"Shamed" Games..

"Shamed" games are very controversial in the physical education world. Some people are in support of having these games banned in schools, while others are huge advocates of these games. Some of these shamed game include dodge ball, duck duck goose, red rover, simon says, and line soccer. Personally I am in the middle of supporting these games and not supporting these games. Since I am in college learning how to be a physically educated person it is part of my duty to encourage young children to be physically educated as well. Young people love to learn and if they watch people that are good role models then they will be encouraged to have a healthy lifestyle. These games are yes physically challenging, but when you have a class of children that are clearly at different ability levels then these games can be seen as embarrassing or picking on one specific person or a whole group ex.(gender). A huge problem in today's youth and something that has always been an issue in schools is bullying. There is so much peer pressure that goes on in schools and if a child is already getting peer pressure outside of physical education class then they most likely are going to be bullied in the locker room or during class, it is part of a physically educated person to help stop this malicious behavior. We should promote physical activity as a way to relive stress and a way to relax and a sort of "get away" from daily stresses. These shamed games I am in full support of children playing on their own time like at their birthday parties and outside of school, so they have a choice to participate or not. In school phys ed is a class and a students grade goes down if they do not participate, so in a sense they are forced to participate. By no means is every child going to enjoy every activity, but there should always be an alternative to a certain activity that is going on that day. These shamed games there is really not an alternative activity to do , usually the whole gym is being used for that specific game.  Physical education is a subject in school that is changing little by little year to year. Dodge ball is yes so much fun to play, but in my opinion doesn't focus on the overall well being of every child involved. The self-esteem of some children can be crushed and may feel like they are the ones being picked on in class.  Co-ed dodge ball to me is just overall not a good idea, maybe girls vs. girls and boys vs boys would be a better idea if this game is ever played in class. When I become a teacher someday I really want to do just that teach! In a lot of these shamed games there is not a lot of teaching going on. It is mostly reffing, (in, out, go, stop) there is no real technique to these games. I know we all probably played these shamed games in school and had a lot of fun. But for those few kids that felt pressured and picked on this was the worst experience for them. As a teacher I want to provide education to students on how to stay fit and enjoy physically activity, not dread it. My students will hopefully learn that by being a physically educated person it helps many aspects of an individuals life. There are many activities that concentrate on relaxation, strength, cardio, ect. I want to focus on day to day activity, things that can become habit to that person everyday. As a teacher I plan on never playing these "shame" games in class. But outside of class I fully support these games because the child can choose if they want to participate or not and enjoy themselves at the same time.
     http://www.sparkpe.org/ <<<< This is a very interesting cite discussing some of the same issues.

^^^^YES?.....NO?...I Don't Know....Depends on the situation and setting!
Tons of fun....YES!! School appropriate and educational....NO!!