Physical Education Aims for Active Lives, Fewer Painful Memories

Physical Education Aims for Active Lives, Fewer Painful Memories
Even as schools cut activity time, goal moves away from competition and toward personal performance. Transcript of radio broadcast:
24 April 2008

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

Common sense would tell us that physically active children may be more likely to become active and healthy adults.

In the United States, elementary and middle schools are advised to give students two and a half hours of physical activity a week. That is what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association recommend. They say high schools should provide about four hours of physical activity each week.
Yet many schools across the country have reduced their physical education programs. Criticism of the cuts has led in some places to efforts to give students more time for exercise, not less.

The future health of Americans may depend on it.

Just this week, a study reported that life expectancy has fallen or is no longer increasing in some parts of the United States. The situation is worst among poor people in the southern states, and especially women. Public health researchers say it is largely the result of increases in obesity, smoking and high blood pressure. They also blame differences in health services around the country.

In two thousand six, a study found that only four percent of elementary schools provided daily physical education all year for all grades. This was true of eight percent of middle schools and two percent of high schools. The study also found that twenty-two percent of all schools did not require students to take any P.E.

Charlene Burgeson is the executive director of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. She says one problem for P.E. teachers is that schools are under pressure to put more time into academic subjects.

Also, parents may agree that children need exercise in school. Yet many parents today still have bad memories of being chosen last for teams because teachers favored the good athletes in class.

But experts say P.E. classes have changed. They say the goal has moved away from competition and toward personal performance, as a way to build a lifetime of activity. These days, teachers often lead activities like weight training and yoga.

Some parents like the idea of avoiding competitive sports in P.E. class. Yet others surely dislike that idea. In the end, schools may find themselves in a no-win situation.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. You can learn more about the American education system, and get transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our reports, at voaspecialenglish.com.

----------------------------Google Translate
体育教育的目的是为积极的生活，较少痛苦的回忆
甚至作为学校削减活动的时间，目标动作，远离竞争和对个人的表现。全文电台广播：
2008年4月24日

这是美国之音特别英语教育的报告。

普通常识会告诉我们的体力活动，儿童可能会更有可能成为积极和健康的成年人。

在美国，小学和中学向学生提供了两个半小时的体力活动一个星期。这是什么疾病控制中心和预防和美国心脏协会建议。他们说，高中应提供了约4个小时的体力活动，每星期。
然而，许多学校在整个国家减少了他们的体育教育计划。批评的削减已导致在一些地方，要努力使学生有更多时间运动，而不是更少。

未来的健康的美国人可能取决于它。

就在本周，一项研究报告说，预期寿命已下降或不再增加，在部分美国。情况最严重的，其中贫困人口在南部各州，特别是妇女。公众健康研究人员说，这主要是由于增加，肥胖，抽烟和血压高的压力。他们还责怪分歧，在卫生服务在全国各地。

在2000 6 ，一项研究发现，只有四％的小学提供每日体育教育所有的一年，各职系。这是真正的八％ ，中学和2 ％的高中。研究还发现， 22 ％的所有学校不要求学生采取任何体育

查burgeson是执行董事，国家协会体育运动和体育教育。她说，一个问题，为体育教学教师是学校的压力下，把更多的时间到学术科目。

此外，家长可以同意孩子需要行使在学校。然而，很多家长今天仍然有不好的回忆，被选定为最后队，因为教师的最惠国待遇，良好的运动员在课堂上。

但专家说，体育班已经改变。他们说，目标已经迁离的竞争和对个人的表现，以此来建立一个终身的活动。这些天来，教师往往会导致的活动，例如重量训练和瑜珈。

有些家长喜欢这种想法，避免在竞技体育在体育教学中一流的。然而，别人一定不喜欢这个想法。在年底，学校可能会发现自己在一个没有双赢的局面。

这是该美国之音特别英语教育的报告，写的南希斯坦巴克。您可以了解更多关于美国的教育制度，并获得誊本， MP3和播客我们的报告，在voaspecialenglish.com