EMSB Needs More Phys Ed Time

Children playing the parachute game as part of their physical education time. It is actually helping them in so many aspects. – Source

Are you a parent whose child is attending an English Montreal School Board school?

If you are, listen up:

When I was in elementary school at Dante School, we were given 2 hours of phys-ed time a week, which is definitely not enough. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that children and adolescents do 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily.

Counter-productively, Canadian schools have decided to decrease physical education time to allow more instructional time for core curricular subjects. However, according to the Canadian Education Association, quality phys-ed actually benefits students in other areas by helping them understand how exercise is essential to develop a healthy lifestyle, allowing them to learn positive team skills including cooperation, leadership, cohesion and responsibility, and it is associated with improved mental health.

This lack of activity is a serious problem because according to the Child Obesity Foundation, in the last 30 years, obesity rates in children have doubled from 6% to 12% in Canada. They say that if current trends continue, by 2040, up to 70% of adults aged 40 years will either be overweight or obese.

Schools need to stop considering physical education as a fun distraction from academic work. What is needed is a recognition that physical activity and non-desk time are actually essential to learning. An extra five minutes of movement might just buy a child 20 minutes of concentration. Isn’t this what schools want?

Help us get the EMSB to add a mandatory 60 minutes of physical education a day into their curriculum in order to boost the mental and physical health of our youth, and help them create a healthy habit for the rest of their lives. Schools should include multiple different types of phys-ed – such as yoga, dance, aerobics, etc. – to allow children to try different forms of activity to find something that they like and can stick with in the long run.