Let's get real PE back in our schools
There is a wonderful story in the San Francisco Chronicle today about a boxing coach who whipped a bunch of Middle School kids into shape. Kermit Bayless, PE director of Frick Middle School in Oakland, California uses a bullhorn and boot camp techniques to get the teens moving, really moving. They do jumping jacks, push-ups, stretching and jogging, while counting in unison. Bayless paces in front of the group, shouting directions and quizzing them on the names of the muscles being targeted.
"What does PE do?" shouts Bayless. "It sets the tone for the whole school," the students shout back. He is right. Frick Middle school is one of the SF Bay Area's highest-achieving middle schools on the state fitness test. 68% of Frick 7th graders achieved high marks on the fitness test last year, compared with just 16% of all Oakland 7th graders. Across the state, only 29% of 7th graders passed the fitness test.
Frick Principal Calvin Criddle believes the strict fitness program has done more than improve the schools fitness scores. He believes the discipline learned in PE has influenced the students' overall behavior and may have contributed to their improved academic performance as well.
Way to go, Kermit Bayless, it is time for all of us to push for getting real PE back in our schools.