Need advice from coaches and parents...

[Ed Gibbons]

I was a physical education teacher for 20 years and I am now an administrator. What the teacher is doing is a form of physical abuse. Essentially, he is conditioning your son to dislike exercise.

You need to contact either the supervisor of physical education or the principal immediately. Physical education is extremely important and all of the children need to develop a positive attitude toward fitness.

Physical education is not about developing athletes but rather, developing healthy lifestyles. (Smoking, drugs, alcohol, diet, physical fitness)

If you need any additional advice or assistance, feel free to contact me. My email is egibbons@patmedia.net

Ed Gibbons

[John Bailey]

There you have it Martin, an ex-PE teacher turned administrator and an ex-Music teacher turned adminstrator agreeing that you've got all your bases covered and the PE teacher in question should be singing a different tune.

John

[Frank Fusco]

I haven't read all the posts on this. But, as a parent who has raised three children, I have opinions based on experience.
Personally, I have no objection to a 'drill sargent' approach to teaching discipline and competivness to children.
But, make that BUT, when a child has a health condition that could endanger his life, the teacher/coach must be made aware of the situation. Depending on his personality and your judgement, either go to him first or start at the top with principal or even superintendant.
Your son's life is worth more than a coach's ego or a negative comment on his annual review. They are the hired help, they work for you.
It sounds like you have taken a firm stand. Good.
Another thing to consider. If the administration does not respond in a manner you believe appropriate, run for school board. Be a voice for the children and community.

[Chris Padilla]

Martin,

Sounds like an excellent approach. Too often, I think people go off like a shot instead of carefully assessing the whole situation (guilty as charged! ). The old honey/vinegar flies thing, you know!?

[Mike Cutler]

Martin.

Let me state in no uncertain terms that what the PE teacher was doing is wrong. It's also great to hear that he responded to your e-Mail, and will make your sons health the highest priority.
i will say that I disagree for one, because your son has asthma, but secondly. He simply is not old enough to respond to this tactic. It's at this point though that I have a somewhat opposing viewpoint to some of the issues.

I ran track in Jr. High,High School, and College, and I can assure everyone that we were very much indeed "punished" for lackadaisical performances during practice. From the 9th grade on I never had "regular PE". I ran. I ran everyday, once in the morning, and then in the afternoon at practice. You were still expected to get your distance work in in the evenings once you got home. I was about thirteen when this started.

I've been chased around the streets of Pomona Calif. by an old man( Track Coach) in a Datsun Honeybee, that was screaming at me through a bullhorn out his window, Telling me everything I was doing wrong, and calling me names. The punishment at that time was situps, I'd still rather run 10 miles than do 10 situps. I've thrown up doing situps. He also called my parents and told them that I was a "Lackadaisical marshmellow" who was too talented to be this lazy. My pop and me had a "discussion" that nite.

I had an eastern block coach run next to us, and smack the offending appendage with a drapery rod to teach form and tecnique, and oh yes, welts were raised. The first day of "summer camp" he told some of the best high school 1/2milers, and milers in the country that we were an embarrasment to his track and to get off, and run in the grass because we would never amount to anything. He made us run bleachers, not the stairs. We had to run on the seats to force us to pick up our knees over the backs, or bust your keester on a stadium bench in a football stadium until we couldn't stand up anymore. It was three weeks of "punishment" before he allowed us to step onto "his" track.

We used to have a track drill called the "Handicapped Rabbit" . Everyone starts off at intervals dictated by the coach, slowest to fastest. If you were passed you did extra laps if you were one of slower guys. If you were one of the fast guys and didn't pass everyone in front of you you did laps for each one you didn't catch. You couldn't win this drill. no matter whom you were.


I wouldn't trade any of my experiences for the world, and I had some brutal coaches at times. Track and cycling have taken me to places I never would have gone, and done things I would never have had a chance too. The difference is, It was my decision. At thirteen I decided that I would put up with this for the chance. My parents stood by and watched, and stayed out of the way. I'm sure that there were many elements that they disagreed with.

The discussion I had with my dad that nite condensed down to this. Be the best that I could be through hard work and discipline or quit. He wouldn't put up with half_ _ _

I guess the point is that at some point the individual has to determine what they will put up with, and what is important. What is "punishment", and what is motivation. Clearly Martin, your son is not at this point. PE should be fun for him at this stage of the game.

Watch your son and let him grow. Don't let the asthma get in the way any more than it has too. I know many elite and national class endurance athletes that carried a "power hitter" with them.

[Robert Mickley]

We had a PE teacher in 7th grade that was real bear. we used to run laps around the buildings since we where downtown and had no track.

He postioned his assistants at the corners so no one would cut the corner. If you did it was whack with the wiffle ball bat. I had the bad luck to not be athleticly inclined, I wa sone of the guys that usually finished last. I got a whack one day because my left foot just touched the grass rounding a corner.

My Dad was ticked. He showed up at school the next day I had PE, walked right on the gym floor in his work boots. He came up behind the PE teacher who had the bat in his hand kind of swinging it around and lecturing us. Dad snatched the bat out of his hands and procceed to whip him with it. He explained to him if he ever hit any kid again with it he would be back and would bring a real bat. That was the last we ever saw of the wiffle ball bat. OF course that was 33 years ago that wouldn't go down well today.

Martin, Hopefully you have it all worked out

[Martin Shupe]

Boy, after those last two posts, I guess my son's coach ain't so bad after all.

