When parents of school-age children recall their own high school physical education classes, many remember that there were single-sex classes and that sometimes the only physical activity was when a gym teacher threw a basketball out to the class and yelled, “Play ball!”
Today, though, in the physical education classes of the ’90s, it is much more likely that there will be 25 students dribbling 25 basketballs and working on their individual skills.
And while basketball and football may still be among the offerings, such individualized programs as fitness and weight training are becoming commonplace. At high schools throughout the northwest suburbs, students are likely, especially during junior and senior year, to be offered a variety of electives, ranging from weight management to outdoor adventure, often in a co-ed environment.
“We have incorporated fitness into all our activities,” said Joe Schlender, division head for physical education at Conant High School in Hoffman Estates. “We don’t start out our classes with jumping jacks, the things that make students suffer, as we did in the past. We incorporate aerobics into all our team sports.”
And at Elgin High School in Elgin, for instance, juniors and seniors can sign up for one of four tracks, or program levels. The first track is for male students and includes heavy physical contact, such as football. The second track is for females only. Some of the activities are physical conditioning and soccer. In the co-ed tracks, according to Jerry Kusek, division chairman for physical education, the emphasis is placed on recreational activities, such as tennis and badminton.
“Much of physical education has changed because of Title IX, which was passed in 1979,” Kusek said. “But many people misinterpreted it. They thought you had to offer co-ed activities when, in fact, it called for equal opportunity.”
He said the results of co-ed activities have been mixed. “The boys are not as skilled as they used to be because they are competing with girls now,” he said. “But the girls, on the other hand, have a much higher level of skills than they used to.” The playing field, in effect, has been leveled.
At Streamwood High School in Streamwood, this is the second year the physical education department has used a fitness-based approach, according to Maureen DeDobbelaere, chairman of the physical education department. “We are talking wellness as well as fitness,” she said.
At the beginning of each school year, all students are tested for fitness levels and placed in one of four tracks, or levels, based on their abilities. Every Tuesday and Thursday, students participate in individual fitness activities, such as tennis and track. The remainder of the week is spent on activities such as basketball or volleyball.
“The interesting thing is when you are playing a game like floor hockey, you have students who before wouldn’t have a chance, saying things like, `I just scored a goal; I never got to do this before,’ ” DeDobbelaere said. “It helps self-esteem.”
And all classes at every level participate in physical fitness activities every Tuesday and Thursday.
“I personally would rather have more physical fitness,” said Karla Martinez, a 17-year-old senior from Streamwood. “Some people don’t take it seriously, though.”
Another senior, Erin Chappel, 17, said she likes that students are separated by level because there is more competition when participating in an activity, such as badminton.
Jacin Kopitke, 14, and John Phannenstill, 14, both of Streamwood, are freshmen at the high school this year. They haven’t been a part of any other type of high school physical education program, but both are happy with their placement, which is at the top level. “You get to play with people who play just like you,” said John.
The changing emphasis of high school physical education classes has trickled down to the elementary school level as well.
“We are not trying to turn out clones, but children who understand their level and work at that level,” said Lani Graham, program coordinator for the National Association for Sports and Physical Education in Reston, Va.
In general, the emphasis for students in kindergarten through 4th grade has changed.
“We focus not on competition against each other but competition against oneself,” Graham said. “We are moving toward a focus on developmentally appropriate physical education. Within a group of 10-year-old children, for instance, some are at 8-year-old stage of development, others are at the 12-year-old stage.”
“The new trend is toward lifetime fitness, activities students can do for the rest of their lives,” said Suzanne Crouch, director of special events for the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
“We are teaching more basics,” said Marcia Krahl, physical education teacher at Eastview Elementary School in Algonquin, which includes students in kindergarten through 5th grade. “Parents don’t have time to play with their kids, and the kids come in not knowing how to throw a ball or track a ball with their eyes.”
She also said that a greater emphasis is being put on cardiovascular fitness, which means stressing activities that involve constant movement, such as jumping rope. Said Krahl, “For some students, the only physical activity they get is in the physical education class.”
Buff Toneman, president of the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, an organization that includes 3,000 educators, and a physical education teacher at Oak Elementary School in Hinsdale Elementary School District 181, said, “You can’t have them come to class and stand in line. They all should be active.”
By changing attitudes about fitness, the revamped physical education classes can be important in helping students achieve fitness as a preventive health-care measure, physical education teachers say.
In addition, they serve as a means for students to release tensions and gain more socialization skills.
“We also include values education,” said Elgin High’s Kusek. “We teach them the importance of good, healthy exercise so that they don’t leave here and become sedentary.”
Despite the challenges in developing physical education classes for the ’90s, PE teachers say there are other challenges on the horizon.
Krahl said that in the 25 years she has been teaching physical education, the fitness level of children has dropped and she is concerned because physical education may be endangered in Algonquin School District 300. “We have a referendum planned for the spring,” she said, “and if it doesn’t pass, music and physical education will be impacted.”
“Illinois is the only one of the 50 states to still require four years of high school physical education,” Kusek said. “The other states are wrong.”
