Physical Education: A Priority

Post date: Jul 4, 2018 1:02:04 AM

By: May D. Vinzon

Teacher III, COBNHS

The prevalence of common mental health situations is on the rise and what is equally alarming is its result – SUICIDE. To this date, the world seems to have been decreasing its population of famous people – Chester Bennington, Kate Spade, Anthony Bourdain. These names have created the loudest noise in their respective fields; however, these are also the same names which have shocked the world with their loss, taking their very own lives in just a snap. This proves that no one is an exemption; whether you are the highest paid celebrity or just an ordinary citizen, you can be trapped.

Millennials are the target market of such mental health problems, particularly depression. Who would’ve thought that the role of technology would make these millennials glued to their gadgets? Who would’ve thought that others’ Facebook posts would make these millennials envious? Who would’ve thought that others’ Instagram photos would put so much pressure on these millennials?

If only social media platforms could talk, they would question us, “Why do we always get the blame? Why do you always link depression to us?” This makes sense, actually. Social media are not as bad as we think. It is just a matter of how we use them. They might be just one of the causes, but not the sole factor.

To be fair with the social media, it’s about time that we project our focus to other possible adversaries that deteriorate the mental health of millennial students.

According to ScienceDaily, sports and physical activities bring about positive changes to the brain. Therefore, it stands to reason that if the body feels better, so does the mind.

As a school subject, Physical Education is focused on teaching school-aged children the science and methods of physically active, healthful living, as told by National Association for Sport and Physical Education.

As implemented, the Philippine Education System allots only one hour of Physical Education to Senior High School students.

To some, this is something that calls for a modification. Students are bombarded with tons of school works. They even deprive themselves of sleep due to requirements they need to submit the next day. And worse, they stress themselves due to high expectations of their parents and even their teachers.

Hence, the least that the education system could do is to help the students avoid getting bogged down by such stressors, that is, by lengthening the time for physical education, as it guarantees the students the holistic learning opportunities: (1) it is a link to good health; (2) it promotes academic learning; (3) it builds self-esteem; (4) it develops cooperation, teamwork, and sportsmanship skills; and (5) it promotes a physically active lifestyle.

The design says it all – that Physical Education involves the social, cognitive, and physical skills – yet, curriculum planners seem to be taking the subject for granted, when in fact, it should be given the same importance as they do to English and Mathematics. The goals that it represents are the lifelong benefits of health-enhancing Physical Education that enable adolescents to become active adults throughout their lives.

Instead of looking at technology in a negative perspective, we could use it to attract students to physically-engaging activities. After all, learning is not about burying faces in textbooks and seated learning behavior; it’s about facilitating the holistic development of learners.

Physical Education is a component of education system that encompasses other academic disciplines. Let us cut the notion that it is just a minor subject. It should be a priority.