Imagine you and a few friends are in the forest camping, just having a good time. All of a sudden, a huge, rabid, vicious bear comes tearing through the woods and is bearing down on your little campsite. You and your friends realize that the bear is after you and you quickly jump up and start running. It occurs to you as you distance yourself from your friends that Darwin was right....
This little story has been re-occuring to me a lot over the past few weeks as I've been substitute teaching for P.E. classes at my local high school. Now, I've been working with young athletes for several years, but it's been a long time since I've worked with regular kids who don't consider themselves athletes. And all I want to know is this....When did running around, playing games, being fit and having fun become so UNCOOL?
Now, it would be unfair to say that every student I've worked with in these PE classes is unmotivated and anti-movement. About half of the kids I've "taught" really enjoy the actiivites I've planned for them and have actively participated, even thanking me for showing them something new. It's the remaining half who have to be coerced, prodded, and even begged to continue moving, often at a snail's pace, for no more than 30-40 minutes. You would think that after sitting at a desk for 5-6 hours, you would want to get up and move a bit.
I do think that Darwin was right. Life is about survival of the fittest. I actually asked one particularly unmotivated and anti-movement student if he believed in survival of the fittest, and he responded that he did. But then, he asked me what my definition of "fittest" was. I replied that it was not just being physically fit and strong that mattered, but you needed to be intelligent as well. After all, if you are going to escape the bear crashing through the woods, you need to be mentally aware to the fact that all you need to do to survive is be physically fit enough to not be the last guy running away from the bear.
Now, I suppose the question is how, if at all, do we reach the 50% that are unmotivated and don't care if they ever move at a speed faster than a snail's pace? Not everyone can be an athlete, and that's certainly not the intention. But, from a health and wellness standpoint, high school teachers and coaches need to find a way to reach this population of kids. Otherwise, we could end up with generation of adults who wouldn't pass Darwin's test.
