Working Out How to Cover Gym Class

When First Lady Michelle Obama kicked off her campaign in 2010 to end childhood obesity within a generation, I was the designated pool reporter at the Red Rock National Conservation Area.

That meant I got to trail after the Secret Service through the winding canyon floor and witness firsthand the remarkable sight of Obama demonstrating isometric exercises with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Seriously … you want to see the photos.

I also got into a lengthy debate with a White House liaison over the color of Obama’s skirt. Was it acid green? Celadon? Ok, it’s celadon. (Yes, these details actually matter when you’re in the pool.)

These lighter moments don’t minimize the importance of the first lady’s message. There is indeed an epidemic racing through the country, and the nation’s schoolchildren are among the afflicted. You don’t have to go farther than your local mall to know Americans have a weight problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, childhood obesity affects 17 percent of all children and adolescents in the United States – that’s triple the rate of 30 years ago.

The education funding crisis hasn’t helped because “at a time of a lot of belt-tightening and budget cuts, unfortunately it’s gym class and recess and after-school sports that often are the first things to go,” Obama said.

Indeed, schools are struggling to balance budgets. Educators are also trying to cram as much instructional time into the academic day as possible to prepare students for high-stakes tests. Too often, that means recess and gym classes are either being cut back or even eliminated outright.

But here’s the statistic that really jumps out at me: Of the CDC’s top 10 recommendations for addressing and preventing childhood obesity, seven are related to school-based programs or initiatives. That includes supporting effective daily physical education classes, adding salad bars to campus cafeterias and limiting access to sugary drinks (while making free water more accessible).

A child’s nutritional and activity habits are learned--and reinforced--at home. But as the CDC’s recommendations confirm, schools are a critical part of the fight against obesity.

Here are a few questions – and facts -- to get you started on a story in your own area:

• How large the gym classes in your district?
• What is the student-teacher ratio?
• Are students being asked to pay extra to participate in extra curricular sports?

Many districts don’t have rigid rules limiting the size of classes for physical education. The National Association for Sport and Physical Education recommends capping elementary P.E. classes at 25, middle school classes at 30 and high school classes at 35, putting them in a range consistent with regular core academic classes. [Classes twice that large are not uncommon, however.] The organization also recommends elementary students receive 150 minutes per week of P.E. instruction, while secondary-level students should have 220 minutes.

Do the lunchrooms in your schools have salad bars? Are there vending machines available to students, and if so, what’s in them?

Consider spending a week eating lunch at a local elementary school. You can document the nutritional content and eye appeal, and ask individual kids to serve as a “Top Chef” panel of experts. I’ve found principals are more willing to permit these types of stories when there’s a chance for the students themselves to participate and learn something from the experience.

Tomorrow: Back to school ideas for the higher education beat.


Have a question, comment or confidential concern for the Educated Reporter? Drop me a line at erichmond@ewa.org. I’m also on Twitter @EWAEmily.