Did you enjoy PE at school?

c68zapdsm5i1ru

So many people I know, myself included, still have horrible memories of PE in school. I wasn't a sporty or athletic kid, and there was nothing in the way it was taught to encourage pupils like me. We were either left standing fruitlessly on the side of the pitch, or humiliated by always dropping the ball, missing the net etc. while a track suited dragon shouted and blew a whistle.
Like a lot of my class mates I spent more time avoiding PE sessions, coming up with endless excuses or hiding in the classroom, than taking part. It's taken me years to overcome an aversion to exercise and to start trying to build a healthy amount into my daily routine. Just wondering if it could have been taught in a way that would encourage the non athletic types as well as the naturally talented basketball/hockey/tennis players?

For Forks Sake

PE teacher in my school was a former professional soccer player.

Routine consisted of: 1. Pick Teams 2. Winner stays on and 3. I'll be in my office.

petes

Yes.

rainbow kirby

PE teacher was a hockey coach. I f*cking hate hockey. I loved the rare times when we got to play football or go for a run though.

Shenshen

Hated, hated, HATED it! In my view, it was the single worst "subject" I had to put up with at school, worse than Latin and Music even.

Could it have been done differently? Of course it could.
By having teachers actually interested in showing kids how much fun sport can be (I'm nearly 40 now and only discovered that fact some 3 years ago!), by not focussing on one or two types of sport but giving children the choice - there is so much they could be doing, swimming, tennis, aerobics, dance, ... yet it's always some sort of horrible and potentially very very painful team game and running about.

:mad:

BetterThanThou

Personally, I disliked it due to the fact that week after week, it was always football. The occasional time it was something like basketball or rounders, I enjoyed it and played circles around everyone else. But most weeks I found myself skipping PE due to the likelihood of the teacher picking football again. Now, I was fairly athletic, but I just couldn't stand football, so it's not the same situation you had. For students like me, I feel it would help if the teachers mixed the sports up, rather than sticking with one nearly every week. And even for non athletic kids I feel it could help, as they may find a sport they like and pursue it outside of PE.

Tzardine

Nope. Worst PE teacher ever , lazy mofo he was.

Only enjoyable part was every once in a blue moon when the weather was good we could play rounders.

vitani

I had a crush on my PE teacher, so yes.

We had loads of different sporting activities and PE was a double lesson twice a week.

Hockey
Tennis
Swimming and diving
Track and field
Aerobics
Trampolining
Badminton
Cross country
Dance
Gymnastics

I loved them all (except cross country)

maguic24

No, can't say I did. All we ever did was play soccer! Not that you would get half a chance anyway! I did Taekwondo outside school and loved it. I also love running and was a strong swimmer, so it's not like I hated sport....

I think I just hated team sports......and the fact that you were never even given half a chance to try and improve. PE can go suck on it!

Alf Veedersane

I loved PE.

It was called 'Games' in our school...probably so we wouldn't be fooled into thinking it might be anything structured.

An hour of running around a terrible pitch playing football and getting in more than a full quote of sliding tackles.

Bliss.

anncoates

Our PE classes weren't exactly structured: generally races, football or a bit of perfunctory gym like vaulting but I always enjoyed it and it was always preferable to normal class.

The Diabolical Monocle

PE and Religion ftw.

Absolutely no effort.

FloatingVoter

I enjoyed it very much. We had to travel to the local girls secondary school to play basketball. We unfortunately had to pass several pubs on the way there. I never did get to play basketball. But as a contribution to the physical fitness agenda I usually got in a game or two of pool.

SEPT 23 1989

a game of football outside in the fresh air and not stuck in some poxy classroom

whats not to like?

maguic24

Strawberry Milkshake wrote: »

We had loads of different sporting activities and PE was a double lesson twice a week.

Hockey
Tennis
Swimming and diving
Track and field
Aerobics
Trampolining
Badminton
Cross country
Dance
Gymnastics

I loved them all (except cross country)

I wish our PE classes were like this!!!

awec

Best class of the week.

Apart from when you were forced to do the really crap stuff like badminton / tennis / basketball / athletics.

Football / rugby / swimming pool / gym most weeks.

jester77

PE in my school was an IRA guy who had spent a few years in jail and won his job back in court after his release.

Made for fun class. He'd shout line up and we would stand against the wall with our hands raised.

Dyr

I think PE classes put a lot of irish people of exercise

I only did PE when I started going to secondary, which was this dickensian christian brothers kip. The PE teacher/drill sargeant used to have us shinning up ropes and bars or hopping over/falling off gym equipment and such, like we were in tom browns school days

I gave that class a body swerve very quickly

phasers

In fifth year we had a PE module called "health and grooming" where some beautician bird came in and waxed our eyebrows and told us what colours we should be wearing. This lasted about 3 months.

