Quote:
Originally posted by Lady Pi Phi
But by the same token, not every activity requires a lot of money. How much money do you need to have the children go outside for half an hour and complete a fitness program? Say, jumping jacks, push ups, some running/jogging? There are activites that don't require equipment. Have the kids run or walk for half an hour. I've seen the kids at my local elementary school running and walking along the sidewalk as part of their phys. ed program. That's all they do. How much money do you need to get a kid to do that?
If people are going to lay the responsibility on the schools then the schools need to come up with something. Anything.
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How much money does it take to have kids complete a fitness program? Let's see. First you need to hire a gym teacher and make sure you have a gym, plus a variety of different equipment. Having kids run outside is a risk issue, because you can't watch them all at the same time, plus it's just not feasible in some climates to do it year-round. Most young kids, regardless of weight, are just not conditioned to run for long periods of time, plus (speaking from experience) most of them HATE it and get bored very easily, and would soon refuse to do it. Plus, with the limited time period that most gym classes allow (45 minutes to an hour, 2 to 5 days a week depending on the school) and the fact that they can't force kids to participate to maximum calorie-burning effect means . . . like I said, the actual calories burned are usually not enough to burn off a glass of milk, let alone counteract obesity.
As you said, "if the schools are going to be held accountable, they need to come up with something." Putting BMI on report cards is one thing they CAN do that requires minimal financial effort. I think it's hilarious that people don't care that schools can't get decent computers for our kids to use, yet they think they should be giving them personal trainers and diet assessments or something.