PE Twice a Month. Really?

[anonomom]

DD started school today (2nd grade). For the past two years, they've had "specials" every day -- tech, media (library), PE, music and art each once a week. For some unexplained reason, this year they only have specials 4 days out of most weeks: they have music, art and tech once a week and PE and Media once every other week or so (it seems to be a rotation system, but I can't figure out the schedule/logic of it).

I find this appalling. I was disgruntled when there was only one PE class a week, but now they're reduced it even further! And what really frosts my cookies is that the school is forever sending handouts home about how important exercise is and how every kid should get an hour a day of structured physical activity. I guess they think we all have unlimited time and money to enroll our kids in after-school sports every day.

[crl]

Is it a funding issue? Our school when we lived in SF, the parents organization paid for music and PE. Not thrilled about that at all, but funding was tight (and they have to pay all those adminstrative who sort out the insane assignment system, you know).

I forget what the parents are paying for here, field trips, technology and some specials (music for K?).

Catherine

[AnnieW625]

Is it a funding issue? Our school when we lived in SF, the parents organization paid for music and PE. Not thrilled about that at all, but funding was tight (and they have to pay all those adminstrative who sort out the insane assignment system, you know).

I forget what the parents are paying for here, field trips, technology and some specials (music for K?).

Catherine

This is how it is in our school district as well. Good luck.

[ahisma]

My thought was budget cuts as well.

Although, cutting PE is odd. That's the last thing at our school to be cut because they can overload the classes. You can have 50 kids in a PE class but not in an art class. Still problematic that way though, obviously. Picture a 50 kids dodgeball game - yikes!

[anonomom]

I'm sure it's a funding thing. Our legislature has made no bones about the fact that they dislike/distrust public education and funding has been slashed mercilessly. Our state's teachers haven't had a raise in almost a decade (not even a COLA) and now they're just eliminating positions outright, even though the school system has more students every year. The ultimate goal, I believe, is to cut services to the point where most/all wealthier families give up and start going private. They they can say the public system doesn't work and that the answer is yet more unregulated charters.

Not that I have strong feelings about any of that. :wink2:

[boogiemomz]

Good grief, in 2nd grade? I agree, appalling! We're not school age yet, so I haven't had the opportunity to become enraged on a personal level about anything concerning public schools, but I'm scared.

[Globetrotter]

We're in CA and for two years our home district lost all "preps" including PE, science lab, music and computer lab! It was due to budget cuts. We moved our kids at that point.

[mom3boys]

Oh, that's tough, I'm sorry to hear. My DS1 was in a school in K where they had 0 PE for the first half of the year, finally got it once a week for the second half (full day K), and didn't have regular recess. And this was all city kids who already have very little outside space of their own. Seriously the lack of PE/recess was one of the reasons I wanted to move to a new district. The next year, in first grade, they got rid of Art. 1/2 way through the school year we moved and he has Specials every day including PE 2x a week. He consistently says his favorite subjects are PE and Art. I wish I could pick all those other kids up from their old school and take them to this district.

[KrisM]

Wow. It's almost not worth it at that point. We have it twice a week and I wish it were more often than that. We do have music, media, and art most weeks, too. Art is every other week, but for an hour. It used to be every week for 30 min, but decided too much time was spent getting ready and cleaning up, so they changed it last year.

[s7714]

I'd honestly rather have art and music included and less PE. But we have art once a month, no music program, and PE 3-4 days a week. (Library and computer lab weekly too.) I'm tired of paying for after school art and music lessons while not concerned at all about fitness--my kids work up a sweat nearly everyday just running around and playing after homework is done. The grass is always greener, right? ;)

ETA: Ours get two open play recess periods every single day as well regardless of whether or not they have PE. I didn't realize we were so PE/recess heavy compared to others.

