The PE "hall of shame"

I thought the article was harsh in some regards but in others I feel the radical nature was justified. One aspect of the article that I did not agree with was that it is possible to overemphasize fun. I don’t think there is any such thing as having too much fun. Right in our standards of physical education it is stated that students should participate in physical education for enjoyment. Know when fun starts to take away from the development of the child then it could be a problem but let’s face it, fun is one of the main motives for kids when participating in PE. I think there is a way to have boat loads of fun and still sufficiently meet the proper objectives. I think another issue is to make sure that everyone has somewhat equal amounts of fun as well because that will increase everyone’s likelihood in participating in PE again. My favorite line of the article was that one that states the purposes of PE is to enhance unity with mind and body in order to live healthy and productively in society. I believe in that but the one thing that comes to mind is that society does not hold everyone in equal regard all the time. If someone is more talented then you they will have the upper hand especially when it comes to employment. So life is not always fair but if you work hard it is very rewarding. The reward is relative to each person’s potential though. So that is something that needs to be accepted. We don’t all have the same amount of potential in all areas. I love the game Line Soccer but at the same time it might not be appropriate for physical education. I agree that it has low amounts of activity time, high amounts of waiting, students are embarrassed and put on display, and it could be dangerous. But with some modifications it could be an excellent game for PE. Instead of everyone lining up in front of a giant goal, everyone should line up on the sideline, there should be a voluntary goal tender, and there should be a designated line that students have to kick the ball behind so the goalie does not get hurt. Also the physical education teacher should know the students well enough and be prepared to pair kids up with similar skill levels as numbers. When calling out numbers it should be done in increments of 4 or 5 to improve activity time. Also students on the sidelines can be used as teammates to kick the ball to. I would even say put out 2 balls but that may be dangerous for the goalie if 2 balls are kicked at him at once. But at the same time the boundary for shooting will be far away. Also the soccer balls could be substituted for softer balls or beach balls to put student on similar playing field, in regards to skill. Also this is a game that should be introduced after thoroughly teaching and practicing separate skills. It will be a chance for the student to wrap them all together and use them in a game situation. It will incorporate aspects like spacial awareness and cooperation. Their heart rate will be increased due to running long distances against a group who is of equal skill level. Overall it will be fun. Know on the other hand a game like red rover is ridiculous. I agree that this game should be illegal in and outside of PE. I really don’t think there is much hope for this game and it should hold a legendary place in the hall of shame. Their maybe ways to modify it but most of the guiding principles will be changed so it will not even resemble Red Rover anymore. The article really forced me to look deeper into many child hood games that at the surface seem somewhat appropriate for physical education. I appreciate my future profession and I think it is up to us that it remains in educational curriculums as a crucial contributor.