San Francisco BoE abolishes JROTC

I simply avoid that problem by not eating.

"Coffee! Coffeecoffeecoffee! Coffee! Not as strong as Meth-amphetamine, but it lets you keep your teeth!"

About gym: The county where I live is pretty broke so at this point I wouldn't be surprised if they couldn't buy a $10 soccer ball. Also, the first things to go are the things that are perceived to be unimportant, so that's why the electives go first. I hate gym too(bad experiences with people assuming I'm athletic, but I suck), but I just want it to be revamped and not to be cut.

In my school district they were pretty gung ho about cutting orchestra(thankfully they didn't). They will never cut band (because we need a marching band for the football team) or chorus (because it's relatively cheap, all the students need is themselves), but orchestra instruments are expensive and there's not a high interest.

They also will NEVER cut football, basketball or track, and it would be pretty hard to get away with cutting soccer. The only sports for sure they would get rid of would be tennis or golf.

edited 11th Jul '11 2:07:42 PM by wuggles

^^

In that case, carry on.

But yeah, our youth are getting fat as fuck and also not getting proper nutrition. It's a problem that we need to deal with. When poor people are fat, you know something strange is going on.

edited 11th Jul '11 2:06:46 PM by Barkey

x3

Which is probably the better solution, as the food is as much of the problem as the sedentary nature of life.

edited 11th Jul '11 2:06:53 PM by blueharp

What? Gym classes abolished?

Hrm. I wished that had been the case here. Way I see it, it's school's jobs to train and prepare students for the job life. It's the parents' job to train and prepare children for life in general. There are enough sport clubs around...

Also I always found the concept of JROTC and school cadet programs to be a bit problematic. I mean, recruitement officers at school, sure. Programs like that? Eh. From where I stand, it does sound kinda militarist to have that in schools, but then I have no first hand experience with it, so whatever...

Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken. Unrelated ME1 Fanfic

Gym is not pointless. Physical Health improves Mental Health immensely, as well as providing you a longer life, it teaches you teamwork skills which are immensely important in real life, and it's also just fun if you actually go out and play. I stopped taking baseball in high school and have regretted it ever since. Gym is far more important than things such as advanced science and math, which I believe should be optional by high school, but quite frankly I am not a reliable source on that, since I have no idea what the impact would actually be.

EDIT: I'm not saying Physical sports should get as much funding as they do down here in Texas. When you have a 20000 seat sport stadium for High School, something is VERY wrong.

edited 11th Jul '11 2:08:20 PM by YoungMachete

"Delenda est." "Furthermore, Carthage must be destroyed." -Common Roman saying at the end of speeches.

Yeah, if I go a week without some form of exercise, I feel mentally sluggish as all hell. People undervalue physical exercise quite a bit. I didn't need calculus to get a job and start a career, but I sure couldn't have gotten a career if I was obese.

edited 11th Jul '11 2:09:14 PM by Barkey

Also: if abolishing some high cost electives means better cafeteria food I'll be praying for their downfall, lol. I've not been in HS for a bit now, but I still wouldn't subject my enemies to average cafeteria food.

"Coffee! Coffeecoffeecoffee! Coffee! Not as strong as Meth-amphetamine, but it lets you keep your teeth!"

I'm sort of lucky/weird in that my school didn't have a football team. We had a "gym" that had a smooth cement slab with a basketball court painted on, and we also played field hockey on that sucker(full contact field hockey, mind you). The cheer team comprised of mostly black/latino girls of all shapes and sizes, and they wore jeans and school tee-shirts. No band, no orchestra, we had art, and in the Theory of Sports class that I took when I blew out my knee, we played sports video games.

"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -Drunkscriblerian

Did you go to a private school?

I start to get very depressed if I don't at least take a walk. I already have enough problems with depression and anxiety. I don't need more...

MUST.

WALK.

