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Dodging the issue in the Dodge-ball debate
Does dodge ball belong in the school physical education curriculum?
Last month on national television (NBC, Fox News) this question was debated. Those individuals arguing to keep dodge ball in physical education made the issue a simple one: stop trying to overprotect children, and stop taking the fun away from children. Stop interfering, period! These people say the game teaches lessons that prepares one for adulthood...in any one area; you are a winner or a loser; you are one of the strong or one of the weak; accept this and move on.
Each of the television personalities hosting these debates framed the arguments against dodge ball in terms of aggression, bullying, and possible causes of future violent behavior. The "aggression" argument is a somewhat justifiable reason for seeking to ban this game in school physical education. Bullying in particular is a horrible behavior, and should not be given a forum in which to take place.
Perhaps the most important issue in the debate (that advocates against dodge ball in physical education were given little time to address) is this: the children do not move enough! It is a very sedentary game for most participants. Most children stand around or move a yard or two; to avoid being hit, or when preparing to throw the ball. When the focus in physical education is on providing sufficient exercise at a moderate to high intensity, hundreds if not thousands of activities should be taught before having to resort to dodge ball.
I am sure that the way the game is played in clubs outside of school physical education makes it far better in terms of good physical conditioning. I am sure it is a great deal of fun for those who have volunteered to play on dodge ball teams. This debate however, concerns dodge ball as a component of a school curriculum. Here, the focus must be on what children are learning in physical education.
The core of the physical education experience must be enjoyable physical activity for all. How does dodge ball fare when held to his standard? Dodge ball fails miserably on both counts. Children are not active enough during this game, and all children do not enjoy dodge ball. When dodge ball is played, I estimate at least 6 out of every 20 children really dislike this game.
Just imagine for a moment if you, as an adult, were required to play dodge ball as part of your workday. The reason given is "to physically educate you, and to provide you with the opportunity for enjoyable exercise".
Some of you might like it, but many of you would not. Many of you would wonder why you are being forced to take part in an activity that involves a lot of standing around, interrupted only by having to avoid being hit by a ball someone is throwing at you. Many of you would wonder, "Why on earth are we doing this?" Especially, when there are so many other things you could be doing in order to have fun and improve your health. After all, you don't have much time for exercise, and you would like to make the most of it.
Well, so would the children.
Darren Dale
Section Editor
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MedicineNet.com
Under the link "procedures and tests", there are many guidelines on an array of different health conditions that can be prevented through sensible behaviors.
Run-Down
This site provides links to a wealth of running related information; information for serious, and not so serious runners. Guides are given for running races, running products, training and conditioning; personal stories are provided, and more.
SportsForWomen.com
Dedicated to female athletes, an abundance of various sports, topics, and information is provided.
Gorp
Interested in going for a hike, traveling, or outdoor sports? Check this site out! Recreational information for U.S. metropolitan areas is provided, and also information on state and foreign country travel and recreation.
Quackwatch
With the confusing information on what products and services can make you healthy, and which ones cannot, this site provides objective analysis on many controversial methods purported to improve your health.
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My Idea of Good Sportsmanship
I stayed after school so that I could watch the basketball game between St. Agnes and the Metro Deaf School. I was keeping the book of fouls, points, etc.; I was amazed. I have never seen better sportsmanship in my whole life.
There was one boy who stuck out from all of the rest. He was a seventh grader and an unbelievable basketball player. This player made all of his shots and the team wouldn't have even been in the game without him. This amazing player, whose Number is 32, fouled on the other team. The person he fouled fell down and crashed into the floor. Number 32 immediately dropped the ball and helped the other person up. Then, at the end of the game, he hugged the other team's coach even though they lost.
Even for people who don't play basketball, this boy's courage and good sportsmanship should be a lesson to all. The boy was deaf and communicated with his other team members and coach by sign language, which was hard when no one could hear each other and had trouble talking.
To that boy, keep up your determination, and to all of us: Remember how nice you have it with out having anything wrong with you. So, go out in the world and be a good sport no matter where you are or what obstacles stand in your way.
Written by Teresa G., age 13 - Minnesota
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Drug Safe - Life Education
This site contains information and general health material. The resources and activities are designed for students, teachers and parents. There are fact sheets about different drugs, activities for different age groups, primary and secondary resources, and worksheets as well as parent guides.
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If you have ideas, comments, letters to share, or questions about particular topics, please email one of the following Section Editors:
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Eat Well, Live Well
This site has dietary & physical activity guidelines for infants, children, adolescents, and older adults; also food based dietary guidelines, and physical activity guidelines (including physical activity pyramid).
Eating Disorders: All About
From the American Mental Health organisation, this site gives information about the symptoms and causes of eating disorders; anorexia nervosa, and bulimia.
Food Safety Music
Carl Winter, an Extension Food Toxicologist at the University of California, has written and recorded this collection of popular songs "with a food safety / science twist."
The songs are organized by food science topic (Food Safety, Pesticides, Biotech, Toxicology, etc.), and listed with file size, the song that inspired it, and a link to the lyrics.
Highlights include "I Sprayed It on the Grapevine," "We are the Microbes / They Might Kill You," "Food Busters," and "Food Irradiation." The lyrics are good fun to read and students may enjoy discussing their meaning.
The Food Zone
This site provides an excellent teachers resource page for grades 4-7, and gives information on experiments, topics such as digestion, and why we eat so much.
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Environ Health Link
A site by Johns Hopkins University, Environhealth Link examines the link between health and our environment. The webmasters ponder questions such as, Why are so many children becoming asthmatic? What can we do today to assure that our tomorrows are safe?
The site presents practical ways for teachers to help better our environmental situation through specially designed lesson plans on topics like air, food, radiation, and water. Aimed toward middle and high school students, Environhealth Link is updated every couple months with the latest information on issues related to environmental health sciences.
Link loving teachers will appreciate the plethora of Web sites suggested by the Environhealth Link experts on the environment, health, science, and other broad topics.
Epidemic! A Fred Friendly Seminar
This site is designed to accompany a PBS TV program of the same name. It includes a quiz and an essay that looks at the different ways humans are exposed to microbes, causes of infection, and how microbes travel throughout populations during epidemics. The site also examines how humans can prevent the spread of infectious disease
Epidemic Update
Released ahead of the thirteenth International AIDS Conference, UNAIDS's second comprehensive report is sobering reading indeed.
For the first time, the impact of AIDS on young people has been calculated, and the report concludes that up to half of all fifteen-year-olds in the most severely affected African countries will eventually die from HIV/AIDS."
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E.coli in Drinking Water
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) USA released this factsheet on Escherichia coli. The factsheet offers information on recent US outbreaks of E. coli, questions & answers about the bacteria, and links to related resources.
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