Community Inquiry Project- Physical Education

For my community inquiry project, I would like to examine the role and impact of physical education. In schools, I would like to look at the PE programs. Outside of school, I would like to determine what the role of sports/recreational activity plays in the lives of students. In addition, I would like research what physical fitness programs are available for students and what nutritional habits students practice. For those that are not getting enough physical activity and/or not engaging in healthy nutritional practices, I would like to discuss development strategies to improve these patterns.

According to the American Heart Association, "increased physical activity has been associated with an increased life expectancy and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Physical activity produces overall physical, psychological and social benefits. Inactive children are likely to become inactive adults." Physical activity helps with maintaining a healthy weight, increasing levels of good cholesterol, reducing risks of some cancers and type II diabetes, reducing high blood pressure and is associated with improved psychological well-being including gaining more self-confidence and higher self-esteem (americanheart.org).

Some facts about teens and physical activity:
-About half of American youths aged 12-21 are not vigorously active on a regular basis. About 14% of young people report no recent physical activity. Inactivity is more common among females (14%) than males (7%) and among black females (21%) than white females (12%).
-Only 19 percent of all high school students are physically active for 20 minutes or more, five days a week, in physical education classes (medicinenet.com).
Today, obesity is one of the most pressing health concerns for our children. Approximately 25 million children and teens are overweight or obese—and physical inactivity is a leading contributor to the epidemic (Active Education, 2007. http://www.rwjf.org/files/research/activeeducation.pdf).
-Only 36 percent of high school students meet the current recommended levels of
physical activity (Active Education, 2007).
-Budgetary constraints and increasing pressure to improve standardized test scores have caused
school officials to question the value of PE and other physical activity programs. This has led to a reduction in the time available for PE, and the elimination of some or all physical activity programs (Active Education, 2007).


I would like to develop strategies to encourage children and teens to be physically active. First, convincing administrators, teachers, parents, and students that physical activity is important and can enhance overall quality of life is vital to attaining healthy nutritional and fitness patterns. Second, access to physical activity programs in and out of school are necessary in order for students to participate in activities. Promoting physical activity programs and encouraging student involvement will provide numerous benefits for children and teens such as improvements in overall health, academic performance, and self-esteem.

Promoting PE in schools and supporting after school programs related to physical activity is a small way to greatly improve the lives of children/teens. The benefits of physical activity are plentiful. Children in inner city areas should not suffer from lack of PE and or PE programs due to budgetary constraints.

NJRCL and Unequal Childhoods

In New Jersey, it is rather easy to make enough money to be well over the federal poverty line, yet still be struggling. The Federal Poverty Level is, nevertheless, far below what is needed to meet their families’ basic needs (NJRCL). The New Jersey Real Cost of Living provides information about how much it acutally costs to live in New Jersey. Even though Essex County is not one of the wealthiest in New Jersey, it is still located in one of the wealthiest states in the United States. Many of the families in Unequal Childhoods, by Lareau, would find it difficult to manage in this county due to the very high real cost of living.

In Essex County, transportation accounts for 6-12% of the total budget which is almost the same percentage allotted to food (NJRCL). Living in Essex County and having a child in multiple extra-curricular activities like Garrett Tallinger would prove even more costly than it already is. Garrett’s activities were estimated to cost $4,000 per year (Lareau). Instead of playing on three soccer teams, the Tallinger’s may be forced to cut down on Garrett’s involvement on multiple teams, in particular the travel teams which require them to travel far distances.

Stacey Marshall and Alexander Williams also participated in a number of extra-curricular activities. The expense of not only traveling to these events but also paying to participate in them in addition to paying for the hotel and restaurant meals can quickly add up, especially if they are traveling to different parts of New Jersey where the cost of hotel rooms and restaurants are expensive. Living in Essex would pose a challenge for even middle class families. Maintaining their current standard of living would not be easy. Focus could easily shift from extra-curricular to ensuring basic necessities are met.

Providing there is a child in the household, the cost of child care in Essex county account for a large portion of the budget in addition to housing costs. Because the cost of housing and child care are very expensive, families providing for a large extended family, such as the Brindle’s and McAllister’s could find it even more diffucult to get enough food and clothing for everyone. With high housing prices, families will not be able to afford an apartment or house the size they want. According to Lareau, speace is already an issue in the McAllister household; most nights the children sleep two to a bed.

