Gym Class ONLY 2 Times a Month & No Art or Music!?!

Welcome to the hell that is NCLB. This is exactly why my kids do not go to public school. So much focus is on testing and there is so much desperation to achieve a certain test school, that schools are slashing and burning anything that is not directly connected to better outcomes on tests.

My kids attend a small Catholic school that is located on a convent, which keeps the tuition rate very low, as many nuns teach classes, thank goodness. It is a k-8 school that has PE twice a week, excellent Art classes and Arts programs with recitations of poetry and other presentations. My kids are also able to participate in team sports, which are currently being cut in the public schools. (We do have a lot of fund raising and parents are required to donate a lot of time to the school, which is another way the school is able to support these programs.)

The current unfairness in the public schools breaks my heart. I am amazed that we are willing to make budgetary decisions that really hurt children and that also definitely damage their ability to learn.

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Welcome to modern budget cuts. The HS football team is more important than music class.

Years ago, our elementary school fought tooth and nail to keep art and music. The last time I visited the school was more than a year ago, and at least the chorus teacher was still there and there was art in the hall. But every year they fight for funding because everyone wants to teach to test these days and the fancy technology white board is more important than basic art skills.

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That's what we get from "No Child Left Behind" and "No New Taxes"...

Read "Spark: The The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain" by John J. Ratey for some really good amunition to take to your school board.

My daughter attends an Arts & Science Magnet school (part of our public school system) so they have art regularly. Gym is not nearly regular enough, and recess is 20 minutes. I have my daughter in twice a week Karate classes and swimming lessons, and try to be as active as possible with her, to make up for the lack of physical activity in school.

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I live just a few towns over from you - and our kids get those programs. They also go outside unless it is pouring or horribly frigid (or if there's black ice). Parents are instructed to send in snowpants and hats etc. so that all kids are properly dressed for winter. It's not an option.

I have a friend who is a kindergarten teacher. A lot of art is included in kindergarten as part of the lesson plans. She also includes some music - they listen to things but also sing songs that have some connection with what they are working on. It's not enough by itself but you should check on things like that. I think the kids go elsewhere for music, but the art teacher comes to them with a traveling cart of whatever they're going to be working on. The whole school has PE but also works on routines and games for an annual field day. Some of those are set to music so it combines physical movement with music. There's also a huge musical play put on every year by one of the grades with music and dancing - it takes months to work on.

I think it's interesting that parents are willing to pay extra for kids to go to other programs after school (art, karate, gymnastics, piano lessons) but they often don't get active in schools. A lot of schools have parents do a ton of fundraising that goes into enrichment programs. But a lot of people vote for the "no taxes" candidates for state office and school committee thinking it's saving them money - then they get their kids in schools that area missing these key activities and they have to spend their own money for outside programs. Seems self-defeating.

I'm not sure I would blame the governor of any state. I would blame the federal No Child Left Behind policy that we are stuck with unless people get their current representatives to undo it. The Congress passes bills and the State Senate/Legislature passes bills that determine the funding amount. But the allocation of spending is determined by your town and school committee.

Your best bet is to organize parents, work with the parent organization of your school, and get informed. Starting your own program after school might not work - liability issues if it's on school property. But it's more important to get an organized and informed group motivated.

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Check out your parks and rec and the YMCA.
Ours will even do Spanish and French. We do fencing and art. THe kids do year round swimming through the Y.

Welcome to the "No child gets ahead" act. You will have to supplement.

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That's appalling. Go to your school committee meetings and bring it up there. I'm also in MA (in a suburb of Boston with excellent schools) and our elementary school students get library, music, PE and art one day each week and outdoor recess unless it's well below freezing. Kindergarten is only a half day so I don't think they have those "classes" per se but the kids who are enrolled in the kindergarten extended day spend the extended day part doing all kinds of activities, including art, music, drama, gymnastics etc.

I can't recall the temperature cutoff but I really think it was something like 20 degrees last winter. The elementary school kids could bring in snow pants and boots (along with basics like jackets, hats and gloves obviously) and play in the snow during recess, which was awesome given how cold and snowy last winter was. I'm sure it was a lot of work for the teachers but the kids loved playing in the snow.

I'm serious about the school committee meetings. Your taxes pay the salaries of the people who make these decisions. Get a bunch of like-minded parents together, get this on the agenda of the next meeting and show up and be heard. Parent input in my town has gotten us two playgrounds installed at the grade 3-6 schools, overhauled the geographical assignment system for two schools serving 3 grades, and a grant worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to have sidewalks installed on several roads near school, making walking to school safer for more families. This has all happened in the past 5 years. If no one complains to the right people, nothing will change.

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wow, I would be upset too! My daughter just started K and my son is in 2nd grade. They both get PE/GYM every single day and they get Art once a week and Music once a week. I agree with you, budget needs to be cut elsewhere. Maybe if enough parents complain. Or maybe you can start your own 'gym' after school 3 days a week for 30 mins after they get out. I bet other moms would join you. Or even an Art class....what a shame. I know our state talked about doing those same cuts and I was upset thinking about it! complain, get everyone you know to complain to the school board. Post it on Facebook.
Referring to what Kindred Spirit mom said, our state complained and realized that they No Child Left Behind was actually proving worse test scores than before and have campaigned to get out of the contract. Supposedly it should pass and we will be released from it soon. contact your state and complain too!

