According to a recent report, physical education is so important that it should be a "core academic subject." (see here) So, why is it that Illinois schools are constantly trying to get waivers from the state to remove physical education from the school day?
This idea that physical education is closely tied to intellectual education is nothing new. The Latin phrase "mens sana in corpore sano" ("a sound mind in a sound body") expressed the same idea. The ancient Romans were well acquainted with this idea. Why do we insist on having to relearn things that have been known for centuries?
I agree children need that intermittent physical activity to "reboot" the brain. However, along with PE I think we should allow a second recess back into our children's school day. Many studies show how that 15 minute break can refresh the brain so students can learn better. Two other unfortunate things happened when our children's second recess was taken away: 1. it disallowed an opportunity for our students to engage in an unstructured activity which allows for social development, problem solving skills, as well as choice of physical activity, and 2. takes away the opportunity for our teachers to observe how their students relate in an unstructured setting. Many insights can be gleaned from these observations, which is yet another piece of valuable information a teacher can use to understand a child. With the pressures our children feel at school I think it would benefit "them" to incorporate that second recess once again.
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