Should Phys. Ed teachers give injured students full credit?
I fractured my ankle a month ago and was given a medical excuse note from my doctor for 2 months. For the first 3 weeks, I was given full credit for class. The next 2 weeks, I was given a B- while doing the exact same things in class - participating in stretches, doing upper body exercises, helping the teacher. This dropped my grade a decent amount - enough for my mom and I to notice it. I figured this was just incorrectly entered, as it happens often with various teachers. Neither of us were happy about it and I confronted the teacher about it today. He said that he did intentionally put them in as that grade. He feels that I shouldn't be getting full credit for the class as I am not doing nearly as much as everyone else. I completely understand where he is coming from but I feel that I should be getting full credit, as I was excused from running, jumping, etc. Pretty much most of what we do in class; and am exercising to my full capability with my injury. I really am interested to hear some different opinions on this to see if it's just me or if others feel this way too or have personal experience with this. Thanks!
Yes
Side Score: 17
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No
Side Score: 13
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Initially I am on this side because I feel the purpose of P.E. is to increase the students knowledge in the area of study. It is education. A secondary goal I would think is to provide a time for students to put theory to practice by allowing for time to excercise. In my previous P.E. classes we kept our personal records (PR) on things like timed sprints/laps/miles or weight amounts if your classes included lifting. This serves as goals to reach and provides a measure of exertion by the student over time to judge how well a student spends their time (generally, there are many exceptions). Added benefits to this is the increase in physical capabilities of students. He feels that I shouldn't be getting full credit for the class as I am not doing nearly as much as everyone else. This here seems off to me. By this measure the most physically fit person gets the highest grade and the least physically fit gets the lowest. (If they all work to their capabilities that is). The statement doesn't seem to fit in what I think P.E.s goals should entail. Physical education is not a ranking system or a test of how physically fit you are. That would be grading ability relative to peers rather than instilling proper excersising habits in students. The portion I quoted could also be a poor way to say the teacher thinks you are not trying enough on the excercises you can do. Dogging it instead of trying. Or maybe terrible paraphrasing by the student. I am only be guessing here on the chance the wording is not exactly accurate in the quote. Side: Yes
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IMO, the purpose of PE is to ensure that all students maintain a minimal amount of physical fitness. PE is generally good for you and the grade is an enticement to participate. The grade is a type of negative reinforcement; that is to say, students are more likely to be concerned about failing than be inspired to get an A+ (especially as PE is sometimes graded as Pass/Fail). But for injured students the exercise PE involves is not prudent, so it is also not prudent to entice PE involvement or penalize lack of involvement. Ergo an injured student should receive no penalty in such cases, by way of receiving full participation credit. Of course no additional marks should be given to that student for athletic excellence, but PE isn't generally graded for athletic excellence so there is no conflict there. Side: Yes
If they were going full out enough in their exercise to get injured to an extent that they could no longer participate in the activities, they totally deserve an A. For Awesome if nothing else. If they just broke an arm or something, I see no reason why they couldn't at least do some of the PE though, so if they don't have an injury that will keep them from doing all the activities, they should be expected to attend, or be given a bad grade. Side: Yes
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It would be strange to get an A grade for doing nothing. It would mean that someone who got a crap grade before would suddenly become an A grade student. What would make sense to me would be to not give a grade and assign the average grade from your PE classes before the injury to that period. Side: No
In the extreme case, this would mean that somebody who goofed off on the first day, then got injured and was unable to participate the rest of the term would receive a failing grade even though they only had one minor infraction. I don't think that's fair. On the other hand I don't have a problem in giving an A for doing nothing, because I see an A in PE is a pass, not a reward of some sort. Side: Yes
Supplementary tests, maybe ones that do not require you to be physical. I feel that this should be offered to everyone that can not cut it in P.E. not just the inured. However to give you full credit seems unfair to those who are doing things, but to give you less credit where you literally can not do anything, is unfair to you. Side: No
What would be the point of penalizing injured students? How would non-physical tests help achieve the goals of a PE class for non-physically fit students? Uninjured students should participate and perform in PE. Injured students shouldn't. Everyone gets credit for doing what they should. That's fair. Side: Yes
Who said anything about penalizing injured students, in fact in my argument a specific point I made was that penalization for being unable to work was unfair. A supplementary non physical test would be more fair than an easy A for an injury that could have been intentional. The test could be on the knowledge aspects of P.E. the parts that the other students would be demonstrating physically. Side: No
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I didn't down vote you, but I'll provide that counter argument for the down vote I feel you definitely deserve. Physical Education isn't all running up and down a field, dribbling a ball, or jumping some rope. It's also, albeit only a small portion but a portion non the less, a class where students can learn, if they should pay attention, how to be healthy and active. On a side note, and the reason I truly support physical education class, P.E. acts as a little something missing from schools, or cut short in the ones that kept it, since elementary school. I'm referring to recess of course. Students in school need a break from the sitting, writing, and essentially boring learning. Lunch is only a small solace. P.E. is longer, more free, break from the rigmarole of actually school work. Side: No
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