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I feel your pain! That's why we homeschool--not saying that you should--but that's why we do!

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in NY it is state mandated that children get so many minutes of PE each week. it varies depending on the child's age/grade level. something to check into in your state.

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Wow, that's crazy! When my daughter was in half day kindergarten last year she had music, art, and library once a week and gym twice a week. No recess because she was only half day. Now that she's in 1st grade she still has music, art, and library once a week but she has gym four times a week (every day except Thursday) and recess twice a day. And unless it's raining or freezing they go outside to play. If that happens they have recess in the gym and it's organized games and races. She goes to public school. I'm grateful for her school- they are very big on kids health- everything in the cafeteria is healthy- all whole grains, lots of fresh fruit and veggies and they spend a good amount of time encouraging the kids to be active at home as well.
Maybe by encouraging other parents to go to meetings, as you said, and having them speak up you can enact a change. Good luck to you.

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Hi, A.. I am a former physical education teacher and my kindergarteners had gym TWICE a WEEK! Sometimes I even squeezed in an extra class whenever it was possible. With all the energy that they had had, they sure needed it!

Physical activity is crucial for anyone and cutting out a class such as gym is just plain ridiculous. There is such a high percentage of children that go straight home from school and plop themselves onto the couch and turn on the tv or play video games. Sometimes p.e. class is the only time a child may have to do any kind of fitness acivity, so taking away their gym class is doing them a great disservice.

So yes, I agree with you. I would be appalled, too!

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My dad has been a PE teacher in elementary school for 9 yrs and they laid him off at the end of the year last year. The school has no structured PE at all now. Budget cuts are bad.

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Look into a program called BOKS. It is a before school exercise program. I believe it is at least partially based on the principles in the book Spark which was already mentioned. In a nutshell- morning exercise conditions our brain for better learning

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Tax payers continue to vote no when it comes to putting money towards education. It's a sad, sorry state we are in right now :(
My kids got art and music each once a week, and PE twice a week, ALL FUNDED BY MONEY RAISED WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY.
I live in a wealthy area that values and supports the arts, my kids are extremely lucky, I feel sorry for the bulk of kids in this country who never get to experience a spring recital, a school play or a chance to bring home a beautiful portfolio of art at the end of the year :(
ETA: I should have mentioned the above is for elementary school. In California daily PE is required by law in grades 6 to 10, and the kids do have some arts electives in middle and high school.

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Gym alternates with art as well but in the same period so gym is Monday Wednesday and Friday and art is Tuesday and Thursday.

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I live in MA and unless it's below 10 my sons go outside for recess (of course the time is shortened) my beef is they reduced the time aloud for recess this year :( at our school.

You can thank deval Patrick for the budget cuts! Lots of funding was cut but government workers are getting 10k and up raises this year!

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Ridiculous, isn't it? Our school had the same thing

- Gym twice a month
- Music 1 month a year (now cancelled entirely)
- Art 1 week a year

And only 30 minutes of recess in an 8 hour day.

But it's food choices, and parent's fault, right? Not sitting on your bum not moving for 7.5 hours a day, and 2-3 hours of sitting on your bum homework. Mmmhmmm.

We homeschool, now. Unless kiddo is sick we do 4-10 hours a day of active things (snowboarding, swimming, sports, drama, singing, aikido, gymnastics, etc.) Plus arts and music and languages daily.

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my kids have a rotation of what they call specials. for my 1st grader it's "PE, PE, PE, Art , Guidance, Music" And libuary time is once every 2 weeks or when they need a new book. book return times are every 2 weeks.
And winter in MA is cold and snowy ,there are rules on temperatures of when the kids can be outside.

eta: well i figured you knew it was cold , I just didn't know if you'd thought of that. I tend to forget it about the heat down here

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In my kids school, k - 2, they have gym 2x a week, music and art 1x a week. First and second get one recess a day but can earn an extra one for a few days of good behavior. K officially had one recess but most days had two. I'm not sure how the kids are expected to focus and be still if they've been cooped up for six hours. I feel bad for teachers trying to do their job with a class full of kids going freak-out-crazy because they don't get enough time to run around!

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Shocking. I'm surprised that little gym qualifies for your state standards. Budget cuts are one thing, but this is terrible. I am sorry you are going through this! Sadly, yes, the arts are usually cut first and art and music classes are becoming harder to come by. AND..."they go outside for recess"...please, how many kids actually play organized sports and get enough exercise at recess anyway. Good for you for signing your little guy up for soccer, that will do him good!

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even with budget cuts and no child left behind and I'm still shocked....In Waltham,it's full day kindergarten with gym, art, music, library and drama all once a week...and we go outside at recess weather permitting...(I'm the school's lunch/recess monitor, so it is "we")

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What does the rest of the school have? Is this a half day or full day kindergarten? I do not expect kindergarten to run like grades 1-12. I bet if you ask around the older grades have it multiple times per week.