SCHOOLS: Better options than dodge ball for PE class

We just enjoyed our parent-teacher conferences at my school. I love these days! During spring conferences, our young students get to “Show and Shine.” They invite their families into the gym to share skills they’ve learned in physical education. As we are currently preparing for our annual Jump Rope for Heart event, students are showing off their fancy new tricks with a long piece of rope.

In conversation, a student’s father mentioned that he was surprised to learn his daughter didn’t know the rules to one of his favorite childhood games.

“We don’t play dodge ball in PE,” I said.

“Really?” he asked incredulously.

“Yes. I don’t teach it.”

He immediately gave me a look suggesting that he knew why I ignored the game. You know, I must be one of those Every-Kid-Gets-a-Trophy kind of teachers.

Dodge ball. It’s the activity that immediately brings back memories of “gym class.” I typically encounter two types of people – those who loved playing the game, and those who have a deep, and lingering, hatred of it, which is often generalized into negative feelings toward physical education overall.

In truth, I am one of the people who loved the game growing up. I loved the nonstop activity of dodge ball, and the strategy of targeting those who might go after me if I didn’t hit them with the ball first. I was a tall, athletic kid and I thrived on the aggressiveness of the game.

For many of my friends, however, dodge ball didn’t provide nonstop activity because they were soon eliminated. They didn’t much like being targeted, but when they got hit and moved to the sideline, they seemed relieved. Some tried to avoid PE altogether on those days, feigning a stomach ache in the nurse’s office.

Back then, I didn’t really worry about their feelings. We all had our favorite activities in PE class, and those we could live without.

These days, I think a lot about students’ feelings. As a physical education teacher, my goal is for all of my students to experience success. Furthermore, I think about the skills I want my students to learn in the limited time I get to spend with them.

I plan my lessons carefully, with a goal to keep students moving as they learn. There are so many skills our students need to develop, and concepts to understand. It seems there is never enough time for it all. Dodge ball just doesn’t seem to be a good choice for our limited class time.

As I explained to the inquisitive dad, throwing and catching are great skills to develop and refine, and my students spend a lot of time practicing them in a variety of different activities. Yet, in dodge ball, students who already have these skills get the bulk of practice time. Students who aren’t yet proficient and need more practice spend most of their time on the sidelines, eliminated by higher-skilled classmates. This is counterproductive and, all too often, humiliating. In addition, students spend much of their time in dodge ball moving away from an oncoming ball. In no other sport does an athlete seek to avoid an oncoming ball. Whether it is soccer, football, tennis, volleyball, basketball, hockey, or a myriad of other sports, we want our athletes to learn the most effective ways to move toward the ball, and take charge of its possession, not to run away from it.

My goal is for every student to leave the gym feeling positive about physical activity, not dreading the next class. In short, my students’ time in PE class is just too precious to waste on dodge ball.

Nancy Blake teaches physical education at Goose Bay Elementary School.