The information provided by NJRCL and LSNJ is eye-opening. It provides a frightening sense as to how much it costs to actually live in New Jersey; the numbers are truly haunting. Seeing the numbers sensitizied me to how much it actually costs to live, and raise a family, in New Jersey in addition to the enormous difficulty and pressure involved. Families with a single parent or single income is even more daunting.

Knowing where your students come from is vital in order to be able to relate to them. Unfortunately, a family’s economic status creates class differences. Children’s activities are expensive and if a family is struggling to provide the basic necessities for their children, they are not going to spend money on an extra-curricular activity for their child. They also may not be able to spend money on new clothes or school supplies every year. They are not always going to be able to attend all parent teacher conferences or school performances because they have to work, do not have adequate means of transportation, or can not afford a babysitter. Because of these economic constraints, parents in poor and working class families are often unable to do/provide these “extras” for their children. It is easy to dismiss these parents as disinterested in their child's life. However, in most cases, their actions are not an accurate portrayal of their level of care/love for their child. It simply may be that their economic status is causing their priority to be providing basic necessities such as: food, clothing, etc.

Additionally, it is important to be conscious of and support efforts working toward bridging the gap between incomes and self-sufficiency standard. In particular, I liked the proposal of family-friendly policies in the work place. According to the NJRCL report, for those working low-wage jobs, having family-friendly policies such as paid family leave or subsidized child care would benefit the individual as well as the employer’s employee retention. This policy would benefit working class and lower income families, such as the Brindle’s and/or Taylor’s, where parents are preoccupied by the amount of work in caring for children coupled with insufficient economic resources (Lareau). Also, the call for expansion, accessibility, and overall improvement of training programs, stated in NJRCL, aimed at teaching necessary work skills, could provide low-income families with knowledge enabling them to improve their economic standing.

the value of resourcefulness

Throughout the book, Unequal Childhoods, by Lareau, there is a consistent theme of middle class children and entitlement. Middle class children are brought up with an emerging sense of entitlement as opposed to working class or poor children who are raised with an emerging sense of constraint. This sense of entitlement allows middle class children to learn how to get what they want from people in authority and institutions. On the contrary, children from poor and working class families tend to use the natural growth method in raising their children. These children may not grow up with a sense of entitlement, but they do possess a heightened sense of resourcefulness, which is very important. Entitlement is important in learning how to manipulate the system but resourcefulness also has its advantages.

In poor and working class families, children have much more free time than children in middle class families. These children often make up games, play with children of various ages, and provide their own form of entertainment free from adult control. This internal lotus of control provides these children with a sense of autonomy over their lives. Middle class children participate in many adult-run organized activities. Their free time is limited, leading them feeling bored when they do not have an activity scheduled for that day.

Although there are many benefits for middle class children raised with an emerging sense of entitlement, I believe there is a important flaw in this approach. Simply put, growing up with an emerging sense of entitlement encourages middle class children to does not give them much practice in dealing with thier peers without an adult in control. Although, they gain valuable experience in dealing with adults, authority figures, and institutions; they have an external lotus of control. Having their activities planned for them daily leaves them little time to figure things out for themselves.

The ability to entertain themselves and figure things out for themselves enables these children to become resourceful. Poor and working class children learn to figure things out for themselves because they often spend their spare time free from adults and with peers.Personally, I know that when I figure something out for myself, it has a greater affect and impact on my life than if someone just gives me the answer. Being resourceful can lead to a sense of accomplishment and may also aid in achieving greater successes later in life.

There is something to be said for being resourceful as opposed to expecting others to provide/do things for you. I don't think Lareau talks about this enough and I would be interested to see how this lack of autonomy/resourcefulness impacts middle class children. Lareau focues on entitlement and its benefits, yet doesn't examine the weight of a comment from Garrett Taligner's about how he doesn't know what to do when he doesn't have an organized activity and believes his life is boring without them.

help myself help others.

The culture collage gave me an opportunity to examine what experiences, people, things, etc. that are important to me. Seeing these laid out on paper allowed me look at what has shaped my life up until this point and some things I would like to see happen in the future. A better understanding of personal strengths and weaknesses enables a person to become more self-aware. This self-awareness that I have gained will continue to shape me as a person and a teacher. Being aware of what I can do to help myself help others will make me a better teacher.

