Carmel Health

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Why Study Health?



When I was a College student, at Exeter University, studying Physical Education we were encouraged to justify the position of our subject on the school curriculum. Little did I know back then that my teaching career would take me from England, where PE is one of only four compulsory subjects taught in school, to America where there are States that do not require students to particpate in PE at all.

I no longer wear a tracksuit and am now based in a classroom teaching health, a mandatory subject, but I still maintain that ALL teachers of ALL subjects should be confident in justifying the merits of their subject.

My health classes teach students about physical, mental & emotional and social aspects of health. They learn how to embrace healthy lifestyle factors and become aware of things that influence their health. They learn strategies that allow them to maintain and improve not only their own health but also that of friends and family. Students are encouraged to spread the word of health out into their community and advocate for the health needs of others.

One of the early assignments that I set my classes is to write an essay justifying the place of health class on the curriculum and I am always pleased with the responses.

As an extension of that assignment I am now inviting responses to the question "Why should we study health?"

23 comments:

  1. we should study health because we live, breathe, and experience health every day. It only makes sense to learn about how we should live happy and successful lives.

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  2. We should study all forms of health in an effort to change the way society is headed. We live in a time where money drives everything, and if non-healthy items are cheaper for a school to offer, most schools take that option. I commend the schools that take the chance to offer a more healthier choice in their cafeterias and offer other ways to be healthy. Building strong, positive relationships is another great way to be healthy.

    The Rev

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  3. In conclusion, I think that Health is an extremely helpful and important class for teens to take. By giving us tools to help reduce and manage stressful situations, it is ensuring our mental wellness. By teaching us about the needs of our body, we are encouraged to have good nutrition and take precautions against illness. By learning about the consequences of risky behavior, we are learning to think before we act. High school Health class is a good foundation for wellness and balance that will hopefully help us to continue a healthy lifestyle for years to come.

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  4. To conclude, health has made me become aware more about myself. I have learned ideas, statistics, and reasons as to why it is not impossible for anybody to become 100% healthy. I have learned that ‘washboard abs’ and bulging biceps and are not necessary to live a healthy life. Eating right, have a close knit circle of friends, having a strong family life, and just enjoying life for what it is, truly makes you a healthy person. Since there are so many ways to achieve these goals and the ones not mentioned, it makes sense that the students in America deserve a meeting point, a safe haven, where they can learn all the aspects needed to make themselves healthier people. The students in America deserve the support of somebody who freely gives his or her knowledge so that we can put that knowledge to good use and benefit ourselves and those around us. The students in America deserve the support and backing of the families and teachers so no student can have the excuse, “I never felt support” or “I never felt anybody cared about how I lived my life.” And finally, the students in America deserve to have a health course on the curriculum. Without it, all the information and knowledge gained in this class and shared in this essay will never have the opportunity to be shared with that one teen or child who is struggling to make it by; the one who thinks they’re all alone. Just imagine what he or she could learn in this class and how it could change their life forever. As for myself, I know that has already happened to me.

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  5. All in all, we need to understand that our actions and choices don’t only affect our own health, but can affect others that we love. Likewise, others’ health surrounding us can affect us. Health class gives us good advice on how to live a healthier life. It also helps us to understand how we can live a better lifestyle for the rest of our lives. It is used every day, therefore is considered the most useful and necessary class. It is crucial that health class is offered to help people be aware of their personal health, their surroundings, and their future kids’ health.

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  6. In conclusion, I just want to make the statement that we all need health class! This will improve our health literacy, or our knowledge and understanding of health information that we use to promote our health and wellness. The facts mentioned above argue this position. For purposes of brevity, I did not mention many others. Looking back, the numbers tell the whole story. So it is crucial that we keep health class that can serve as a "bright light" showing us how to improve our overall health and to get those "bad facts" reversed to good ones!

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  7. In conclusion, health is a good thing because not only does health deal with people’s physical health, but it also deals with the emotional stresses of people and the social aspects of others too. With health class we can make our nation healthier and we can increase the longevity of people’s lives. We may not live forever, but each day counts. Live your life to its fullest, and always remember: Being healthy makes you stealthy, being stealthy helps you live, life is the best gift, cherish it with every breath.

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  8. So why should health be taught in schools? Health forms the basis of everything we do in our lives. Math and English subjects are useful in our professional lives but Health class goes an extra step forward by taking effect in our everyday lives.

