Writer's Block: Sweat it out

[dionysius]

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Yes. Unless a student has a valid excuse not to do PE, of course they should do it. Obesity and related disorders are obviously a huge problem these days in Western society; making PE unmandatory will not help people's laziness! I had a valid excuse to get out of PE for the last few years where I had to do it, but otherwise, I would do it. Yes, it was not a good experience most of the time, and I dreaded it, but I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed some of the sports. If kids never try sports, how will they know they like them?

We can't condemn obesity and the fact that people's lifestyles directly cause diseases like type 2 diabetes, and have made cardiovascular disease the biggest cause of death, and then say, no it's fine; you can skip PE if you want to. Plus, I think that every subject should be mandatory until later years of school. At my old school, all the bratty children objected to taking a foreign language, which was mandatory - the teachers bowed and let them have their own way... :/ Who's running the school?! (A girl I took English class with actually cried to get out science class... they let her drop the subjects.)

Finally, though I'm on a slight tangent, why do people of religions like Jehovah's Witnesses get out of Religious Education? It's not a class that forces you to become a Christian - in fact, it teaches you about all the main world religions. And the atheists still have to attend! I hate to generalize, but a lot of religionists are close-minded about other religions, and this "I refuse to learn about other religions that aren't my own" attitude helps nothing. The class doesn't force you into any religion - it's about education, so that always annoyed me. God says not to worship other gods, but he doesn't condemn learning about them and keeping an open mind of others' beliefs.

Comments

[serrated-star.livejournal.com]

Here in the US we have a big problem with obesity and it's crazy the amount of young people with obesity problms here now. I think much of the problem is, like I think you were saying, people aren't moving enough, not enough exercise. Everything is all about convenience of the fast food, video games instead of playing softball or getting out and playing, etc. I think it would be good if a nutrition class was a requirement in high school.

A girl I took English class with actually cried to get out science class... they let her drop the subjects
Are you kidding me? Seriously????

God says not to worship other gods, but he doesn't condemn learning about them and keeping an open mind of others' beliefs.
Exactly! I agree!

[richard-vw.livejournal.com]

The problem of obesity is quite widespread across Western society, I think. Even here, you can see many kids who are well overweight, and there's no reason for it other than that they're lazy and don't do enough exercise. I think a nutrition class would be a very good idea. Yes, people can incorporate fast food and still have a healthy diet, but it's true that it's just too convenient for people to bother making an effort with good food. Even though it's not actually that difficult to throw some ingredients together to make a suitable meal.

Yes. She cried her way out. Apparently I was told she turns on the waterworks for absolutely everything. The worst part is that the teachers actually let her drop it. WTF?

[smishingtrip.livejournal.com]

Hi! Thanks for the add! :)

In my junior high, our religion class was entirely geared towards Christianity, only giving lip service to some other religions. To be fair, it was a Roman Catholic school at the time. In high school they offered a World religons course, but I wasn't interested. It wasn't until I entered university and discovered our wonderful Religious Studies program that I realised how wonderful and amazing religions can be.

I have a hard time understanding why people just don't want to learn everything they can about everything that's available to them. But I guess I'm biased because I'm so voracious in my learning. If I could do every degree that my university offered, I probably would. :p

[richard-vw.livejournal.com]

Hey :)

Yeah, I think if students go to a Roman Catholic school, there's the thought that they are Catholic or at least interested in Catholicism, so it makes sense it's geared toward Christianity. I still think it's very restricting for religious schools not to show the whole picture, but I guess they don't want half their students converting to Islam and still attending the school?! I don't know. :) All I know is that my school was as unreligious as they come, and actually, while RE taught us about world religions, many of the lessons were to do with morals, and ethical debates. Which everyone needs to know about regardless of religion!

I'm the same. :D When I was a kid, I always said I wanted to go to uni or college over and over again and get hundreds of degrees :D

[smishingtrip.livejournal.com]

Actually, we did have a few Muslim students at the school. They weren't allowed to attend any of the religious services that the rest of us were forced to attend. They got to sit outside the office. One of them was my good friend and she said that she would have attended if she were allowed, but the school wouldn't let her. It wasn't because of her parents, which is what I had thought. I told a teacher that I wanted to sit with her instead of go to the service and I got yelled at. :(

[ex-girlwarl.livejournal.com]

I don't like that people get out of religious studies either. Stop teaching kids to be so fucking closed minded, it just breeds hate!

[richard-vw.livejournal.com]

Exactly! Isn't it just that the kids are brainwashed then, if their parents won't allow them to experience other religions and make up their own minds? It's not like we had to pray to other gods or anything! It's just informing us of the other religions, and letting us decide for ourselves. Plus, many of the lessons didn't focus on religion but on moral and ethical issues, which even Jehovah's Witnesses need to know about!

[http://users.livejournal.com/__cottoncandy__/]

I don't think anyone should be able to get out of a subject. It's called having an open mind. You don't have to agree with it, or like it, but a little knowledge never hurt anybody, right?!

With that, a girl in high school refused to disect a worm in biology because she didn't agree with animals being used for science. 1) It's a WORM 2) Thanks to animals we have a better understanding of medicines and products that help us. I'm not saying it's right, but jeeeze get over it. She had to disect an online worm... lol!

Haha, it's easy to get off on a slight tangent when talking about stuff like this! Sorry xo

[richard-vw.livejournal.com]

I totally agree. It's not like we were being made to pray to other gods or anything; we were just being informed of other religions, and being allowed to make up our own minds. I think that the kids then are almost being brainwashed into their religion and not allowed to experience others.

Hmm. I think animal dissection is different. I do think she was overreacting over a worm, but then I think that people shouldn't have to do animal work if they don't have to. I know a guy at uni who is Muslim, and he applied to do a work placement that may involve animal work. Of course he says in the interview that he wouldn't do it, and he was refused the job. Now, that's silly of him to apply for it if he didn't agree with it. But in school you have no choice really. But yes, it's the principle that in schools as soon as a kid's like "Nooooo, I don't want to", the supposed authority is like "O.k. then!"

Tangents are o.k.! Normally I don't mind; it's just that I make my Writer's Block posts public, but hey, people don't have to read my tangents if they don't want to. :)

[its-anya.livejournal.com]

They let Jehovah's Witnesses out of R.E.? Wow! That's really quite bad. It shouldn't be allowed at all. I wonder how they justified that to the schools anyway. "Sorry, we don't feel our children should have their minds broadened and come to their own reasoning about our religion. We're offended by the very thought." ¬_¬

[richard-vw.livejournal.com]

They did at both of my schools! There was always at least one kid who got out of it. Fair enough, in primary school, we had a weekly assembly where we sang hymns and it was quite Christianity-focused, so I understand why the boy got out of that. But it meant he missed all the general announcements and everything else!

In secondary school, there was no need for it. Number one, Jehovah IS God! Two, our RE class was mostly focused on moral and ethical issues, so even Jehovah's Witnesses need to know about that. (Especially because they refuse blood transfusions and stuff :/) Plus, it seems a bit like brainwashing to me that they're not even allowed to HEAR about other religions. No wonder people generalize religionists as close-minded.