Aside from that the school didn't really bother with PE, we had it on our timetable but everyone just did their homework from the night before instead.

maguic24

jester77 wrote: »

PE in my school was an IRA guy who had spent a few years in jail and won his job back in court after his release.

Made for fun class. He'd shout line up and we would stand against the wall with our hands raised.

Did you go to school in Longford by any chance? I think I may have had the same guy. I hated PE but I loved Joe, what a legend. :P

anncoates

phasers wrote: »

In fifth year we had a PE module called "health and grooming" where some beautician bird came in and waxed our eyebrows and told us what colours we should be wearing.

???

For Forks Sake

phasers wrote: »

In fifth year we had a PE module called "health and grooming" where some beautician bird came in and waxed our eyebrows and told us what colours we should be wearing. This lasted about 3 months.

Please tell me this was an all-lads school?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

We never had any PE!!!

Muise...

I had an unfortunate menstrual cycle that struck every Tuesday afternoon, so I either had to go to the library or for a gentle stroll to the beach and a game of pool in the pub on the way back.

topper75

Yahir Putrid Cheesecloth wrote: »

It's taken me years to overcome an aversion to exercise and to start trying to build a healthy amount into my daily routine.

Fair play OP. Exercise and health is yours to claim on your own terms as an adult since you put those memories out of the way.

rainbow kirby wrote: »

PE teacher was a hockey coach. I f*cking hate hockey. I loved the rare times when we got to play football or go for a run though.

Bad form not to have variety. Hardly a shortage of activities to rotate. Doesn't always have to be field sports but these are easy to 'organize' so lazy PE teachers opt for it.

For Forks Sake wrote: »

Winner stays on

Physical education should have nothing to do with winning a game anymore than studying English demand that you write some competition-winning short story.

PE teachers are supposed to study pedagogy for their subject. Sheer laziness and incompetence on behalf of many of them. Please follow OP's example and at least get some kind of daily walk in. Your body is an incredible machine folks - there to be worked, not left fatten, atrophy, or rot.

Bummer1234

Loved P.E so did 90% of the rest of the lads. The girls/non sporty lads where a no-no..They didn't want to run at all.

jester77

maguic24 wrote: »

Did you go to school in Longford by any chance? I think I may have had the same guy. I hated PE but I loved Joe, what a legend. :P

Joe was the man, he trained the GAA when I was there. There were a lot of funny moments. I remember playing a game in Dublin, he had a decent suit on with a dirty pair of white runners. The lads on the other team started to take the piss out of his runners and he turned around grabbed his balls and told them they can suck on it. Didn't go down well!!

ivytwine

Hated it. I was rubbish any sport/game and every week, no matter what it was, the teacher had to take me aside and show me how to use a tennis racket or whatever.



I used to 'forget' my gear a lot...

Dyr

awec wrote: »

Best class of the week.

Apart from when you were forced to do the really crap stuff like badminton / tennis / basketball / athletics.

Football / rugby / swimming pool / gym most weeks.

Did your butler have to get into the pool as well?

TheBody

jester77 wrote: »

Joe was the man, he trained the GAA when I was there. There were a lot of funny moments. I remember playing a game in Dublin, he had a decent suit on with a dirty pair of white runners. The lads on the other team started to take the piss out of his runners and he turned around grabbed his balls and told them they can suck on it. Didn't go down well!!

I had that teacher too. He owned a Garden Centre when I was there. We used to call him Gun n Roses.

maguic24

jester77 wrote: »

Joe was the man, he trained the GAA when I was there. There were a lot of funny moments. I remember playing a game in Dublin, he had a decent suit on with a dirty pair of white runners. The lads on the other team started to take the piss out of his runners and he turned around grabbed his balls and told them they can suck on it. Didn't go down well!!

Hilarious!! I did PE up to Leaving Cert just so I could have the bants with Joe!! I had him for Geography up to J.C. All I can remember is 'Right ye, get yer bag and baggage and get out'. :P What a man, ha!

anncoates

TheBody wrote: »

I had that teacher too. He owned a Garden Centre when I was there. We used to call him Gun n Roses.

:pac:

The PE teacher in our school once got 'accidentally' locked in a store cupboard when he was getting stuff out for the class and he left the key in the lock.

c68zapdsm5i1ru

Does anyone remember how PE teachers would pick the two sportiest pupils and tell them to select their teams?

Legs.Eleven

I "bounced" (:cool:) almost every single PE class in secondary school. I fcuking hated it. I was terminally lazy back then, thought my arse was fat and my PE gear wasn't cool enough (it wasn't). Jaysus the torment of Friday afternoons. I used to sit in a field and smoke with all the other lazy girls until we had the option of doing computers in 5th year.

