The Importance Of Physical Education

My participation in Project Playground has shaped my entire outlook on physical activity for students. I noted that Memminger Elementary did not have a full time physical education teacher, and the children were only receiving between ten to fifteen minutes of recess. Not all classes had recess daily and most students never experienced a physical education course. Although South Carolina does not mandate recess, the National Association of Sports and Education suggests that students receive one hundred and fifty minutes of physical education and at least one twenty-minute period of recess (Strainer). With one of the longest school days in the world, it is heart wrenching to know that students rarely receive the allotted time of physical activity

Studies negate that notion and prove that children who receive more play time score better on standardized tests. At one period, schools in Atlanta began to build schools without playgrounds, and schools all around the country began to dismantle the system of recess (Dills et al., 2011). The dismantling of recess takes away every child’s right to play. “Play itself is so critical for children’s healthy development that it has been recognized by the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights as a right of every child, and by the American Academy of Pediatrics as an essential part of children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical well-being, especially for those who are economically disadvantaged” (London et al., 2015). Children who are deprived of their right to play, face all these emotional challenges, especially in low income

During recess, the first-grade teacher usually brings the students outside between the times of 2:30pm and 2:40pm, and school dismissal time is 2:55pm. This means that the students went almost the entire school day without any physical activity. Almost during every recess session children were forced to walk laps and to remain silent while doing so. After the laps, children had at most seven minutes to play. During their recess, children were agitated, whiney, or hyperactive. This is a direct consequence of their deprivation of play, their long school day, and a lack of activity. Throughout the recess the teacher usually sat on a bench on a cellphone or talking to a colleague, rarely monitoring the students’ play. During one session, the teacher played football with the students. During the football game, the teacher was a role model of play. The children seemed to enjoy recess more that day, and that was the longest day of recess throughout my entire volunteer session with Project