Child Obesity

I read an article recently about childhood obesity in the US. The article pointed out that a generation ago over half of kids walked or rode their bikes to school and today less than 10%; in addition, it cited that less than 10% of elementary schools have daily gym. Are you kidding?

When I was a kid we had recess and daily gym. They also pushed us fairly hard in gym class; we did sit ups, push ups, long distance running, etc. I was really disturbed by the article and the direction our youth are headed. Our children's generation may be the first in recorded history to have a shorter average life span than their parents!

So how do we fix this problem? Glad you asked.... First I'd get rid of the title teacher and replace it with the title coach. The title coach has more authority and coaches have the ability to make lazy kids run laps when they screw up. "Forgot to do your homework did you? Give me 50 laps around the school!" "That is the dumbest answer I've ever heard! Drop and give me 100!"

This solution isn't the flowery, coddle your kids till they permanently live in your basement approach, but I think it would get results. Also, replace the school uniforms with sweat suits and we'd really be in business. I'd be willing to bet we'd see a marked improvement in grades as well!