Culture has a significant role in developing a person. In everyone's collage, aspects of their unique culture were visible. For me, doing this collage made me see what is really important to me and what I embody or will in the future. My family, friends, and faith are the three main facets in my life that have shaped who I am and will shape me as a teacher. The better understanding one has of themselves the more self-aware a person becomes. Recognizing your own strengths and weaknesses and acknowldging them enables a person to cater to their strengths and develop their weaknesses. As a teacher, the more self-aware you are the better you become at realizing if you are providing your students with what they need and, if this is not the case, adapting to their specific needs. All students are unique and learn in different ways. Teachers need to be able to react on the spot and handle many different kinds of situations.

Furthermore, as a teacher, you need to be able to relate to your students. In order to really relate to them you may have to draw on personal experiences. Drawing on personal experiences can help your students feel as though you are human and not someone that in inexcessible. However, you don't to volunteer information that is more than the students need to know. Finding this balance can be challenging at times, but it is necessary to find a balance. Sharing personal information with your students personalizes your relationship and allows the students to feel more comfortable coming to you with potential problems or concers. Again, as a teacher, you can not attempt to take on all of your students concerns, but providing them with accessibility and a level of comfort will serve them well.

In school until 18?

I read an article in The Montclair Times last week, "Lawmakers want to keep 18-year-olds in school" by George Wirt. Does keeping children in school until they are 18 as opposed to 16 is helpful to them? According to the article, 18 states already require school attendance until the age of 18. New Jersey is one of 24 states that only require attendance until age 16. Eight other states require attendance until 17.

I have to say that I agree with the childcare advocates in this article. They argue that keeping kids in school until they are 18 will provide them with a "supervised environment at a time when many of them are vulnerable to getting into trouble." I agree that having a supervised environment does help to reduce the risk of getting into trouble but I also believe that staying in school longer gives them something to do everyday. It limits their free time in which they could potentially engaging in troublesome activities.

Supports of the legislation also argue that an additional year or two of education, instruction and training will provide students who might otherwise drop out of school at 16 with more skills that will help them find work in an increasingly demanding job market (Wirt). Not only will these students be better able to find work but they will be more prepared for the work they will perform. A student who only stays in school until they are 16 usually lacks necessary skills to adequately perform in the workplace and function in society. If they remain in school until they are 18, they may have an increased chance of being more successful and better able to perform their job. I also believe that being required to stay in school until they are 18 will enable more students to graduate from high school. Students may feel differently about dropping out when they are a few months away from graduation as opposed to a few years away.

I believe that the benefits of this legislation outweigh the costs. Keeping children in school gives them a better chance to succeed in the future. Providing them with knowledge for a longer period of time will increase their chances for succeeding in the workplace and society.

Class and Entitlement

According to case study findings in Unequal Childhoods by Lareau, middle class children are brought up with an emerging sense of entitlement as opposed to working class and poor children who are brought up with an emerging sense of constraint. Middle class childrens lives structured and planned. Their day to day activities are organized and often run by adults. These children become used to adults planning and scheduling their events. They become accoustumed to adults putting their activities ahead of their own. As a result, they come to regard themselves, and their activities, as important.

Middle class children become comfortable with institutions at an early age. Their frequent participation in organized activities also allows them to become comfortable with adults outside of their family. More importantly, these children learn how to manipulate things within the institution in their favor, and in some instances customize situations to their liking and benefit. Learning how to work with adults and people in "control" in addition to customizing situations to their benefit contribute to their emerging sense of entitlement. Furthermore, they learn how to negotiate with adults in order to get what they want.

These children become comfortable voicing their opinions to people in authority in institutionalized settings. They are willing to advocate for what they want because they feel they are owed it. For the majority of their lives, adults have done things for their benefit. Middle class children become used to this behavior and begin to feel that they are special, their opinions matter, they are worthy of adults time, and adults should meet their wishes.

All of these factors contribute to middle class children's emerging sense of entitlement. This sense of entitlement can benefit these children in institutionalized settings because they will be more willing to speak up for what they believe they are owed. Contrary to poor and working class child rearing practices, the middle class child rearing practice can be a challenge for parents as this practice is very time consuming and can lead to more conflicts.