Candy_Girl

I hated it, but then again I was a moody teenager who hated everything ....total opposite now I love any activity that keeps me fit

maguic24

TheBody wrote: »

I had that teacher too. He owned a Garden Centre when I was there. We used to call him Gun n Roses.

Yeah my mam told me that was what they used to call him. He retired the year I graduated.

captain caveman

PE was ok for us... We'd do it with another class out of the year, and usually given 3 options, football, and two others.

Most of the lads would play football, while the girls would play badminton or hockey or something else.

There were a load of "superstar" footballers in our class though, you'd swear it was the FA cup final... Cue crunching tackles and roaring at you if you misplaced a pass.

When you got sick of Roy of the Rovers and his mates, you could go and play badminton with the girls... win win!

sea_monkey

I enjoyed it because i liked playing football.

looking back i think PE should be done in a more general manner.
Stretches and strength training at a general level instead of just aimed at being fun for an hour.

We only did it for the first 2 years of secondary school then it got cancelled for our class, no idea why.

dyeti

I hated it. I wanted to like it, but unfortunately all we did was play soccer with teams selected by ultra-GAA heads. If you weren't a sporty jock (like myself) you were picked last and even when you did play you were basically invisible. My PE teacher was also a butch lesbian who hated me and openly called me a twat.

In fairness though she did catch me smoking a fag in the bathroom during a PE class! Apart from that though I wasn't THAT bad...

kfallon

Depended on what we were doing, we prob covered about 7 or 8 sports during the year doing them for a month each.

Football, Gaelic Football, Tennis, Badminton were all enjoyable.

Road Running, Rugby, Gymnastics.....get ta fúck, load of me hoop!

gobnaitolunacy

No.
Off out in all fcuking weathers in a sh*t tracksuit bought by your mum playing nothing only football day after day.
No fcuking variety at all, used doss it for a finish.

OneArt

I wasn't exactly sporty as a teenager, but I loved Taekwondo and swimming so I got my own exercise. I f*cking hated school in general and spending two unnecessary classes was horrible, especially when our lazy teacher just said, "Oh, go play football". I hate football.

By fourth year I just skipped it completely and went to study. Worked out for the best.

anncoates

dyeti wrote: »

My PE teacher was also a butch lesbian who hated me and openly called me a twat.

Thought she would have been fond of twats?

maguic24

OneArt wrote: »

I wasn't exactly sporty as a teenager, but I loved Taekwondo and swimming so I got my own exercise. I f*cking hated school in general and spending two unnecessary classes was horrible, especially when our lazy teacher just said, "Oh, go play football". I hate football.

By fourth year I just skipped it completely and went to study. Worked out for the best.

Is that you, me?

Stepping Stone

I hated it. We had 'structure': basketball, gymnastics, badminton, volleyball, hockey and football. It always descended into football. 90% of the class had no interest. Our PE teacher was a bitch and used to criticise us to everyone. Principal eventually intervened and asked us what the problem was. Solution? Running and football skills while the beast screamed 'play up'.

The other PE teacher actually stuck to the schedule, if the class got bored he did really fun stuff like dancing. They went on hikes, we got to go to the football field. Our teacher was so lazy that she would drive while we ran there, shouting abuse all the way. I got stuck with that wagon for six long years. If you weren't a footballer (I am from Kerry), you were nothing in her eyes. Things like swimming, athletics, tennis, rowing, karate, etc didn't count as sport in her eyes. Can't say it did anything for our confidence when it came to sport.

Meangadh

I loved it but it definitely could have been better, looking back- we mostly played unihoc and rounders. I played camogie anyway so I enjoyed those activities, although to be be fair any time we did basketball I had the craic because of how $hite I was at it!

There should have been far more emphasis on improving overall fitness, nutrition, life long commitment to staying in shape etc. In fairness there has been huge improvements in the teaching of PE in recent years and a lot of schools have top class gyms and much more varied programmes.

donegal_man

First two years it was great, teacher who actually trained us so we did circuits, tennis and of course football then he left. His replacement was obsessed with stamina and 'healthy competition, it builds character' so all we did was road running and play football with the winning team getting to use the hot showers.

mdwexford

Lol at dancing in PE.

WoollyRedHat

There wasn't enough variance a lot of the time, and if it had been more structured, I would of enjoyed it more.

Was glad that I got to continue it though because I did Ordinary Maths.

The showers however were horrible and what's more, we were made take them. Awful.

Lia_lia

I liked PE. Our teacher liked to mix it up a bit. We did a lot of badminton which I loved. And volleyball. She tended to stay away from the usual sports like football and basketball because whoever was interested in them just played them anyway.

She brought us surfing and swimming. And did a lot of mountain climbing. Gymnastics also. She always tried to get everyone to find a sport they enjoyed. Went to an all girls school btw.