by Steve James on Tue Aug 29, 2023 6:56 am
All i can say is that we had "Phys-ed" classes from junior high to college. In earlier grades, it was called "recess." It just wasn't structured. In high school, you could pick which kind of phys-ed you took. So, some took gymnastics. To me, the vid looks like what we did in gymnastics. There was also wrestling. We also had music classes.
Anyway, for some reason, officials decided to eliminate those classes. If it was to improve scores in math and science, it didn't work. I guess both were done for similar reasons. There was the memory of the war, and the ideals of physical manhood. (I.e., girls were not prodded into sports at all). There started to be a change when the cold war demanded more technological excellence.
Hey, I agree that those classes should come back. But, I think it's a dumb idea to depend on the educational system to provide anything. If parents don't make sure their kids get enough exercise, it's not the school's fault. Otoh, it's like school lunches. Schools used to provide them automatically. Nowadays, there are people arguing that there shouldn't be "free lunches."
"A man is rich when he has time and freewill. How he chooses to invest both will determine the return on his investment."