Schools are stupid

[Merika]

I think PE is stupid and should be a 'choice'....not a requirement. Not to mention the PE teachers aren't always the brightest crayons in the box.

Girl took AP Biology instead of Gym, school wont give her diploma
Skipped gym class costs student diploma

BOW, N.H. -- A decision to take Advanced Placement biology instead of gym will cost a Bow High School senior her diploma, but it won't keep her from going to college in the fall.

Though Isabel Gottlieb is a good student, a trumpet player in the school band and holds varsity letters in three sports, she discovered last fall she was one gym class shy of having enough credits to graduate next month.

She asked for a waiver, but the school wouldn't budge, telling her instead she had to drop a class to take gym.

"Why would I drop an AP biology class to take P.E.?" the 18-year-old said. "It's just not on my priority list."

The missing credit wasn't caught by the school last spring when Gottlieb's schedule was set. The class in question is called BEST, or Building Essential Skills for Tomorrow, and is required for all Bow students to graduate.

At the Seattle high school Gottlieb attended before moving to Bow before her junior year, gym requirements often were waived for students in varsity sports. But those waivers aren't something Bow High School is willing to accept.

"Waivers vary from school to school and they're not standardized at all," said Principal George Edwards.

Gottlieb added the class last year after the school told her she had to take it, but then dropped it when she found out it was too much on top of classes she was already taking, including two Advanced Placement classes and calculus.

Both Gottlieb and her mother said the school suggested dropping either band, chorus, AP biology or calculus. But she and her mother decided sacrificing any of those would have diminished the quality of Gottlieb's education.

"I'm trying to get into college and someone isn't going to want to see someone drop an AP biology class a month into the year in order to pick up P.E.," Gottlieb said.

There will likely be no compromises in time for graduation. The class is not offered in the summer.

And it may not matter. Gottlieb already has been accepted to Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., where she plans to major in biology.

Trinity is aware of Gottlieb's situation and said that as long as she gets her General Educational Development, or GED, in time, there won't be a problem.

Gottlieb said that she already has taken the practice test and, once she hears back on that, will schedule a time to take the official version of the high school equivalency test.

Meanwhile, her mother, Ashley Warner, is planning a "non-graduation" party for her daughter.

"We realized that not graduating wasn't the end of the world," Warner said. "But it took a long time to come to that conclusion."

[Stone]

I think PE is important watch Supersize me.. Americans are more overweight now than any other country one of the reasons being lack of excersize.

It is important that children learn how to take care of themselves and there bodies for there own health IMO

[Merika]

They have a course in health they have to take for 9 weeks during the PE thing. Physical exercise is important and in the high school....they actually do teach archery and a variety of things. I never liked it though and refused to dress out. I wasn't going to mess up my hair and get all hot and sweaty for a gym class. I think once kids are in high school...it should be an elective.

[Adonaicole]

I think PE is important and should be a requirement. However in this case the girl was in sports and I think that should have counted towards her PE credit, in some schools, it does.

[Merika]

I just don't appreciate sports. The only good thing, to me, about football is the tailgate party. LOL!

Isis is taking her PE credit on the internet. Florida has it set up that way for kids who take advanced chorus, band or languages....like she does. You can get a voucher from the school if you qualify or you can pay $300 some dollars for it. You can also take health and I think a couple of other electives that way.

I think it would be a great way to do the 'summer school' thing for younger kids.....since so many schools now don't offer summer make up programs.

[darkangelism]

PE is so important, the excercise, the teamwork. In my High school if you played varsity sports you were exempt, which in the case of this girl would have happened at my school.

[Merika]

This is me trying to play sports:

[Vautrin]

I hated P.E.!

I always had to do sports at which I sucked. No chess, no swimming, no bicycling. I would have dominated these sporting events.

As for P.E. being a requirement to graduate that is absurd. I can understand when you are interested in athletics or interesting in obtaining a scholarship for athletic abilities it would be required.

After all, you don't expect someone who studies to become a hotel manager to do his training with washing the dishes, and scrubbing the floors, do you?

[Merika]

Vautrin.... out of the group....apparently only you and I feel this way about sports. I can remember when I had to take it in school....it just made me miserable and brought down my grade point average. I simply refused to participate.

You brought up a good point.....it's as excruciating for kids, who don't like to do that stuff, to have to play basketball.....as it would be for other kids to have to spend an hour of their school day playing chess. Perhaps there should be a choice.

[Vautrin]

My laziness brought down my GPA. I skipped P.E., with permission of the school. Luckily it was a requisite, but a non-counting for anything activity. As you know I do have an ailment I suffer from.

But it was absurd. I had to take the bicycle to school. 9.5 miles to school, and 9.5 miles from school. So every freakin day I was exercising, for at least 1.4 hours. If the wind was not bad, that is! And my muscles in my legs are reasonably developed. I can outwalk almost anyone, even though I can't run.

[darkangelism]

It has to do with each person, i love sports, so i never minded. But i think they should be required at the very least to stop kids from getting fat.

[Vautrin]

Originally Posted by darkangelism

It has to do with each person, i love sports, so i never minded. But i think they should be required at the very least to stop kids from getting fat.

But exercising can only be effective if they don't eat chips and fat products to recover the expended energy.
I suggest boxing. Stump the vending machines of fattening products. You exercise, and do something effectively about your weight.

[Duke]

Originally Posted by Merika

This is me trying to play sports:

That's you trying to do anything ;-)

I personally think PE should be a pre-requisite in all schools up till graduation.