Tag Archives: school

H1N1 – The Importance of Health Education

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This article from Cincinnati.com asks why health education has such a small role in Ohio’s education program.

Actually, it asks “why are we afraid of health education?”

Good question.  In light of my recent post regarding an article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the topic of physical education in that state, I’m beginning to wonder the same thing.

When I think about the potential lost on children who are not taught about their bodies starting at an early age, I’m completely puzzled.

I’m not sure what education looks like now, but I know for a fact that any child who can memorize the 26 letters in the English alphabet can also learn and relate to the basic bones in their bodies, and the larger muscle groups.

What about their biological systems, or even physiological principles?

That’s part of Physical Education folks.  Physical Education IS “health education.”  At least, it should be.

But my PE classes never looked like that, either.  Instead, we had loosely organized athletics practice…based on nothing, seemingly, with no apparent aim from year to year.  When I turned 13 we had “health class,” which was a series of classes designed to scare the shit out of you regarding the use of drugs (especially LSD), drunk driving, and sexual intercourse.

Great education assholes.

This type of “education” leaves the kids scared and lacking in knowledge or power.  They have to rely either on their family, friends, or other people to help them to “do the right thing.”  Good luck.

Give me your child for one hour a day for 6 months of every year for the three years from their 12th to their 15th birthday.  They will learn, grow, and change in ways you would probably rebel against.  They would surpass your and their own beliefs in their possibilities.

So, why are we afraid of Physical Educaton?

Kids Need Sleep!…and so do you…

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A recent study by researchers at the university of Kentucky found that  changing the school start time for high school students from 7:30am to 8:30am led to 13.7 percent more kids getting 8 hours of sleep.

Kids in general need plenty of sleep.  They’re growing in both mind and body at a rate that will not be equaled for the rest of their lives.  I’ve seen recommendations as high as 12 hours/night for young kids.

What happens when you get plenty of sleep?  Well, your attention span goes up, your resilience goes up (fewer colds, injuries, etc.), you’re less accident prone (attention span again), you have more energy physically (you can be more physically fit), your levels of stress hormones decreases leading to generally better moods, etc.

However, teeangers’ circadian rhythms are a little whacky because of the raging hormones in their bodies.  Combine that with a diet high in sugar, and plenty of Xbox, and you get a recipe for 12am bedtimes, bad attitudes, inability to focus, and poor grades.

Continue brewing this dangerous concoction for four or ten years, and you get the bad living habits that lead to “adult-onset ADD,” hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease.

None of this stuff is a mystery, friends.  Get more high-quality (that is, undisturbed, non-drug-induced) sleep, and your life will improve.  I don’t care how old you are.