In an effort to boost test performance, many schools are taking
time away from physical education and using it for more time in
class.
But studies now show that rigorous physical activity can actually
lead to better grades.
In
Broward County
,
Florida
, many schools are getting the message.
Fourth grade teacher Katherine Bennett takes her students out for
a five-minute walk after a long lesson.
“I found that when my children start yawning and they start not
paying attention, then one way I can refocus those children is to
take them out for a brief, little fun walk,” she says. “And by
the time we’ve got them back into the room again, they’re ready
to study some more.”
In fact, according to new research from
Michigan
State
University
, kids who are physically active get ten percent higher grades in
math, science and English.
“Children who are physically fit do better academically - they
perform better on standardized examinations, they concentrate
better,” says former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher.
Jackie Lund, president of the National Association for Sports and
Physical Education, explains: “If kids feel better about
themselves, if they feel better, period, they’re going to be more
likely to learn.”
“On the other hand,” says Satcher, “children who are obese
are four times as likely to be depressed, very likely to be absent
from school - so it’s just the opposite of what schools have
thought.”
What’s more, many kids say it’s easy to get distracted if you
have to sit still, all day long, in school.
“After a while I just get antsy and I want to move around -
cause I start to get stiff and it’s like, I want to get up and
walk around,” complains 18-year-old Eric DeGreeff. “But in class
you can’t really get up and walk around,”
That’s why, experts say, if your child’s school does not
provide vigorous physical education, you have to speak up.
“If parents go out and demand quality physical education, where
their kids are learning and they’re moving and they’re involved
in activities that are going to create the next steps for a life
time, then they will be heard,” says
Lund
.
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