[Mike Cutler]

Boy, after those last two posts, I guess my son's coach ain't so bad after all.

I think he's was just a little misdirected is all. As long he wasn't really trying to hurt him, a few pushups won't hurt in the long run.

Hopefully everything turns out alright. PE should be fun.

[Keel McDonald]

Martin,

John hit it right on the head. As a middle school teacher, there is a proper way to handle complaints/issues. Go and talk to the teacher 1st, principal 2nd, and Director/Superintendent 3rd. I can tell you from experience that if you tried to skip the teacher and principal and go straight to the Director/Superintendent, you would be told to follow the proper channels. Chances are, the teacher/coach doesn't realize it's a problem. Teachers are very reasonable people. Good luck.

[Frank Fusco]

Martin,

John hit it right on the head. As a middle school teacher, there is a proper way to handle complaints/issues. Go and talk to the teacher 1st, principal 2nd, and Director/Superintendent 3rd. I can tell you from experience that if you tried to skip the teacher and principal and go straight to the Director/Superintendent, you would be told to follow the proper channels. Chances are, the teacher/coach doesn't realize it's a problem. Teachers are very reasonable people. Good luck.

Keel, I must vigorously (and respectfully) disagree. We raised three children. One, our daughter, was a late in life child. This resulted in us having at least one child in our local school system for 26 continous years. And, I spent many years as a subsitute teacher. What I learned, first hand, is that problems of this sort if brought to the teacher first result in nothing but excuses. Often same with principal. They actually have books with scenarios for dealing with parent complaints. In college they get classes in this subject. I have seen the books. They are professionals at the old CYA game. Career and achieving retirement are their #1 priority. Starting at the top gets attention. My daughter had a series of four serious knee operations. As a result she had a disabled parking tag for her car. One day, her first day of recovery off of crutches, she was disciplined by a teacher for parking in the disabled area and made to move to a distant location in the parking lot. Being a nice guy, I went to the principal first. Nuttin' but a belly full of excuses. What I should have done was go to the prosecutor and sign a complaint of child abuse. The case here, a youngster with a life threatening ailment (asthma) is serious in the extreme. The feelings, ego, or career of the coach are insignificant. Start at the top and get attention and action.

Edit: Must add a P.S. Sorry if I offended you. I know many teachers well. Most want to teach but are victums of a system that system that has other priorities. I stand by my philosophy, if it is a call between a teachers career or a child's welfare, the best interest of the child comes first, by many miles.

[Keel McDonald]

Keel, I must vigorously (and respectfully) disagree. We raised three children. One, our daughter, was a late in life child. This resulted in us having at least one child in our local school system for 26 continous years. And, I spent many years as a subsitute teacher. What I learned, first hand, is that problems of this sort if brought to the teacher first result in nothing but excuses. Often same with principal. They actually have books with scenarios for dealing with parent complaints. In college they get classes in this subject. I have seen the books. They are professionals at the old CYA game. Career and achieving retirement are their #1 priority. Starting at the top gets attention. My daughter had a series of four serious knee operations. As a result she had a disabled parking tag for her car. One day, her first day of recovery off of crutches, she was disciplined by a teacher for parking in the disabled area and made to move to a distant location in the parking lot. Being a nice guy, I went to the principal first. Nuttin' but a belly full of excuses. What I should have done was go to the prosecutor and sign a complaint of child abuse. The case here, a youngster with a life threatening ailment (asthma) is serious in the extreme. The feelings, ego, or career of the coach are insignificant. Start at the top and get attention and action.

Edit: Must add a P.S. Sorry if I offended you. I know many teachers well. Most want to teach but are victums of a system that system that has other priorities. I stand by my philosophy, if it is a call between a teachers career or a child's welfare, the best interest of the child comes first, by many miles.

Frank

It's a shame that you feel that way. Offense taken! It seems as though you have generalized your situation to every teacher. I've never seen a teacher react the way you described, although there are people like that in every profession. And as far as the comment on "career and achieving retirement are their #1 priority", that's so far from the truth it makes me laugh. Anyone who's ever set foot in a classroom knows why we do it, for the kids, not for any other reason! How could I NOT take it personally?

And where I went to college, we took real classes, not ones on how to deal with complaining parents. I really am sorry about how your daughter was treated, but that didn't occur because you were dealing with a teacher or a principal, it was because of who that teacher or principal was. Don't take down an entire profession because of one bad experience.

My appologies for anyone I may have offended, including you Frank. But some things just really get my blood boiling.

[Ken Salisbury]

Frank

I really am sorry about how your daughter was treated, but that didn't occur because you were dealing with a teacher or a principal, it was because of who that teacher or principal was. Don't take down an entire profession because of one bad experience.

I agree ! !

Further more Frank seems to have been a sustitute in a really messed up school system - my experience has been just the opposite.

[John Bailey]

As a former principal, I can tell you that when I got a call from a parent, I always asked if the parent had already talked to the teacher. If not, I would ask the parent for a good time for the teacher to call, let the teacher know, and expect the teacher to call the parent. I always told the parent to let me know the next day if the teacher had not called. I did this because I rarely had to get involved when the teacher and parent were communicating. That's because the vast majority of both teachers and parents are reasonable people with the child's best interest in mind. It would appear that this is one of those cases.

In most cases, coaches were the first to communicate with parents. As I already indicated, I was fortunate to have a first rate coaching staff who always put the student and their academics first.

John