American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance - AAHPERD

Educating the “Whole Child” Vital to a Child’s Overall Academic Success

Last year NYC School Chancellor Joel Klein made disparaging remarks about physical educators on The View. Now it is NJ Governor Chris Christie who said this week during a live Facebook chat that “science and math teachers should be paid more than gym teachers.”

Each of these incidents indicates lack of recognition for the important role physical education teachers play in physically educating students. Rather than be upset or angry, we must view this as an opportunity for the AAHPERD community to educate and advocate policymakers, educators, and the general public about the many benefits of a physically active lifestyle. AAHPERD’s Let’s Move in School initiative, with physical education as its foundation, is certainly one of the best ways to do that. Take advantage of all of the many resources at www.LetsMoveInSchool.org to educate superintendents, school board members, principals and parents, which in turn, will enhance their opinions and respect about you. Below is a summary of CEO Paul Roetert's response to Gov. Christie:

“As a leading nonprofit education membership organization representing close to 20,000 educators, we at the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) are pleased to see a plea for improving our nation’s schools and improving teacher pay. However, we were disappointed to hear you tell the nation this week during a Facebook chat that math and science teachers should earn more than physical education teachers. We believe, and scientific research supports, that educating the “whole child” is vital to a child’s overall academic success. Studies have shown that regular physical activity improves academic performance. In addition, physically active children tend to be calmer in class and miss fewer days of school. The solution to improving our nation’s public education system is not to pit one teacher against another by claiming that one is more important than the other, and should thus earn more. Rather, we must create an environment that motivates all teachers to be the best they can be, honors and rewards our outstanding teachers, improves the status of the teaching profession, and acknowledges that academic success is built from achievement in all subjects, including physical education.

We hope future policy and remarks will better represent the important role physical education teachers play in educating the whole child, and that AAHPERD can count on you to be a supporter of physical education and its impact on our children’s academic success, health, and well-being."