57% of High School students attend a Physical Education class at least once a week. Only 28.4% attend a Physical Education class daily. Put of all the students that attend Phys. Ed, less than 80% pass the class.

Physical Education is too athlete-oriented. Physical Education teachers try to give the students as much time as possible to play sports, so they don’t explain how to play. Students who are athletes or know how to play the sport try to be the star of class by hogging the ball and leaving others out of the game. Many students who aren’t athletic have trouble participating, which affects their grade.

More than 60,000 students were injured in a gym class in 2007, a number that rose over 150% in less than ten years. Though no new numbers for more recent years have been given, the number has been rising. Physical Education teachers require students to play sports without proper instruction. If a student doesn’t know the correct way to play a sport then their risk for injury is much higher. Rather than standing on the side lines, a student who is worried about their grade will make an effort to participate without knowing the potential fatalities.

With more that 15% of students being overweight, schools should try to make changes to the Physical Education curriculum. If changes are made, it will benefit everyone; kids could participate more, exercise more, and get better grades. Athletes who now how to play sports are usually more physically fit than those who don’t. If Phys. Ed. Classes changed their curriculum then it would give un-athletic students the chance to participate and exercise. Schools that have made changes have had many students benefit from it in many ways.

Some schools allow students to participate in a dance class, and allow students to put it towards a Physical Education credit. Dance is a good cardio-exercise, and it allows more students to participate. Sometimes, female students don’t know how to play certain sports, so they don’t try. Dance classes will allow them to bring up their participation grade. Many school don’t allow a Dance class to count for a Physical Education credit because dance s an art. Although this is true, dance is a physical exercise and therefore an exception should be made.

Some schools have started to offer online gym classes. A student is able to pick an activity and perform that activity for 30 minutes 3 times a week. The students keep journals and must have a parent or coach verify it. At the end of each semester, the students take a physical fitness test to see whether or not they slacked off. This benefits those students who don’t like to exercise in public or students who don’t excel in sports. If a student practices a sport in private, they may become better and work up the courage to participate in a real Physical Education class.

More schools should offer alternatives such as these. It would benefit the student’s grades as well as their health. The students would participate more and be more physically active. They would have more confidence to play sports with their more athletic peers. The schools that have made changes in their athlete-oriented curriculum have seen benefits in the sports ability of their students, and the schools that haven’t changed should follow in their footsteps in the best interest of their students.