Athletic Period or Not

[coachinhoops]

I am a firm believer that athletic period is extremely important and very benificial to student athletes. It allows them to earn PE credits for participation in high school athletics. I also understand that there are alot of people that oppose it. What does everyone think about it?

[HTV]

If it is in place of a regular PE class, i'm all for it. One semester per year is fine.

 

Otherwise, students need to be taking an academic class in that slot.

[osunut2]

That is one of the major arguments against block scheduling. When you can only schedule 4 classes a semester, it is tougher to offer an athletic period because there is less time available. I would like to see a modified block schedule in Knox County, where instead of equally weighting 4 classes, more weight is put on core classes (like math, science, english, etc.) and the weight is reduced on electives (band, chorus, PE, art, etc.). If we are trying to prepare high school students for college, this would be a lot more similar to the college curriculum than what exists now. I don't think that having 6-8 classes per semester is the answer, but I think that things could be changed in a way that could allow an athletic period to exist (and replace PE for athletes). I agree with HTV though, the only other way you could without changing the scheduling format would be to replace PE with athletic period.

[coachjohn]

I was told that Metro schools give PE credit for Marching Band??? Clearly more physical than Football, basketball.....

[Indian]

It also helps when athletes have to leave school early for a game, especially in volleyball, others that start just about an hour after school ends. They don't miss English or another academic class.

[LSMFT]

You give a PE credit for a class that you didn't take. That just does not sound right to me.

[redandblack63]

For years Band and Chorus have been allowed to receive credit for extra curricular activities. Why can't an athlete get credit for an athletic period. Block schedule is a problem but band is able to do it. When parents become vocal about the injustice to the student athlete you may see some changes. Its a double standard, Its ok for band but not athletes?

[osunut2]

For years Band and Chorus have been allowed to receive credit for extra curricular activities. Why can't an athlete get credit for an athletic period. Block schedule is a problem but band is able to do it. When parents become vocal about the injustice to the student athlete you may see some changes. Its a double standard, Its ok for band but not athletes?

 

Simple - band students read music and play music, chorus students read music and sing, which are considered "fine arts," and are therefore considered academic. I'll argue that not all members of the band (colorguard and majorettes) participate in the academic parts, but the majority of the band aren't twirling a flag or a baton. I don't think it's even a reasonable comparison. Athletes and band/chorus members are doing something completely different. Even when you consider what the marching bands do, their practices are centered around musical performance, on Friday night, competition night, and concert night.

[Solomon]

I think a lot depends on the classes being offered in the school system.

 

For example, in my playing days we were at the beginning of block scheduling and we got 1 period per semester for football. Basketball and cheerleading were the same way. So, when I graduated, 7 of my 32 high school credits were football. If you were in basketball or cheerleading, you had 8. (By the end baseball was allowed in spring as well.) Granted, that seems like a lot at first until you consider the classes I could have taken in its place. Word processing, word processing II, (granted some posters may argue this would have been beneficial to me ), and similar difficulty of courses. Basically, the only thing I missed out on taking were the easy "filler electives" as I like to call them. Almost 10 years out from it, I will argue with anyone that the 1/4 of a day I was either at football practice or lifting weights is more beneficial to me now that any of the electives I could have taken would have been.

 

Now, if a school system actually offers beneficial classes that prepare kids for college and life more than the filler electives, such as more emphahsis on the 3 R's, sciences, etc. then by all means I think those classes should be a priority. But, I don't know of many school systems where this is in place, therefore, I think an athletic period is more beneficial than other classes the kids could be taking.

[coachinhoops]

Think about this scenario. I had a kid at Lenoir City that only needed senior English to graduate going into his senior year. If I'm not mistaken the total number of credits needed for graduation on the college path is 24. On block scheduling you can earn that many credits after your junior year. Do the math. TSSAA states that in order to participate in athletics you must be present at school for at least half the day. If you have athletes in the athletic period year round and give them 1 credit for the year. Then the only real penalty is that they have to come to school all day their senior year. When they have to be there half the day anyway why not go the whole day. It only makes logical sense to me.

 

I do understand that being able to read music is a fine art, but I also think that the life lessons that competitive sport teaches our young people should also warrant a credit, not to mention, the value of being physically fit. Anyone that thinks otherwise should go stick their head in the sand.

 

 

Another good argument, especially for basketball, is when you have a school with only one gym. On a practice night by the time the freshmen girls, boys, varsity girls and boys get finished it might be 9:00 before the last team practicing gets home. An athletic period cuts at least an hour or more off that.

[Bonfire]

You are correct only 24 hours are needed to graduate. Alot of those are still elective classes including PE and wellness. The only new change that might affect the classes is they are requiring 4 credits of math instead of 3.

 

So if this is the case why should we worry about the kids having varsity sports. It gives the kids a chance to practice early, and get home earlier to do homework. So wouldn't that be better for students? Why is there not a fuss for students receiving 8 band credits? That is something that they do for school and extra-curricullar activities, the same should go for varsity athletics.

 

Also, another point is most freshmen are not on the varsity teams, so when I was in school they weren't elgible for varsity sports till the spring of their freshmen year. This would mean that they would even have an additional chance to receive another credit.

 

let the kids have Varsity sports, or get rid of block scheduling.

[rheltney5]

Simple - band students read music and play music, chorus students read music and sing, which are considered "fine arts," and are therefore considered academic. I'll argue that not all members of the band (colorguard and majorettes) participate in the academic parts, but the majority of the band aren't twirling a flag or a baton. I don't think it's even a reasonable comparison. Athletes and band/chorus members are doing something completely different. Even when you consider what the marching bands do, their practices are centered around musical performance, on Friday night, competition night, and concert night.

 

 

Some people might consider the ability to read a strong safety blitz as a fine art. Of course reading this incorrectly has more consequences than confusing a quarter note for a whole note. I also believe that everything an athletic team does is centered around a 'performance.' The difference is that at an athletic team's performance, a real score is kept and not some feel good ranking of "good, superior, or excellent."