Do you have a favorite school subject? Math, ELA, Science, Social Studies? Maybe even PE?  According to a poll on Google, in October of 2018, Gym placed 5th, out of 7 subjects for a most favorite school subject. (8%, 20 votes). Today, I’m going to tell you why PE should not be mandatory. PE should not be mandatory because students may already do club or school sports, students will not have the option to take other classes because PE will always have to be an option, and they shouldn’t have to worry about bringing extra clothes to change in and out of.

For my first reason, students may want to take other classes and experience ones they haven’t done before. According to CareerRide.com,  “For students who only have academic interests, PE is just a waste of time and energy. Sometimes these students become the target of the bullies.”  This means that students could possibly make fun of kids who only have academic interests. Students would also rather pay more attention to their academic schoolwork, rather than their physical schoolwork.

My next reason is that kids might already do school or club sports. According to this website, “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 1991-2019 High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data, about 57% of high school students played on at least one school or community sports team in the past year.” This means that PE may not be necessary for students who already are active and are already participating in these things. I understand that not all students take interest in sports or being active, but most kids our age do. That will probably continue through their high school years.

My final reason is PE students will have to bring an extra pair of clothes for the days you have PE (you have to bring even more clothes if you have sports for school that day too).  According to this middle school website,  “Students are expected to bring the following clothes for Physical Education class:

-Tennis shoes laced and tied.

-Socks white or athletic socks are recommended

-Athletic shorts or sweatpants are recommended. 

-The pants must have elastic waistbands, and the tops must remain at the waist. 

-Jean shorts, boxer shorts, -blue jeans, or cargo pants/shorts are not to be worn in class.

 Shorts must be of appropriate length and adhere to the school dress code.

T-shirts or sweatpants can be worn. T-shirts must have sleeves. No thin straps or tank tops. No midriffs showing. Shirts must have sleeves.

You may not wear your school clothes in PE or your PE clothes back to class.

You cannot wear PE clothes under your school clothes.

Hoodies/Jackets are not allowed in PE class. If it is cold and we go outside, you may bring a hoodie/jacket with you outside.” This information means that the PE dress code is strictly prohibited at other schools. I’m sure you’re thinking, this is not our school- and that’s true, but that proves my point why PE should not be mandatory because of how complicated the dress code is. Some schools or teachers are nicer than others so it could also depend on what school or what PE teacher you have.

These are the reasons why PE should not be mandatory because of the clothing difficulty, kids may already be active, and students may want to take other classes. If you agree or think the same way I do, maybe try visiting the school website and contacting the school to make this a possible change for our school!