When the findings of brain research became more prevalent during the last 10 years, I was initially one of the skeptics. I had been taught in my training that people’s problems had more to do with the conditions they lived in daily rather than anything related to their physical well being. Now that proof is emerging that school success improves as children are given the opportunity to improve brain functioning through exercise, I am again confounded by the importance of this discovery. The school documenting this link is in Naperville, Illinois where an increased physical education curriculum for its 19,000 students is yielding some incredible results. Note the following statistics;
1. The sophomore class has an obesity rate of 3% compared to a national average of 30%.
2. On a national test taken by worldwide students, eight graders in Naperville scored sixth in math and first in science. These scores are well above their previous scores and well above how other U.S. students scored on the same test.
So what kind of physical education program is Naperville offering to its incoming Freshman?
Morning routine beginning at 7: 10 am
1. Warm-up
2. Run one mile with students checking their portable heart monitors. Goal: check your split time and run your fastest mile. Teens love a challenge.
Naperville has decided to teach fitness instead of sports. Their program is based on the finding of neuroscientists who discovered that, “exercise provides an unparalleled stimulus, creating an environment in which the brain is ready, willing, and able to learn.” While Naperville has achieved these results in a mostly white upscale community, it’s believed that the results are possible in any district that places a priority on teaching children the importance of exercising their body before they begin to exercise their brain.
We’ll begin next week by studying a similar program given to 3rd and 5th grader, the age group we mentor.