Gym class slaughters the kiddies

Apparently schools are experiencing an increase in injuries from gym. From 1997 to 2007, injuries have increased by 150% according to USNews.com. Hilarious.

There is something magical about gym class. The strong kids picking on the weak. The complete lack of individual attention as gym teachers unleash a horde of children onto a gym floor or field with virtually no direction. Forcing the geeky kids to do pull-ups in front of the girls. The fact that some kids would be far more popular if alternatives were made available, like martial arts, makes me warm inside because even if schools had the funding, it’d be thrown into programs to make those kids look even more awkward. Teachers are the first to admit kids learn differently. They’re also the last to do anything about it. Since gym teachers are basically the lowest form of teachers, I’m not about to worry they’re going to reinvent gym class on their own.

The more awkward, humiliating, and triumph free school is, the more likely those blasted kids won’t step out of line when they step into the real world. Honestly, when was the last time the biography of a great leader started “he was a the least popular kid in middle school.” Leadership will always be something of a popularity contest and that takes charisma or fear. Usually both.