School Needs To Include More Exercise

Students sit in their desks 73% of their school day. This leads to attention, retention, and obesity issues. Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Tucker Yavinsky, and today I would like to discuss how increasing the amount of exercise we get during the school day.

BETTER GRADES

When children get exercise, they can get better grades than standing. According to the Washington Post, Finland allows children to have recess for 15 minutes every hour. Since exercise improves brain elasticity, which allows children to learn easier, it comes as no surprise to find Finland in one of the top ranked countries in education. A solution to this epidemic in the United States is to allow for more recess or longer recess for children.

HELPS MENTAL HEALTH

Throughout many children’s lives, children go through depression or anxiety. But, by sending your kids to school, you can cause them to become more depressed and anxious. According to Learning Liftoff, whose goal is “to inspire parents with articles and resources that are focused on helping kids reach their highest potential”, physical activity can decrease the symptoms of depression and anxiety. Since exercise releases endorphins that help kids take their mind off their troubles, physical activity can be used as a coping mechanism for students. A solution for this would be to set up a system so that those who tell their guidance counselor that they are depressed, they get more time outside and more PE time.

KEEPS FOCUS

Exercise can help children to become more focused in class. This helps children to do better in school. A 2013 report from the Institute of Medicine found that children who exercised “show greater attention, have faster cognitive processing speed and perform better on standardized academic tests than children who are less active.”  We can solve this issue by allowing for a longer recess or by allowing for standing desks in classrooms.

CONCLUSION

As you can see, exercise is needed in schools. We need to implement more exercise tools into school, such as standing desks, longer recess, or use exercise websites for breaks, such as GoNoodle. So, my fellow colleagues, I ask you, please sign the petition I have sent to your emails so we can make a change in the Board of Education’s ways.