The Movement Toward Physical Education

By MARILYN BROWN The Tampa Tribune

Published: Sep 23, 2007

TAMPA - When her second-graders at Cleveland Elementary School jump up and start swaying to an exercise video, Brenda Hill's arms and legs move right along with them.

"These are my majorette days," Hill says, laughing. "They love it, and I love it, too. … I went home sore one weekend."

Outside, third-grade teacher Dolores Lastra orchestrates a line-ball game. When the ball is kicked, everybody moves.

In a second-grade classroom, students create lunch menus based on favorite foods from the basic food groups.

It all counts toward the 150 minutes a week of physical education mandated for Florida's elementary students. The new law doesn't require that time be spent in a P.E. class with a certified teacher. A range of physical activity and health education, from work sheets identifying vegetables to full-fledged physical education, is OK.

It may not be what parents envisioned when Gov. Charlie Crist initiated and later signed the legislation into law. He hailed it as a way to help make the state a leader in health and physical fitness.

When Theresa Anderson heard about the new law, "I was so angry. I thought, that's not the point." Anderson has 8- and 10-year-old boys at Apollo Beach Elementary. Her boys ride their bikes a mile and a half to school. She limits TV to an hour on weekdays. Still, she was looking for more in school.

"They're not learning for 5 1/2 straight hours," Anderson said. "You can only sit still so much. How much information will you get without a break?"

Crist acknowledges the 150 minutes may not all be spent exercising. His ultimate goal is physical education every day in all grades. He said the change in elementary schools is just a start.

The National Trend

Childhood obesity is a nationwide problem. From 1971 to 2004, the percentage of overweight children ages 6 through 11 increased from 4 percent to nearly 19 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Childhood diabetes, asthma and allergy rates are soaring.

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education and the American Heart Association say students need 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity a day. They recommend schools provide 150 minutes of physical activity a week for grades K-12 with a certified P.E. teacher.

A 2006 report from those groups noted most states don't require a specific amount of instructional time.

Florida is moving in the right direction, said Craig Buschner, president of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education.

"I applaud Florida - they are one of seven states this year that have taken some action," Buschner said Friday. "This is a conscious effort by school leaders, the governor and the legislature to begin getting children moving and to know about nutrition."

Health is a home issue, educators said, but they think the lack of physical activity and poor eating habits at home may improve with increased focus in classrooms - not just physical education but also education in nutrition and eating habits.

Federal law mirrors the approach. In 2006, every school district in the nation was required to submit a plan addressing nutrition, physical activity and student wellness. Districts across the nation have banned sales of sodas and sugared snacks, stepped up health lessons and added recess.

"It's the time, and school is the place to tackle the issues," said Steve Vanoer, the district's supervisor of K-12 physical education and health.

Elementary students are moving more this year, Vanoer said, but it's tough to cram the extra minutes into schedules focused on more rigorous reading, math and science. Add music and the arts, and the only way to meet the 150-minute goal at most schools is to incorporate physical activity into other subjects for brief windows of time.

"We're looking for movement," said Peter Russo, principal at Foster Elementary School.

There, third-grade teacher Brent Daniels incorporates movement into math and science lessons. Science vocabulary drills find students standing, doing toe-lifts for vowels and doing squats for consonants.

Everyone is included in Foster's fitness effort, Russo said, including the 15 classrooms of disabled students. "We put pedometers on wheelchairs."

Even the medically fragile students are more active, he said, with activities such as pushing a bowling ball down a ramp. This month is "Steptember," and all students use pedometers while they walk.

"At first, for teachers, it was, 'Oh, no, another thing to do,'" Russo said. "Now they're very willing to do it. … They're much more health conscious."

The new Museum of Science & Industry Partnership School plans to take advantage of the many steps at the museum, including those in the Imax theater, Principal Cheryl Dafeldecker said. It also plans to clear trails at the environmental center on the property for "walks and talks," she said.

Making It Work

Teachers weren't left to their own devices. During the summer, elementary physical education teachers were trained on how to help other classroom teachers incorporate more physical activity, Vanoer said.

Brooke Zingales, a first-year physical education teacher at Robles Elementary, said she gets to school as early as 5 a.m. to set up three outside activity centers for classroom teachers, but few are using them.

Robles kindergarten teacher Cheryl Williams said she and her students "kind of peek out and watch her work with the older kids," then try some of the calisthenics Zingales does.

As for incorporating 150 minutes a week, Williams said, "I'm still struggling with it."

Teachers are supposed to work with physical education teachers to document the time for each student and report it to the state, Vanoer said. How often and what format it will take is unclear.

Teachers said they are recording the minutes in their daily lesson plans right now.