Or run.

edited 11th Jul '11 2:10:14 PM by Aondeug

If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah

We had a running track with a soccer/football field in the middle on the grass, and a concrete area for dodgeball, hockey, and basketball. All in all it wasn't expensive to maintain, and it kept us with a decent array of PT options.

^^^

That's nuts.

edited 11th Jul '11 2:10:57 PM by Barkey

@Wuggles: Public charter school. We got federal funding and the rest came from donations from private companies.

"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -Drunkscriblerian

Your schools cut P.E. classes?
That isn't very good :s

By the powers invested in me by tabloid-reading imbeciles, I pronounce you guilty of paedophilia!

NO IT'S NOT BUT PEOPLE DO IT ANYWAY

Hell I love theatre but I would sooner throw that out than P.E...

edited 11th Jul '11 2:18:43 PM by Aondeug

If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah

No, but you could get your PE credits through either gym or Theory of Sports. I did gym one year, then the Theory of Sports the year that I dislocated my knee and couldn't do gym.

Any sports teams we had (basketball, field/roller hockey) were done after-school as non-credit extracurriculars.

edited 11th Jul '11 2:18:53 PM by DrunkGirlfriend

"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -Drunkscriblerian

You guys are ALL missing the point. Why are schools being forced to make these cuts?

There is absolutely no reason we should be incapable of paying for these things, the money is definitely there in the economy. Where the fuck is it going?

edited 11th Jul '11 2:28:20 PM by deathjavu

Look, you can't make me speak in a logical, coherent, intelligent bananna.

Guns. Corporate CEO tax breaks. You know, important stuff.

Also, regarding gym class? Elementary Gym? Fun for everyone, save for a little hiccups.

High School Gym? Reason for most of my problems. It was great when everyone made fun of you for not being as fast as everyone, or having as much endurance. It was even more fun when the gym teacher joined in on the fun. Oh and it was thrilling when I sprained my ankle because I had to block the huge ass guy in flag football, and the gym teacher called me a pussy in front of everyone. Yay tenure!

That was fun. So yeah, sorry if I have some disliking of my Jr High and up gym classes. I wish my dad (A Gym Teacher) was my teacher, then I might have not dropped out of Gym.

edited 11th Jul '11 2:31:08 PM by Thorn14

I DON'T KNOW. I WILL BLAME UNDERWATER BASKETWEAVING 101.

If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah

People block in flag football.

Yep. No contact...unless you are a linemen. Then they can rip your spine out for all my teacher cared. And I was forced to block the biggest kid in our class. And everyone yelled at me for always breaking down and our QB getting "tackled."

Fuck my High School Gym class.

edited 11th Jul '11 2:36:32 PM by Thorn14

67

Clearly, it's the fault of the Federal Department of Education and their ginormous budget, which is absolutely and completely responsible for everything.

That's the only explanation.

But um...hey, at least SF has some good schools, apparently.

@Blueharp: I'm still scratching my head as to why they'd cut the JROTC though, considering that it gets them extra money from the government to have it.

"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -Drunkscriblerian

Sucks that some random elective is dropped, but on the other hand...

That's just bordering on unhealthy obsession if you burst to tears just because of that...

Sounds to me like it has nothing to do with budget and just differing values though. That's a bit stickier.

Though hearing comments like "it gives a place for students who would never have gone to school a reason to go to school" is just...unsettling.

---

Regarding gym class...even if you can't afford balls, there are many other activities that can be taught in gym classes beyond sports. For one thing, people in my school were either fat or smoked, the results? Everyone had the endurance of a strangled kindergartener.

This is where gym class comes in. Give students the opportunity to train their endurance and different areas of their bodies. Make them run laps and do push-ups.

And if the teachers feel like it, devote a number of classes on the science behind physical health.

edited 11th Jul '11 2:42:25 PM by Signed

"Every opinion that isn't mine is subjected to Your Mileage May Vary."

My guess? Pressuring from parents who thought it was turning kids into soulless killers.

"WONT SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!?"

edited 11th Jul '11 2:40:13 PM by Thorn14