Outrageous! The Nottingham School system seems to be narrowly focused on academics and barely any physical exercise. I was shocked to find out that my son has one, yes ONE, gym class per week. Most of the activities consist of two games – capture the flag or dodgeball. Can anyone get a little more creative here??? Basketball? Aerobics? Yoga??
This is a problem. Check out what “No Child Left Behind” is encouraging:
“Ironically, one of the solutions proposed for raising test scores, the federal No Child Left Behind program, encourages schools to focus more of the school day on the core academic subjects while reducing class time in peripheral subjects, like art, music, and physical education. In fact, only 6 percent of American high schools offer a daily gym class. Yet a 2002 Virginia Tech study showed no relationship between reduced class time in those subjects and higher overall standardized tests.”
See the entire article here after you read the rest of my blog ; )
http://www.livescience.com/health/081229-sports-youth-exercise.html
I was talking to my son’s friend who attends the Oyster River School system a couple of months ago and was curious about the amount of physical activity they get during the week. He said that some weeks they have three days of gym, some weeks two. You know what? He’s getting straight A’s. This kid is wired the same as my son…they could be twins so I know my son would be capable of better grades.
I believe the lack of activity is affecting his grades.
