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Dear Dr. G.,
Hello! So, I have a question that will first require some background infromation. I'm a 16 year old male, and I'm taking a lot of very high level classes in school right now, with the intention of taking more ASAP. I'm involved in at least three (I lose track) clubs/extra curricular activities. With all this, I'm still a straight A student. My father is a nersurgeon and my mother is a nurse. (Guess how they met) Now, on with the question...
To graduate, our school requires that you take two PE credits. I personally think this is a waste of my time, and my parents agree with me. A block spent in PE is a lot of time and energy out of the day that I could be using for academics. Now, it's possible to take PE classes during the summer in summer school, but you spend half the day working out for three weeks. I tried it last summer, and was too exahusted to get anything done for those three weeks. Sum of all this is, I've decided that I'm not going to take another PE class - which means I won't graduate.
So, what do you think? I've already made my decision, but I'm getting advice from all corners, so any would be welcome. I'm thinking I'll still try to go to college, just not planning on graduating. And how in the world should I tell my parents? We have about three or four months before we register for next years schedules, and I'm sure they'll need to know by then. I've talked about this with sevral of my friends and my sister (in college), and all but one have said I should just tough out the PE.
What's your opinion and advice on this matter? Thank you for your time!
Sincerly,
Myself (98 and 3/4 % guranteed)
A High School Student
Dear High School Student,
I am not sure that you are going to like what I have to say but I am in favor of PE classes, exercise and all things health-related. In fact, I even believe that schools don't offer enough physical education.
I believe that the pursuit of knowledge is as important as exercise and taking care of our physical bodies. I believe that balance is the key to life.
I am not sure why you have such an aversion to PE. Is there anything that you are not telling me? Are you self-conscious about your body? Do you feel that you are not a good athlete? It's important for me to know these things so that I can give you even better advice.
I think that it would be a shame for you not to graduate high school because of the physical education requirement. Please reconsider.
Good Luck,
Dr. G.
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