Alas, gym class!

[heidi]

bethbethbeth posted about gym class Issues, and it prompted me to complain about my junior high (age 11-12) experience, and I wonder if anyone had a more traumatizing or insane one that didn't involve actual violence?

Here's my tale of woe:

Our former-drill-nstructor (who'd been my dad's gym teacher in 1955) had us do 3 laps around the football field goalposts (approx 900 yards), then one around the whole field (1200 yards), and only then did we start calisthetics, then sports. It was a co-ed class mixing 7th & 8th grades, so 11 year old girls were in class with 14 year old boys. And the last 10 in my class of 70 to finish the 1200 yd run had to spend the rest of the period doing laps, and didn't get to do whatever sport it was, and so pulled a 0 forparticipation. And of course, 99% of the time it was all girls in that group. Occasionally a boy with a twisted ankle who forgot to bring a note joined us.

I brought home a failure notice in december because since school'd began, I'd participated twice.

Finally, my dad let me get a doctor's note to get out of the class, and I became a library assistent, where I got to read five archived years of Seventeen and all the Shoes books.

The field is gone now - they tore down the old school and built the new building where the field used to be. But I still glare at that place when I drive nearby.

Comments

[sarcasticpixie.livejournal.com]

Sixth grade gymnastics. Chubby 11-year-old thighs got stuck on the sawhorse and could not get off. Had to be pulled off by female gym teacher while entire class snickered. Refused to move from the bench for the rest of the year, failed sixth-grade gym.

Submitted doctor's note re: rare orthopedic disorder, excused from all of seventh-grade gym.

Tenth grade, square dancing. Psychotic, perpetually drugged-out ex-cheerleader of a gym teacher had one song -- Billy Ray Cyrus' "Achy Breaky Heart." Had to listen to song on constant repeat while do-si-doing around sweaty, hellish gymnasium. Following week -- polka dancing. Still to "Achy Breaky Heart." Was put in detention for asking teacher exactly how much weed she'd smoked before deciding on that particular lesson plan.

Submitted doctor's note re: rare menstrual disorder, never set foot in gym class again.

Physical activity -- great, in theory. I played field hockey and softball for three years of HS and loved it. But gym class itself? Quite possibly the worst execution of a good idea ever to exist.