When I left middle school in June of 1999, I really had no plans on every going back. But as it turns out, I'd return 12 years later, but this time as a faculty member. Thankfully, I'm not a teacher, and I mean that in the best way possible. I understand now, why teachers get a break in the summer. It's to keep them in schools and out of insane asylums. Instead, I'm a school social worker which keeps me busy, just in different ways as a teacher.
Last week, a girl I work with asked me what middle school was like when I was there. We talked about the lack of iPhones, the beginnings of the Internet, and how I hadn't yet seen a laptop in person. Despite all the changes in technology, one thing that I've learned in the two years I've been working in a middle school, is that in general, girls still hate gym class.
Gym in elementary school was a pretty good deal. I remember getting to ride around on little scooters and playing with that giant parachute. It wasn't until fifth grade when we were told for the very first time that we would be running "the mile" that day."The mile". I'd hate that term for the next five years.
Things seemed to get worse in middle school. I think some of it was the whole idea of changing in front of other girls. As if you're not feeling awkward enough during the beginning years of puberty, schools decided that it's a great time for you to start changing in front of all your peers.
The hardest part for me about gym class was that I simply wasn't good at it. I was the straight A, over achieving type. I remember worrying each time report cards were about to be sent home that gym class would keep me off the distinguished honor roll.
I could do math like whiz. I could analyze literature. I could balance a chemical equation.
But I couldn't run that stinkin' mile.
Sometimes, I'm surprised my parents didn't take me to see the doctor for some sort of gym class induced anxiety. I would be in tears on a regular basis during the track and field unit. It was the time of the school year that I loathed the most.I didn't like failing at anything, especially when everyone in your class could see that you were one of the last people to cross the finish line. When I collected the one gym credited I needed to graduate at the end of 9th grade, I was a very happy girl. No more mile runs for me!
The irony of that hasn't escaped me or my parents. My dad has told me a few times how crazy it is now that I choose to run. Even though, a lot of days, I'm still battling those middle school feelings of inadequacy. Every new week in my training program, I wonder if this will be the week that I am incapable of doing. I love proving those feelings wrong, though.
I wish schools would do gym class differently. I think kids--especially the kids like me, who were not coordinated, athletic, or in shape--need a lot of help in finding ways to exercise that is fun. In high school, we had a few specialized classes in weight lifting and aerobics to pick as electives, but at that point, I was not setting foot in another gym class. Why not have a Zumba class? Or a team sports class? Or a multitude of other classes that focuses on something the student would enjoy?
I also think that it might be a good idea to have gym classes based on ability level. For academic courses, there are honors, average, and remedial classes. Couldn't gym classes be created for the advanced, intermediate, and beginner athletes? If running is going to be a focus, lead students through a Couch to 5K program over several weeks instead of just throwing them into a mile run. Of course, education reform has its hands full right now with academic courses, so I don't see any focus on gym classes any time too soon.
Last spring, I ran a full mile for the first time in my life. So middle school girls out there, whether in age or in spirit, you can do it, too.
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