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~Ephesians 5:16

Sunday, April 27, 2014

30 Minute Essays: Should Physical Education in Schools be Compulsory?

Physical education has always been an interesting factor in schools. For the sports-oriented people, it's always something they look forward to. For the more smart, less physically fit, it's a source of ridicule by their peers. (These are two extremes of course.) Should PE be mandatory in schools? The answer would be yes, because physical education is still education.

Exercise is something a lot of students take for granted. In today's computer age, students spend most of their day in front of a screen and very rarely go outside for a walk or hop on their treadmill at home. Why? Well, exercise can seem like extra work. When a person sits at a desk, or stands behind a counter all day and then comes home, jumping on a treadmill is nowhere to be found in his or her mind. This is why physical education is always needed, because it has students exercise on a daily basis.

When one thinks of education, the idea of books, grades, diplomas, and degrees come to mind. These things should, because that's what education primarily is. Physical education plays into this as well. See that last word? It's still an education, it's something that should be taught in schools and the home.

Why should physical education be taught? If a student isn't fit, having the smartest IQ in the world isn't going to make them feel good. Without exercise, there's laziness. How often do you hear the saying, "Teenagers are lazy?" While this can be a stereotypical view sometimes, you do often find that it's true. The people that are lazy don't have any motivation to exercise. It might not affect them too much now, but later in life it most certainly will. This is why physical education is important, because it teaches students that exercise is important and mandatory.

Physical education may not be fun for some students, but it nonetheless shows them the importance of exercising daily. Education is work, so physical education should be treated as such. But it's not an add-on or extra annoyance, it should be enjoyed because the student is working toward a goal just as with grades. That goal is to be physically fit, to be strong and fast. This is something the schools should always look to teach.
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These 30 minute essays are short writings for practice for my College Composition exam, I call them '30 minute essays' because I have a time limit of 30 minutes to write a response to the topic question.
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1 comment:

  1. I agree that physical education should be mandatory, at least the basics. The Japanese seem to have a pretty good system at least according to various anime that I've seen depicting it. You get basic training in sprinting, pushups, situps, etc. It seems like a lot of fun and a good way to build up your strength. I approve!

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