Schools Should Have More Physical Education

JOHNATHAN LEE Staff Writer

According to a study from Penn State, exercise may help teens sleep longer and more efficiently. Exercise has been proven to help teens sleep longer and earlier at night. The article states that an hour of physical activity for teenagers allows them to fall asleep up ten to eighteen minutes earlier.

 Schools should get students to exercise more in order to ensure that they have better sleep and better overall health. With more sleep, students will be able to pay attention during class. Therefore, schools will boost their academic success rates by incorporating more exercise into the curriculum. 

A way for schools to incentivize more exercise is to provide more activities that students can participate in that are related to exercise. They can arrange fun games, like dodgeball, during lunch on Tuesdays in the gym or a tournament that involves a sport that students are not usually introduced to, like tennis. These events could encourage physical activity and competition within schools, which will motivate students and help them with their health and academics. Schools should use this new information to help students with their health and academics.  

Currently, many high schools only require two years of Physical Education classes. Students should be encouraged to take up to four years of these classes. If four years of P.E. does not fit into some students’ schedules, they should be given other opportunities to be active outside of class.