• AwkwardLookMonkeyPuppet
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      225 months ago

      That might be why it was added to the curriculum at first, but that’s certainly not why it stayed, nor why we did it at my school. It’s a pretty fun activity too, so a good use of that PE time.

    • @yeather@lemmy.ca
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      185 months ago

      There’s usually a dance section included in PE instruction, mostly to break up hard physical activity snd allow kids to have fun. The type of dancing depends on the school and the state, we did salsa dancing in Florida.

      • @Zron@lemmy.world
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        195 months ago

        “Allow the kids to have fun”

        Should have told that to my PE teacher in grade school. I’ve never been good at dancing, and I got pulled aside multiple times in front of the class because I just couldn’t follow some of the dances we were supposed to do. These weren’t for competitions or anything, just as an activity.

        That’s when I learned that not all bullies are children.

      • Chetzemoka
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        75 months ago

        You’re younger than I am. For my generation, it was all square dancing.

        • @Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works
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          35 months ago

          I’m over 60, growing up in SoCal we had Square Dancing and the Maypole but also the Mexican Hat Dance, plus Tinikling, the Filipino one with two poles. Oh, and I think a bit of Hula.

          (Later as a teacher I taught my 2nd graders some Russian dancing I had learned from my ballet teacher, because little kids are bouncy and kicky and we could do it inside when it rained.)

    • @poppy@lemm.ee
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      45 months ago

      I never had dancing in PE in any grade. Can’t decide if that sucks or not. Maybe I’d have better coordination now. We did get roller skating week though.

    • Zombie-Mantis
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      5 months ago

      We did square dancing, but I’m from Texas, so our families joined the hoedown. I was so proud of my bolo, fond memories.

      And I don’t think it was part of the curriculum, I think they were just throwing a party for graduation or something. It’s been years, and this was when I was little, in elementary school.

  • AFK BRB Chocolate
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    655 months ago

    I still have my presidential physical fitness award. I’m old, mine is signed by Nixon. It’s a very official looking certificate with a patch that I put under the glass in the frame. Back when I used to hang my work awards on my office wall, I used to have that one in with them. Most people didn’t ever notice, but every once in a while someone would be looking at them and I could always see the exact moment they realized what it was.

  • @jopepa@lemmy.world
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    575 months ago

    Did you know all of those sit and reach boxes were manufactured by Halliburton? Follow the money…

  • @dQw4w9WgXcQ@lemm.ee
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    425 months ago

    Before going to the comments section, I was like “wtf is this post?”

    After reading a few comments, I’m fully bewildered. What the fuck is up with your crazy country?

    • It’s a fitness test for students so the government can track public health metrics. That Lemmy has a problem with it says a lot about Lemmy and nothing about America being “crazy.”

      That’s unrelated.

    • The Picard ManeuverOPM
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      575 months ago

      In the US, there was a thing called the “Presidential Fitness Test” that kids had to do in P.E. (not sure if it’s still a thing).

        • Drusas
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          225 months ago

          You had to be able to do so many crunches, pushups, etc, in a certain amount of time.

            • @elliot_crane@lemmy.world
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              175 months ago

              I was a fat kid. If you failed, you couldn’t get Phys. Ed. credit which was required coursework. They made you redo the test until you passed. The only other way out was a medical exemption. I eventually passed, damn near keeling over from the pain my lungs were in from running the mile. It made me resent my gym teacher and cardio, so in hindsight it was a pretty shitty way to encourage physical fitness. I didn’t get not fat until I was like 19.

              • @tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip
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                55 months ago

                Damn your school was harsh-- pretty sure they didn’t fail kids at my school in the 80s for failing the presidential test. I could never pass myself despite being an active kid. I was fine on most everything, then always barely squeaked by on the mile, but I could never do any pull-ups (even though the passing number was like 2 I think).

                • @elliot_crane@lemmy.world
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                  55 months ago

                  To be fair I never looked into it whether or not that was school policy, but I do know that Phys. Ed. credit was required. My gym teacher at the time was the type to have us running track while sitting on a lawn chair and munching McD’s breakfast, so he could have just been an asshole.

            • @Artyom@lemm.ee
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              25 months ago

              There’s like 10 challenges including running a mile, a half basketball court relay, touching your toes (pictured), etc. There was a “great job” level and a “you did well enough to not fail” level. At my school, the great job level required you to meet a higher level at only 2 challenges and meant you got a free shirt. Other than that, there were no consequences. It was the same kids who did a great job each year, so a small subset of the class would be wearing those shirts all week, then walk home with a new one.

        • Guy Dudeman
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          125 months ago

          I graduated high school in 1999 and I definitely had to do this in elementary school.

      • @TehBamski@lemmy.world
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        45 months ago

        I sure as fuck, hope it is. Could you imagine kids today doing it and thinking, “Wait, Fat Cheeto and Sleepy Joe did this? No fucking way.”

    • @ryathal@sh.itjust.works
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      155 months ago

      The presidential fitness test is something us kids had to do every year. It was basically doing a bunch of different exercises, and if you did good enough you got a certificate.

      Things like sit ups, push ups, chin ups, vertical jump, running a mile, etc. Based on your height and weight there was an expected level you were supposed to achieve.

      • @ULS@lemmy.ml
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        5 months ago

        I believe it. I guess I was hanging out with the metal heads, stoners, and hacky sack kids during gym. That’s why I got a D. And not the gym teacher’s D… That was reserved for the underage girls that used to play with his leg hair. Right there in the bleachers of a New Hampshire school.

        (Actual true story… Girls used to play with his leg hair… This was middle school or 9th grade. Larry A. …I’m looking at you.)

        Knowing my town, I’m surprised that guy stayed athletic director and not a paraplegic. He must have paid someone off. 70k to be a shit-town gym director? Riiiiight…

        Where I grew up school was for chumps.

        The village makes the villains.

  • swab148
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    255 months ago

    Is this some sort of PE meme that I’m too Marching Band to understand?

    • BarqsHasBite
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      5 months ago

      Marching in the elements, while carrying an instrument, while playing, god forbid you have a wind instrument. That’s gotta be more physically gruelling than a PE class catering to the lowest common denominator.

      • Captain Aggravated
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        175 months ago

        Marching band was considered a varsity sport at my high school. Because if the golf team are considered athletes, so am I.

    • @SoylentBlake@lemm.ee
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      145 months ago

      This is 100% fact. Eisenhower made PE a universal part of education to increase overall fitness in the case of war and conscription.

      • @Bael422@lemmy.world
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        15 months ago

        I think it was worse than that. It was to test for and increase capability for military life, but the exercises themselves are not a good way to keep a general healthy body so it actually caused physical health to decline in the US.

        • kase
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          15 months ago

          it actually caused physical health to decline in the US.

          Wait seriously? Where did you hear that?

  • ChaoticNeutralCzech
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    145 months ago

    Ours had a “Which president would you impress?” scale.
    Nobody even reached Calvin Coolidge.

    • @grue@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Being fit to be drafted is for the little people. Presidential candidates can just get out of it by claiming to have bone spurs.

  • @frickineh@lemmy.world
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    125 months ago

    I had to do it to impress Bill Clinton. Side note, he gave me the worst handshake I’ve ever had in my life, just competely limp, dead fish style. So I don’t give a shit if he was impressed with how many crunches I could do.