Teaching
Health Education in School
Many parents are keenly interested in the basic academic
education of their youngsters—reading, writing, and arithmetic—but are not
nearly as conscientious in finding out about the other learning that goes on in
the classroom. A comprehensive health education program is an important part
of the curriculum in most school districts. Starting in kindergarten and
continuing through high school, it provides an introduction to the human body
and to factors that prevent illness and promote or damage health.
The middle years of childhood are extremely sensitive times for
a number of health issues, especially when it comes to adopting health behavior
that can have lifelong consequences. Your youngster might be exposed to a
variety of health themes in school: nutrition, disease prevention, physical
growth and development, reproduction, mental health, drug and alcohol abuse
prevention, consumer health, and safety (crossing streets, riding bikes, first
aid, the Heimlich maneuver). The goal of this education is not only to
increase your child's health knowledge and to create positive attitudes toward
his own well-being but also to promote healthy behavior. By going beyond
simply increasing knowledge, schools are asking for more involvement on the
part of students than in many other subject areas. Children are being taught
life skills, not merely academic skills.
It is easy to underestimate the importance of this health
education for your child. Before long he will be approaching puberty and
adolescence and facing many choices about his behavior that, if he chooses
inappropriately, could impair his health and even lead to his death. These
choices revolve around alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use; sexual behavior
(abstinence, prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases);
driving; risk-taking behavior; and stress management. Most experts concur that
education about issues like alcohol abuse is most effective if it begins at
least two years before the behavior is likely to start. This means that
children seven and eight years old are not too young to learn about the dangers
of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs, and that sexuality education also needs
to be part of the experience of elementary-school-age children. At the same
time, positive health behavior can also be learned during the middle years of
childhood. Your child's well-being as an adult can be influenced by the
lifelong exercise and nutrition habits that he adopts now.
Health education programs are most effective if parents are
involved. Parents can complement and reinforce what children are learning in
school during conversations and activities at home. The schools can provide
basic information about implementing healthy decisions—for instance, how and
why to say no to alcohol use. But you should be a co-educator, particularly in
those areas where family values are especially important—for example, sexuality,
AIDS prevention, and tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use.
Many parents feel ill-equipped to talk to their child about
puberty, reproduction, sex, and sexually transmitted diseases. But you need to
recognize just how important your role is. With sexual topics—as well as with
many other areas of health—you can build on the general information taught at
school and, in a dialogue with your youngster, put it into a moral context.
Remember, you are the expert on your child, your family, and your family's
values.
Education seminars and education support groups for parents on
issues of health and parenting may be part of the health promotion program at
your school. If they are not offered, you should encourage their development.
Many parents find it valuable to discuss mutual problems and share solutions
with other parents. Although some parents have difficulty attending evening
meetings, school districts are finding other ways to reach out to parents—for
instance, through educational TV broadcasts with call-in capacities, Saturday
morning breakfast meetings, and activities for parents and children together,
organized to promote good health (a walk/run, a dance, a heart-healthy
luncheon).
In addition to providing education at home on health matters,
become an advocate in your school district for appropriate classroom education
about puberty, reproduction, AIDS, alcohol and other substance abuse, and other
relevant issues. The content of health education programs is often decided at
the community level, so make your voice heard.
As important as the content of a health curriculum may be, other
factors are powerful in shaping your child's attitudes toward his well-being.
Examine whether other aspects of the school day reinforce what your youngster
is being taught in the classroom. For example, is the school cafeteria serving
low-fat meals that support the good nutritional decisions encouraged by you and
the teachers? Is there a strong physical education program that emphasizes the
value of fitness and offers each child thirty minutes of vigorous activity at
least three times a week? Does the school district support staff-wellness
programs so that teachers can be actively involved in maintaining their own
health and thus be more excited about conveying health information to their
students?
In addition to school and home, your pediatrician is another
health educator for you and your child. Since your child's doctor knows your
family, he or she can provide clear, personalized health information and
advice. For instance, the pediatrician can talk with your child about the
child's personal growth patterns during puberty, relate them to the size and
shape of other family members, and answer questions specific to your
youngster's own developmental sequence and rate.
For most school-related health concerns, your pediatrician can
provide you with specific advice and tailored guidance. You and your
pediatrician may also consult with the school staff on how to deal most
effectively with school time management of your child's health problem.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Physical
education in schools
Providing
physical education both inside and outside of schools is crucial in helping
young people to learn and develop life skills.
Physical
education in the school system
A number
of crucial components to the delivery of quality education have been identified
by UNICEF. These include sport and opportunities for play, consistent with the
rights of the child to optimum development.
Despite
recognition of the positive impact sport has on education and child
development, physical education is being increasingly challenged within
education systems across the world.
Challenges
include a decrease in:
· The amount
of time allocated to physical education
· The number
of trained staff
· The amount
of training provided for physical education teachers, and spending on resources
required to deliver physical education in schools
Girls and
young people with disabilities face additional barriers, which limit (and in
many cases prevent) participation in physical education and sport in many
countries.
Whilst
physical education systems are vastly different across the world, a recent
study conducted in 126 countries indicated that the marginalisation of physical
education is near universal.