[randomkid]

Honestly, this is a good example of why DH and I make sacrifices to pay for private school. This truly was a consideration when choosing schools - public vs private and which private. My DD is extremely active and I cannot imagine her going through the school day without a break for physical activity. When you say PE, does that include recess time? DD has PE - structured gym time with a coach 3 days/week (prior to 3rd grade, it was 2 days/wk) and recess 2 days/wk (previously 3 days/wk). Recess is unstructured play time outside on a large field. The kids can do whatever they want, so it is truly free play and encourages creativity because there is no playground equipment, etc. They have a few balls, jump ropes, hula hoops, etc. but it is mostly running around and making up games. In addition, she has art, music, and technology once a week. They go to the school library every 2 weeks, I think, but get to check out several books during their visit - enough to last 2 weeks since DD's teacher has them keep the school library books in their desks for reading during down time. They go to the public library periodically and bring those books home. This year, they did eliminate Spanish in the lower grades, but kept it as an elective for middle school. I'm not really bothered by this because I didn't feel DD was really learning anything going to Spanish for 40 minutes once a week. The school found that research supports learning a foreign language at a young age is not effective unless it is at least 90 minutes/week. I agree with this based on what I have seen. A local public school has an immersion program and they have A LOT of foreign language daily. Our school has allotted extra time to art and music this year in the time that would have been Spanish.

OP, I can imagine how frustrated you are with this. I didn't have DD in any extracurricular activities/sports last year for the first time - she had always been in dance prior to last year. We just decided to take a break from anything after school. I knew she was getting physical activity at school every day, so I wasn't concerned. I would be aggravated if I felt like I had to make an extra effort to make sure my child was getting enough exercise. I WOH and most days it's all we can do to get home, have dinner, do homework and get to bed at a decent time!

[KrisM]

Honestly, this is a good example of why DH and I make sacrifices to pay for private school. This truly was a consideration when choosing schools - public vs private and which private. My DD is extremely active and I cannot imagine her going through the school day without a break for physical activity. When you say PE, does that include recess time? DD has PE - structured gym time with a coach 3 days/week (prior to 3rd grade, it was 2 days/wk) and recess 2 days/wk (previously 3 days/wk). Recess is unstructured play time outside on a large field.

I was only counting PE class. We have it twice a week in elementary. The kids have recess twice a day in lower grades and once a day in upper elementary grades. At times, they'll have more than that.

[crl]

Ds has always had two to three recesses per day in addition to whatever PE the school teaches. He is a very high energy kid and I am sure he runs off more energy at recess than in PE (some PE time is devoted to teacher talking about activity, etc). But there are kids who don't seem to get any exercise during recess--they do more socializing, talking, card trading, etc.

Catherine

[JBaxter]

Public school here in SC PE every Tuesday and Thursday Recess every day. He has Art 1X week Music 1X week and Media 1x week inthe same slot.

[Tondi G]

Our school district does not provide a PE instructor for elementary schools. The teachers had PE training as part of their credentials so they are supposed to provide PE. Many schools have PTA/PTO or non profit parent organizations that fundraise in order to provide a PE instructor.... our school does (we lost PE last year and brought in a new program this year). Our students will now have PE twice a week. We also fundraise for a music teacher (vocal and instrumental music)... another thing the district doesn't provide. We do have 2 short rotations of visual art and dance provided as "arts"... which only happens once a week!

I believe in our district the students are supposed to have the equivalent of 20 minutes per day or 100 hrs of "PE" per week.

[doberbrat]

thats awful. Here, they have 17min for recess daily. PE 1x a week. Art, music, library and drama are also 1x a week. My friend's son the next town over doesnt have daily recess - only 3x a week I think(!!)

the annoying thing is that in the slightest inclement weather, they keep the kids inside. Hello! Its MASS - its Supposed to be cold 6mo out of the year. get over it and get the kids outside!!

[marymoo86]

We never had a PE class in elementary but did have daily recess. PE didn't start until junior high. Music was 1 time a week. Nothing else extra. Didn't realize there were all these extra items.

[ray7694]

In the state of Illinois PE is the law to b held every day but some schools get around it because they don't have a separate gym. Out district has it every day for k-5. We also have art music and technology/library once a week.

[cono0507]

My kids are first grade and third grade in public school. They get recess twice per day. They have "specials" every day - it rotates so one week is PE, following week is art, following week is music, then back to PE again. So they do each for a full school week every three weeks. Isn't perfect but it works well IMO.

[niccig]

PE is twice a week by the teacher, but it's been 100 degrees so they haven't been going outside. DS said they've been playing indoor football - get to throw the ball around in the classroom. He has 2 short recesses and lunch break.

[crayonblue]

We're in CA and for two years our home district lost all "preps" including PE, science lab, music and computer lab! It was due to budget cuts. We moved our kids at that point.

Yep and last year our PTA paid for a science teacher. Pathetic.