seem like a lame excuse to not run, but it is completely valid! After all, Fitz’s priority is the safety of their students, right?

Another common complaint among students is motivation in P.E. Teachers and even some students always complain about other students not doing P.E. exercises and activities, but these students simply just need motivation! If P.E. teachers could make their classes engaging, students would perform much better in their classes. We asked Mylan Wagoner how we can make P.E. an enjoyable class and she said, “More rewards! Many of the students loved how Ms. Morrison last year used to offer us candy to those who changed out everyday. We should follow a reward system instead of a punishing one.” I think this is a great solution! Many teachers around the school offer candy as a reward for participation in their classes, which results in their students being encouraged to participate and finish their work. If P.E. teachers could do the same for their students, imagine how much more active students would be in P.E.. Rewards that P.E. teachers give to their students don’t even need to be candy. It can be a lunch pass, a Fitz coin, or even just a “Good job!” Small things can motivate students a lot, so incorporating prizes can improve the performance of a lot of students.

Not everyone agrees with the idea of changing P.E.. A lot of students believe that P.E. doesn’t need to consider any changes and that the class is perfectly fine. For example, when we asked Long Du what he would change about P.E., he said, “I wouldn’t change a thing.” Of course there isn’t anything wrong with what he thinks, but there is always room for improvement. Even classes like math and science have their own imperfections and flaws. Long thinks that P.E. is a perfectly fine class, but if Fitz can think about common issues that students have in P.E., we can make P.E. a much better class for all students no matter what they think. 

With all things considered, a lot of students at Fitz believe that P.E. has lots of room for improvement. Clearly, many students are unhappy with how P.E. is run. P.E. has many flaws including students being unmotivated and the field being dangerous to run on. If Fitz can consider these common problems, we can make Fitz a safe and fun school to attend.