The following article,
written by Klaus Gaebel, is reprinted from The
Saugerties Post Star, 02-29-08 Eagle's View A View Around Town Saugerties Post Star , February 29,
2008 JFK and Physical Education:
Over 45 years ago President John Kennedy pushed for
physical fitness for adults and children through the
President's Council on Physical Fitness. He urged schools
to increase awareness in physical education and provide
adequate programs. The president was an important advocate
for fitness and ahead of his time. He wrote an article in Sports Illustrated in which he
famously said ""The age of leisure and abundance can destroy
vigor and muscle tone as effortlessly as it can gain time. A
single look at the packed parking lot of the average high
school will tell us what has happened to the traditional
hike to school that helped to build young bodies." More recently, exercise and weight training equipment
have gained popularity. For student athletes, such
equipment can gain them a competitive advantage. The school administration tried to make the case that the
weight room needed to be dramatically increased in size to
serve a large student population and encourage lifelong
skills. That was a poor argument in an attempt to sell the
oversized room. When entering adulthood, today's students are likely to
find that many homes do not have the space for exercise
equipment. Nor do all families have the money for it. Nor
do many have the time or financial resources to pay for a
private gym class on a regular basis. For the majority of students, the focus of physical
education needs to be more traditional exercise and sport
activities that they'll carry into the future. Physical
Education basics are more important for schools to teach
than weight training. Also, let's not forget that diet and
exercise need to go together. In advocating for a large weight room, the administration
got it wrong. The Board of Education was correct when they
voted to reverse the superintendent's space proposal for the
Adaptive Physical Education plan and instead advance the
technology curriculum. Weakest Link: The weakest reason given by board members for voting
against the superintendent's weight room plan was that many
in the community had indicated their preference for giving
space to the technology programs over increased space for
the special physical education program. Politicians are criticized when they look at polls before
deciding which way to vote. We prefer them to base their
decisions on reason and judgment. Not to say public input doesn't matter - it does. It did
in this specific case. An alternative to the
superintendent's plan came about because people spoke up and
the board listened. That was a shift from the past. But if the letters, emails, and phone calls had come down
on the side of the weight room, would the board have come to
the same conclusion it eventually made in favoring
technology? There are times when a board, knowing they're going
against the tide, needs to make the case to the public and
try to win them over. Voting against public opinion without
offering an explanation shows arrogance. Advocating for an issue that there is public sentiment
against is the real test of leadership. The technology vs.
weight room issue didn't wind up being such as a test.
Perhaps they'll be such a controversial issue another day,
and we'll see if this board majority votes the right way, or
simply bows to a special interest group. Best New "Move Mountains"
Quote: Defending his vote of picking technology education over
the expanded PE room, board member Sam Fisco said "You could
have all the muscles in the world, but if the person uses
his brains, and has the education, he can move mountains."