Bikes Are The Best

"Gym Class Is So Bad, Kids Are Skipping School to Avoid It"

"Not only does P.E. do little to improve physical fitness, but it can also lead to truancy and other disciplinary problems."


This article from The Atlantic popped up on my news feed the other day, and I felt compelled to reply. Having access to bikes and a comprehensive curriculum teaching students how to ride safely has been transformational for our students. It has, in fact, created the opposite effect of the headline above.

The sensationalized title of this article caught my eye. It both ticked me off and persuaded me to read on. I wondered, is P.E. class really that bad? Are kids actually avoiding school so they don’t have to go to Gym class? As it turns out, the title is a bit misleading -- its claims are based on the analysis of a single P.E. initiative in Texas from 2007 to 2011 -- and contrary to the sentiment of the headline, the article is not an argument against exercise in schools. In fact, the author is making the case that physical activity is really important for kids, but in order for P.E. programs to be successful they need to be more holistic, embedded in many aspects of the school day.

As a middle school teacher myself, I recognized some universal truths about teenagers in this piece:

• Kids can be mean to each other in middle school, and locker rooms and rowdy games of dodgeball may create opportunities for bullying. 
• Student buy-in and engagement are crucial for learning. 
• Some of the best lessons are experiential, and when students are in a state of flow, they don’t even realize they are learning because they are so captivated by the activity.

So yes, I am a teacher, but not a P.E. teacher. I am, however, a firm believer in the power of physical fitness. I have been an avid cyclist my entire life, and in 2017 I received a grant from The Specialized Foundation for a program called Riding For Focus. Riding for Focus uses cycling as a tool for students to achieve academic, health, and social success. Building on the growing body of research showing a correlation between exercise and improvements in mood, focus and cognitive function, The Specialized Foundation partnered with physicians and neuroscientists at Stanford University to study the effects that cycling, specifically, has on the wellbeing of teenagers. They sent us a fleet of high quality Specialized mountain bikes, some pumps and tools, and trained me in their comprehensive curriculum to teach safe cycling.

Before I fill you in on how Riding For Focus has been received by the students and the community, I want to highlight how transformational the sport of cycling can be for middle school kids. Riding a bike combines time outdoors with cardiovascular exercise, improved balance, rhythmic movement and quick decision making. Riding bikes in groups takes these benefits further, turning rides into social activities, resulting in new friendships and a sense of camaraderie. There are no kids sitting on the bench, there is no varsity or junior varsity team, we are all just fellow cyclists. Some kids take on the responsibility of riding “sweep” while others earn the responsibility of setting the pace up front. So, what do the kids think of riding bicycles as part of their school day?

They. Love. It.

Even in the rain and snow, students beg for me to let them go riding. “We will dry off!” they yell. “We aren’t even cold!” Almost every day during the winter while the bikes sit in their storage room in the basement, students approach me to ask if they can be selected to ride with me once we start back up in May. With a total of 25 bikes and just me and my P.E. partner to run Riding For Focus, we can only accommodate a fraction of the kids who want to participate.

Cycling has changed the lives of the kids who have ridden with us. Some have sent us unsolicited testimonials about how learning to ride gave them a sense of confidence they didn’t know they could feel. Others have told us about the lasting friendships they made with peers who would otherwise still be strangers to them. Riding For Focus inspires students to exercise without realizing that they are exercising. And cycling is a sport that students can continue for the rest of their lives. We have seen an increase in the number of kids riding bikes to school, and improvements in safe riding practices. The city government has reached out to us to include our students in municipal events like “Ride To Work Week” and having representatives on the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee. The city also helped us build a “pump track” next to the middle school.

While the old-school version of P.E. may be stale and off-putting to kids, organizations like The Specialized Foundation are paving the way for alternative programming like cycling that truly gets students excited to exercise. It’s a great time to be a middle school student in Bath, Maine, and it’s inspiring to see more schools coming on board as Riding For Focus grows. We will all benefit from the positive effects of bringing cycling into schools.

Sincerely,


Lawrence Kovacs


Gifted and Talented Teacher, Bath Middle School
Riding For Focus Program Champion
2016 Sagadohoc County Teacher of the Year