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The changing face of physical education in public schools: new approaches to old challenges.

Article Excerpt
Miss Munson. That was the name of my junior high school gym teacher. I remember her well. She stood ramrod straight and ran our class of 12-and 13-year-old girls like a boot camp, complete with laps, push-ups and pull-ups. Mandatory units included basketball, volleyball, field hockey and, of course, swimming. Not being terribly athletic or coordinated, I hated her class -- with a passion.

Ah, yes. Miss Munson. Some 30 years later, the name still sends chills up my spine.

Fortunately, physical education classes have evolved since then. No longer just a place to learn competitive team sports, many of today's phy ed classes (please, don't call it gym) offer instruction in everything from bowling to aerobics and fly-fishing to weight-lifting.

Physical education of some sort has long been part of a young woman's education. During the nineteenth century, many girls were taught "female gymnastics," walking, riding and dancing as a regular part of their upbringing. In the countryside and in smaller towns, girls and young women also enjoyed archery, tennis, bicycling, ice boating, roller skating, croquet and golf.

As young women became stronger and more able-bodied, they challenged the societal paradigm of inherent female frailty and ladylike behavior. In 1900, women were first included on the program of the modern Olympic games, competing in golf and tennis. That same year, tennis player Charlotte Cooper of Great Britain became the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal.

The integration of exercise and athletic activity into school curricula continued to expand during the twentieth century. Recreational activities became popular for young girls in the form of "play days" between 1920 and 1950, and competitive varsity sports such as basketball and track and field multiplied after Word War II.

With the passage of Title IX in 1972, more girls and young women were able to compete in sports, and the groundswell of interest in the fitness craze of the 1980s helped further spread awareness about the importance of physical activity in young women's lives.

Elizabeth Spletzer is one physical education professional who has seen the changes close up and first hand. Spletzer began her teaching career by introducing girls' physical education to a Detroit, Michigan, school in 1969. She now coordinates the Initial Teacher Licensure Program in K-12 Physical Education at the University of Minnesota's Division of Kinesiology.

Although no...