Philosophers have debated about the differences between men and women for thousands of years. It is an extremely popular topic in today's culture and media. Some might say that the topic is a complicated one and requires years of research and deep thought to come to any plausible conclusions.
I have been working in a junior high school for a little over a month...and the differences between the two sexes have never been more apparent to me than now. Especially in P.E.
Every day, the girls cluster together, giggle and chat, and dread the beginning of classtime. The boys, on the other hand, are bouncing off the walls, running around, and are already arguing about who is the best quarterback. (I will grant of course that there are some exceptions to these generalizations, but they constitute about 2% of the class.)
Currently they are doing a unit on football in P.E. and of course the boys love it. They come up with complicated plays, toss the ol' pigskin back and forth before the start of class, and have a very hard time listening to the teacher as she explains the day's plans. The girls though, slowly walk out onto the field to start the days tournament. When they are required to run, they look pained, as though the teacher has just made them run a 1 minute mile. They unenthusiastically jog, when sprinting is required, and can't wait to get the ball away from themselves.
Yesterday it was pouring rain and so we stayed inside. The day's activity? Billy Blanks Tae Bo Ultimate Butt Workout! Actually, no one was overly enthusiastic about that option, but it was funny to watch their reaction to the announcement.
The other funny thing to watch is four classes worth of students (about 75 kids) playing ultimate frisbee. With so many people on the field, it is impractical at best and downright asking for hilarity at worst. Most of the kids just run back and forth without even trying to get the frisbee, a cluster of girls hangs in the back, picking grass and dandilions, and the boys always somehow manage to tackle each other, even though it is not required.
I am not a great philosopher, but even I can see that there are differences between these kids even at age 13. But if you are ever hard up for entertainment, get a job at a junior high school. Being in class with the kids will make you realize how glad you are that you are no longer that age. Just something I was thinking about this afternoon.
1 comment:
if you have the field space or ability, i would strongly suggest having them play ultimate by its given rules.
that is - 7 on 7
perhaps this along with playing a mixed format (3 girls 4 boys on the field per team at a time) will combat some of the things you see.
many athletes who could have otherwise been very exceptional playing ultimate for high school teams are often soured on the sport because of these 30 on 30 types of games where no athletic skill or activity is mandated.
it also kinda defeats the purpose of the game, that is - speed, quickness, agility, teamwork etc.
if you cant tell i play ultimate. if you want more information about the sport, you can go to www.upa.org, some colleges have scholarships for ultimate, and almost every college in the nation has a team of some sort.
just my two cents that if possible you should give them a fair shot at being stars in a given sport.
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