Week 6 Pervasive Rough Draft Essay

Irving Carr
EN101
Week 6

Teaching a child good eating habits, as it relates to health, and then telling that same child that they can't run, jump, play, or build a healthy body because “math scores are low in this district” is an oxymoron. Georgia's “Limited Gym/ Recess” policy is contributing to the already pervasive problem of childhood obesity in Georgia. Sitting behind a desk for eight hours a day might be great for students' minds but it is definitely bad for their bodies. When asked, teachers will say that the state of Georgia is putting pressure on them because of the No Child Left Behind Act, to boost test scores and have a higher standard for the kids academically, which is why they are cutting P.E. classes and shortening recess times. What good is a healthy mind without a healthy vessel to house it? As Georgia seeks to have more students pass, the state itself is failing when it comes to this issue. The intent is admirable, but it's execution forgets to keep in mind the totality of a student. Sitting behind a school desk all day may develop a strong brain but to get a strong body you have to exercise. In the article, Recess Makes Kids Smarter by Caralee Adams it says,”Indeed, no research supports the notion that test scores go up by keeping children in the classroom longer, but there is plenty of evidence that recess benefits children in cognitive, social-emotional, and physical ways. Research shows that when children have recess, they gain the following benefits:
1. Are less fidgety and more on task
2. Have improved memory and more focused attention
3. Develop more brain connections
4. Learn negotiation skills
5. Exercise leadership, teach games, take turns, and learn to resolve conflicts
6. Are more physically active before and after school
Jarrett maintains that recess has benefits over gym class. "With recess, children have choices and can organize their own games, figure out what's fair, and learn a lot of social behavior that they don't learn in P.E.," she says.” (Scholastic Instructor) Running, jumping, and playing sports for even as little as 20 minutes a day helps promote good health in growing children. Gym/ recess gives kids the opportunity to switch gears and decompress. Being force fed information all day can potentially turn some kids “off”. The brain is like a computer, it can only take so much information before it gets overloaded. Teachers are feeling pressure from the state to improve their students' academic test scores; therefore P.E. classes and recess times are being cut back or removed altogether. There is no effective argument for not improving a child's education but should a government entity, whether it be the state or a federal government, impose these types of pressures, that are eroding our kids' health, just for the sake of “good numbers”? The answer is no but there are a few that hold a different opinion. Recess and physical education are considered pointless by some. According to Leslie Johnson, the author of First, do no harm: An argument against mandatory high-stakes testing for students with intellectual disabilities, “recess is a waste of time that would be better spent on academics”. (EBSCO Web 28 March 2010) But most older teachers think it's deplorable that the state would even consider not having recess or P.E. but still they fail to be able to do anything about it and they just follow the status quo. Schools are inherently a protected environment. So, when a parent sends their child to school there

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