Weapons of Math Destruction

Home

WMD Comics Archive
 (See All Comics)

Other Comics

Disarming Fuzzy Bombs

Math Resources

Free Screensaver/
Wallpapers

Contact Us

 

WMD Store


Paypal or Credit Card

 

Agency Based Education

 

Other Comics

As the Reader's Digest puts it so well, humor is the best medicine. Here's a list of some good ones.

Congress Passes Americans With No Abilities Act

Oakland Teacher Mistakenly Teaches 'Economics'

Educational Jargon Generator

Educrat BINGO - Perfect for those long in-service meetings

Mark Anderson's Education Cartoons

Daily Toon Click to enlarge
ANDERTOONS.COM TEACHER CARTOONSTeacher Cartoonsby Andertoons

Fuzzy Phys Ed

The National Teachers of Phys Ed Education (NTPEE) has released its new set of guidelines in response to a new law that takes effect next September, the NCPL (No Child Picked Last), which calls for narrowing the gap between students who are athletic and those who are not. "Historically, kids played sports like volleyball or basketball during PE. But research shows that kids don't really benefit from actually being physical in PE class," said Rachel Shumacher, head PE teacher at Honor Roll For All Middle School. Mrs. Shumacher demonstrated a new program called Reform PE where students actually learn the concept behind sports rather than the sport itself. For instance, instead of learning to dribble, pass, shoot and block in basketball, students discuss how they feel when they watch their favorite professional basketball team play on television. Kids who don't have a favorite NBA team can discuss the latest events on American Idol. "It's not about improving concentration or building strength or getting exercise," said Phil Brickman, superintendent of Lower Expectations School District. Brickman says, "When I was going to school, we actually had to learn the rules of a game and play that game. What would happen is, kids who could not play would get picked last and that would hurt their feelings. In fact, if you think about it, how many kids go on to actually use sports in their adult lives? But look at how many watch sports on T.V. Our job is to get these kids in touch with their feelings as they watch a sport and start building that connection now." Shumacher has seen her students thrive in Reform PE and reports numerous Eureka moments as kids apply the concept of sports to everyday life situations. Tubby McTubster, a sixth grader in Mrs. Shumacher's class, says he has never enjoyed PE as much as he does now. "Before, I would always get picked, like, last and everything. So, yeah. Now, I'm not picked at all. We just watch T.V. in gym class," says McTubster. Ginny Nottabatter says that finally, PE class makes sense to her. A seventh grader, Ginny struggled with every sport and saw gym class as a humiliating and confusing experience, full of memorizing rules and learning game strategy. "But now, I can just talk about what I feel like when I, like, watch some guy on T.V. Like, today, we like totally said that one guy's shorts were like way too long," says an enthusiastic Ginny. Parents whose children have a natural affinity for sports, or who have built athletic prowess through years of play in competitive leagues, protest the new PE program saying it leaves their higher performing kids behind. But Brickman shrugs off their complaints as being elitist and says that schools cannot let parents decide what is right for their children's education. "Test scores speak for themselves," says Brickman. Test results show a dramatic improvement in scores on PE tests, with 98% scoring as proficient. According to Brickman, the gap has narrowed dramatically between kids who were picked first and those who were picked last.  
--Faith Haleem 

 

Do you like awesome birthday party or holiday activities? Check out my product Riddle Me which lets you generate scavenger hunt clues to entertain your children for hours. Check out the blog for fun things like Halloween scavenger hunts, Christmas present treasure hunts, and Easter egg scavenger hunts.

© Copyright 2006 and Forever, All Rights Reserved