"I can see that's going to be a problem down the road," Vanoer said of accountability.

The Hillsborough County School District could have opted for 30 minutes of physical education class each day, Vanoer said, but classes would have had about 60 students each.

"If you had 60 students in a class, equipment is even an issue," Vanoer said. "Plus there's a safety issue. It would be kind of like organized recess."

Even in a physical education class, students are physically active for only 15 minutes at best, he said. Teacher demonstrations, reviews of skills, and the distribution and return of equipment take the rest of the 30-minute block.

"We selected quality over quantity," he said. With a schoolwide focus, physical fitness and health lessons should be reinforced daily, he said.

Still, some schools, such as Bryant Elementary in northwest Hillsborough, carved out 30 minutes of P.E. every day, even before the new law.

Principal Karen Bass designed schedules around physical education. Each week, students have two days of physical education class, one field day, one day on the playground and one day on a new $12,000 outdoor fitness course. The course has 10 stations that include benches for sit-ups and bars for push-ups.

"She [Bass] made it a priority," Vanoer said.

Other districts, such as Pasco County, opted for more time even before the new law. Pasco has required 90 minutes of physical education classes a week in elementary schools and 15 minutes of recess a day for more than a decade. To comply with the new law, Pasco added structured activities to recess this year, Assistant Superintendent Ruth Reilly said.

Instructional time on health-related curriculum was added for schools not already doing that, she said.

Changing Lives

Although Hillsborough didn't take that path, some Hillsborough teachers, such as Cleveland's Hill and Lastra, said they see a difference.

"Once you get them moving and the blood pumping, they're energized. They're ready to perform for the day," Hill said.

Lastra, a 38-year teacher at Cleveland, agrees. "I've always done outside games," she said. "They absolutely need it. They have to get out and move."

They're not the only ones who see progress.

Bryant fifth-grader Chelsea Singleton said that although the rope climb is the hardest, it's her favorite. It has gotten easier the more she tries.

"I feel like I finally accomplished something," she said.

And Theresa Anderson, the Apollo Beach Elementary mother, said her 10-year-old, Jacob, goes out every day this year with his class for some outdoor activity such as kickball or football.

"Now he's happy," she said. "It reminds me of how we grew up. I'm regretting we didn't have it way back when they started" school.

If health issues don't become even more of a focus, Vanoer predicts much bigger regrets.

"If we don't address the impact of physical education and nutrition now, then when I retire, we're going to have a serious issue. Not in our schools - these kids will be graduated - but in our society," he said.

Reporters Ronnie Blair and Courtney Cairns Pastor contributed to this report. Reporter Marilyn Brown can be reached at (813) 259-8069 or mbrown@tampatrib.com.

What has changed this school year with physical education?

Students in K-5 public schools are required to take 150 minutes of physical education every week. There is not a requirement for middle school students, but schools are encouraged to provide 225 minutes of physical education per week. High school physical education has been reduced from 2.5 semesters - including one semester of health - to two semesters of physical education, with health integrated.

Does that mean my child in elementary school has 30 minutes of physical education every day?

Not in Hillsborough. The law defines P.E. in broad terms of developing and maintaining skills related to movement and strength, and knowledge, skills and attitudes concerning nutrition and healthy lifestyles.

Why don't schools just add 30 minutes of daily physical education?

It is up to the school district. Hillsborough has determined that the time and money to provide a certified physical education teacher for 30 minutes a day would be prohibitive unless classes were very large. A few elementary schools do schedule physical activity for 30 minutes a day, however.

Is the physical education program the same at every school?

No. Hillsborough requires physical education with a certified physical education teacher for 30 minutes twice a week for first- through fifth-graders. Each school makes its own plans for the other 90 minutes with variations by teacher. The district provides activity lists and resources.

What about kindergarten?

Few schools have regular physical education classes for kindergarten. Most must fulfill the 150 minutes with a variety of activities.

What happened to recess?

Recess can be counted for part of the 150 minutes, but few Hillsborough schools have had regular recess for years. It is up to the schools, and many said they don't have the time with increased testing and academic pressures.

How do I find out what my child's class is doing?

Every Hillsborough elementary school has a plan that includes how it will meet the 150-minute requirement. Ask your principal or teacher.

Who keeps track of the 150 minutes?

Classroom teachers and physical education teachers are supposed to work together to document each student's time. Districts must report that information to the state. It is not clear how often or what form that will take or what the consequences are for erroneous reporting.

Are state changes planned?

The new law requires the state Department of Education to review and revise Florida's standards for physical education during the school year. If you are interested in the district program, contact Steve Vanoer at steve.vanoer@sdhc.k12.fl.us.

Sources: Florida Department of Education, Hillsborough County School District