DDD's 30th debate: Physical Education SHOULD be a requirement in schools

(INTRODUCTION) Again, I thank you for posting. It seems you have taken up too many debates at the same time! It’s OK. (ARGUMENTS) (7) Besides gym being physical activity, and good for your mental health and whatnot, gym is also just fun! As a kid in grade school, you would obviously find some joy in playing multiple sports or going outside and playing on the playground. It is just plain fun for kids to play gym. So what are some (wait for it) health benefits of fun? “When you’re having fun, it’s hard to keep that natural grin off your face—and for good reason. A simple smile can turn a rotten day right side up. According to psychologist Cliff Kuhn, smiling immediately decreases stress levels and improves tolerance for pain—even when the smile you put on is “fake.” Not only do you feel good when you smile, your mental health improves, too. This article on body language says that the body releases endorphins every time you smile. Endorphins are neurotransmitters that send a message of confidence and satisfaction to the brain. The result? A more cheerful and self-assured you. Smiling is just like eating chocolate. Unlike the latter, though, there’s no need to monitor just how often you smile in a day. The more you smile, the better you’ll look and feel. You’ll make others feel great too, so smile away!” {1} So obviously when you are having fun you almost always smile. And thus smiling is good for you (8) Remember one of my earlier points? That gym allow kids to have stress release? Well, this point expands on that even more focusing on the male gender specifically (Sorry feminists.) “ Girls receive better marks at school than boys because they are better behaved, not because they are more intelligent, a study suggests. Teachers give higher marks to reflect 'certain student characteristics' that are not related to ability, the international study claims. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which carried out the research, said that the bias could have 'far-reaching effects' for boys' self-esteem.”{2} Us males are as this article says, not as well-behaved, but gym can help us exert these thoughts, making us better behaved. “there is evidence that males are quicker to aggression (Frey et al. 2003) and more likely than females to express their aggression physically”{3} So now we know that boys are naturally more aggressive than females. But do schools help with this? “More boys have problems with attention and focus than girls. Because of their higher activity level, boys are likely to get into more trouble than girls. And they are not given enough opportunities to move around “{4} I believe that this is talking about younger children (6-12) So we should also discuss teens (13-18) “The teenage years are difficult to get through. Physical and emotional changes occur at a rapid pace, and the need for acceptance gains importance in a teenager's life. Hormones take over, emotions run high and every teen has to learn how to cope with the new changes.”{5} Just imagine, a 14 year old boy with hormones going crazy that has no way to cope. Gym can help cope with the stress and aggression. (CONCLUSION) I am looking forward to your response. DDD (REFERENCES) {1} http://www.femalenetwork.com... {2}http://www.dailymail.co.uk... {3}http://en.wikipedia.org... {4}http://www.pbs.org... {5}http://www.livestrong...