Lacey Skaggs

Mrs. Cramer
College Composition I
24 March 2017
Dumb Jocks1? Just an Oxymoron

"Our body is a machine for living. It is organized for that, it is it's nature," said Leo

Tolstoy. Taking care of one's body plays a huge role in making sure it stays healthy. What better

way is there to make sure a person stays in shape than taking a physical education class in

school?2 Unfortunately, schools across America have been cutting physical education out of their

curriculum due to the effects of federal and state budget cuts. Moreover, schools should require

daily physical activities because it increases students' active time and improves students' ability

to retain information.

First and Foremost, Children who are physically fit absorb and retain new information

more effectively than children who are out of shape. This quote demonstrates "Parents and

scientists have known for a long time that physical activity helps young people to settle and pay

attention in school with salutary effects." that physical activity helps make sure that young

children settle and "Fourth and fifth graders who ran around, or exercised for at least ten minutes

before a math test scored higher than children who sat quietly before the exam" (Reynolds).

Having physical education in schools affects young adolescents to participate in gym because it

builds a foundation for participation in activities later in life. Subsequently, an Active Living

Research says "In some cases, more time in physical education leads to improved grades and

1 Oxymoron- Figure of speech combining contradictory terms

2 Rhetorical Question The answer to this question is keeping physical education in school
districts across America
standardized test scores." This means that increased time in gym class leads to increased grades

and test scores. With all of this evidence, school boards should be able to recognize that physical

fitness benefits academic performance.

On the other hand, some people believe that the physical education class could be utilized

for a more academic sense. In other words, students can use the gym class period for classes

students need extra help or for a class that will be more advantageous for their future. However,

if students are not physically active, their brains are not working to the optimum level. A study

from the University of Illinois analyzed a group of twenty students and the study found that a

thirty minute treadmill workout increased brain activity and resulted in improved functions, such

as problem solving and reasoning. The study was called "What The Research Says: Can Exercise

Make You Smarter?" The study mainly focused on the students and if the thirty minutes of

exercise benefited them. Physical education is an important area in schools today because if

taught the correct way, it can develop physical and mental skills, as well as a sense of self.

In addition, an obvious belief of physical education is that it increases students' active

time. "Reducing physical education in schools may not be the best way to ensure educational

success among young people" (Reynolds). To rephrase it, cutting gym out of the schools'

curriculum is detrimental to efforts at helping kids become successful. "If children are to develop

and maintain the kind of aerobic fitness that amplifies their ability to learn, they should engage in

at least one hour of vigorous activity a day" said co-author Charles Hillman (Reynolds). To put it

in another way, students spend approximately six hours a day at school. If they are not getting

the suggested amount of daily activity at school and they do not have access to any gym outside

of school, where are they getting it? Having physical education apart of the six hours a day at

school will ensure that students are getting the correct amount as part of activity that is needed to
be considered "active." To sum up, students should be required to part take in daily physical

activity in school to make sure they are getting the one hour of activity that has been suggested.

In any case, obesity in America has become a major problem in today's society. If one is

considered "overweight,3" they get made fun of and bullied, especially children. In order to make

sure the body stays healthy, getting at least one hour of exercise a day by keeping physical

education in schools is a good way to reduce obesity and being overweight. Obesity is a problem

because it can cause health problems such as diabetes. More than two-thirds (68%) of adults are

considered to be overweight or obese. More than one-third (35.7%) of young kids are

overweight. "The age-adjusted prevalence of obesity in 2013-2014 is thirty-five percent among

men and 4.0 percent among women." (Article from the Journal of the American Medical

Association). If there are major health risks involved which can be caused by obesity are

diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. There is no better way than eliminating obesity

and the risks that come with it than by starting at a young age and keeping gym in schools.

On the contrary, some people disagree with physical education because kids are forced to

change clothes in front of their peers for a grade. The locker room is the most judgemental place

in the entire school because students bully other students and body shame each other, which can

create anxiety in some students. However, kids who are physically active would feel more

confident with their bodies and be more comfortable changing in front of people, versus people

who are not physically active. A study was conducted by the American School Health

Association (ASHA), which was called "Change in Psychosocial Factors and Physical Activity

Frequency Among Third- to Eighth-Grade Girls Who Participated in a Developmentally Focused

Youth Sport Program: A Preliminary Study." The study focused on improving girls' self-esteem,

3 Euphemism- instead of calling America fat, overweight or obese is a better way to phrase it.
body size satisfaction, physical activity commitment, and physical activity frequency.

Encouraging girls to become involved in physical activity programs should/will increase their

physical activity, commitment, and participation. In addition, the results helped further findings

in the Tucker Center Research Report (Debate). Finally, the study shows that increasing physical

activity can eliminate the anxiety of changing in front of peers and also help girls become more

confident. Who wouldnt want that for kids?4

To conclude, schools should require daily physical education because it increases

students' active time and improves students' ability to retain information. Mandatory physical

education ensures students get enough time being physically active. Increasing physical activity

enables students to better retain information and improves their self esteem. To make sure that

students are getting the suggested amount of exercise a day, schools must continue to keep

physical education a part of their curriculum. Get active!

4 Rhetorical Question- The answer to this question is everybody would like children to be in
shape
 Works Cited
Debate, Rita D., Kelley Pettee Gabriel, Marissa Zwald, Jennifer Huberty, and Yan Zhang.
"Changes in Psychosocial Factors and Physical Activity Frequency Among Third to Eighth
Grade Girls Who Participated in a Developmentally Focused Youth Sport Program: A
Preliminary Study." Journal of School Health. Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 11 Sept. 2009.
Web. 17 Mar. 2017.
"Physical Activity and Health." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 04 June 2015. Web. 17 Mar. 2017.

Reynolds, Gretchen. "How Physical Fitness May Promote School Success." The New York Times.
The New York Times, 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 17 Mar. 2017.
"Why Physical Education Contributes to Violence in School." Edutopia. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar.
2017.

"What the Research Says: Can Exercise Make You Smarter?" Fox News. FOX News Network,
n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2017.