PE (Physical Education) In Schools

[james1988]

So having skived a bit more from finishing off my dissertation I came across this article on the BBC news website:

Girls and sport: Schools urged to make PE more attractive to girls
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17873519

When I was in school (admittedly not very long ago compared to some) I love PE. I have always had an interest in some form of sport or another such as swimming, karate, Tae Kwon - Do, running and lately obstacle racing (I have my first 3 miler in July) but I never really got on with PE until my later years in school. I was never unfit and could usually keep up with the bigger boys (I was a short weedy kid) and give a pasting as good as I got in games like Rugby etc. I feel fitness has played a major role in my life especially building my confidence. My other half isn't very confident around new people and - going out on a limb here - I strongly believe if she had a competitive side or had been given the stick you get within teams then she would be much more confident around new people.

I suppose what I'm trying to get at is, did you enjoy PE? If so do you think it had a positive affect on you as far as your personality and even work / social life goes?

James

Back to the dreaded dissertation now...

 

[calumscott]

Enjoyed some bits of it.

Much preferred the ad-hoc footie at lunchtime though.

For me, the things that it turns out I enjoy more are the collaborative sports/pastimes where you and your associates pit yourself against the environment rather than a similar opposing force.

Hence the garage full of walking, climbing and SCUBA gear!

Do I take my experiences doing that sort of stuff into my work and personal life? Hell yeah! Is it positive? Hell yeah! Have I just turned American? Looks that way... :lol: :lol:

 

[dracunculus]

I was at achool in the late 70's and absolutely lothed PE. I was alway a lanky kid and had lousy ball skills but back then you just got shoved in a team (or worse, lined up against a wall and the team captains picked you one by one, I was always in the last 2 or 3) and expected to get on with it; nobody actually bothered to teach me actually how to pass a ball or control one. I probably spent more effort in working out ways of getting out of playing sports than I ever expended on the sports field :grin:

One thing I was though was fast and I did represent the school at 100 and 200 metres but I never had any passion for it, I just did it to shut the teachers up.

It was only until I got to university and a mate cajoled me into coming horse riding that I actually found something I liked and was actually rather good at. I came from a working class northern background and equestrian sports had been just utterly alien to me but within a year of sitting on a horse for the first time I was entering competitions and getting placed and without blowing my own trumpet too much becoming a fairly good dressage rider. Didn't keep it up though because to be *really* good you need the money / sponsorship / expensive horses etc. etc.

 

[Dave1970]

At an all boys grammar school in the 80's. I was Mr middle of the road in PE. Never particularly good at anything, never too bad either. Didn't mind the lessons but certainly didn't dislike them. In the 5th form & 6th form it changed to us basically having free reign of the local sports centre for an afternoon which was awesome. Half hour of weights, hour of badminton, swim to finish. Played rugby for the house team but never for the school.

THEN...when I was on the 6th form they decided to put out a rugby 3rd XV, full of people who'd never quite made the school team. It was a no pressure bit of a laugh game and I suddenly realised I loved it. 25 years on I still play rugby, I've never been that good, used to play 1st XV for a small club, now 2nd's. It's amazing what those 2 or 3 3rd XV games in 1987 did for me. Being in my rugby club has been a massive part of my life, I didn't grow up in Leicester so without the club I'd hardly know anyone.....so thank you Wirral Grammar School PE dept, that little decision you made 25 years ago has massively enriched my life!

 

[RobWalker]

I'm the same age as you, not very sporty but used to enjoy p.e. - admittedly it would have been good to have some better after hours stuff available. I didn't take it at gcse so we got 1 hour a week, and that's at a sports specialist school.

Had it been swimming, open gym, martial arts etc, I probably would have been interested. Sadly it was football, and as far as it goes when you're 15 and unpopular (ahem,) that ain't a very attractive option.

Played a lot of hockey in my last two years though, enjoyed it because it was fun, competitive, unisex and we all got on. Suppose that's what should be encouraged, playing to enjoy yourself.