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  9. In all, “The goal of health class is to help students adopt and maintain healthy behaviors. It provides young people with the knowledge and skills that they need to become successful learners and healthy/productive adults.” This quote, by Mr. Milne, explains the goal of health class perfectly. Health needs to remain as a required class because it teaches youngsters how to be physically, mentally/emotionally, and socially strong. Health educates students to have a sense of their wellness, which will eventually make someone into a better, healthier person. Health class should remain as a main, core class because it teaches students about all of those important aspects of life.

    -Dani Guerin

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  10. Health governs every aspect of our life. In fact, it is the combination of physical, mental, and social well-being. This is not just about eating the right foods and exercising four times a week; health requires us to take care of the entire person, inside and out. Currently, American society is becoming unhealthier than it was in the past due to less family meals and more technology in the household. If the country continues to climb this slippery slope, then people will die. Health should stay on the school curriculum because if teenagers are not health literate and don't understand how to maintain their health, then they will harm themselves physically, mentally, and socially. -Laura Hefner

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  11. Although many of the “academic” topics taught within school aid in increasing one’s knowledge and intellect in the areas of math, science, reading, writing, history, and so forth, the average layout of standard courses does not provide a sufficient amount of information that allows people to make healthy choices to maintain healthier, successful lives. People may have the impression that being healthy only entails working out often and eating nutritious foods; however, health is a combination of physical, mental, emotional, and social well being, and in order to ensure that one is healthy within all aspects of his or her life, a general sense of knowledge and understanding of basic health information needs to be obtained in order for one to determine his or her state of total health and wellness. If society aims at becoming healthier as a whole, people must be aware of the lifestyle factors or habits, as well as risk behaviors, that their affect health, happiness, and longevity; these lifestyle factors are introduced within the health curriculum.

    -Brooke White

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  12. In conclusion, if the health program is cancelled in our school, our student body could suffer as a result. Health class builds on our health literacy, which is our knowledge and understanding of basic health information that we use to promote our health and wellness. Without this kind of education, our overall heath and wellness could take a serious hit. We students could begin to go the way the rest of America is headed, becoming less and less healthy physically, emotionally, and socially. Health class may not be as ‘academic’ as other classes, but it is no less important. An intimate knowledge of math or science can take you places in this world, but health is a subject that can teach you how to actually live your life to the fullest, and that is why it is vital that it not be removed from the curriculum at Carmel Catholic High School.

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  13. In conclusion, learning about health is essential for improving health literacy, developing key lifestyle factors, and spreading the word about health to everyone. Initially, health class will teach kids important information about health. It will instill in them excellent lifestyle factors that will improve their health for years to come. However, health class will also enable health to spread. The knowledge learned by the students will be passed on to their friends and family. For these reasons, health class needs to stay on the curriculum for Carmel High School.
    -Rita Hull

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  14. What is the one thing every living organism on earth needs to live? Life. We’re given one life, one chance to live, and the only way to keep that life is to stay healthy. These days health has been shrunk into a little detail that’s constantly pushed into the back of our minds because we’re too busy with other aspects of our lives; but the truth is that it’s not a diminishable element of life. Health is the one thing that has an effect on every part of life. It’s more than just eating right and not doing drugs; it’s also an art of balancing social and emotional well being. When we look at kids today do we see an overall understanding of this? Based off recent studies, teens aren’t getting the message. It’s not only the parents’ job to teach right judgment in this field, but also schools.

    Schools are given a great opportunity to provide kids with information that can help them have a better grasp on life. Often times teens are over whelmed with the do’s and don’ts of life, but never get the answer to the question why. Health class is a learning environment that offers kids the answers and knowledge to why they’re given these heavy restrictions that may seem unfair. We can't expect kids to start being healthier unless we aid them with applicable, up to date information they so desperately need to understand how they work. In the words of William Pollard, “Information is a source of learning. But unless it is organized, processed, and available to the right people in a format for decision making, it is a burden, not a benefit.”

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  15. The subject of removing health education should not be treated as a single rain drop in a vast blue ocean in which we call instruction, but a major part of this generation’s health literacy. Health is the general condition of body and mind; thus, it should not be represented as a small factor in life, for it is life. If the school is willing to even bring the thought of absenting the course, then why do they say preparation is key when we are not prepared to care for ourselves. Our lifestyle factors are yet not tuned to become sound; therefor, this course must not be disposed of. A trinity of proof can be seen as preparation for life, awareness, and treatment that can effect your health, happiness and longevity. The division may simply seem as a course that may not effect us students, but would you really accept the challenge that may have been resolved by attending this educational study. I would advise you to survey these possibilities that will meliorate the endurance of us students, for you can swerve the fate we may find on the road of life.

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  16. In conclusion, we can see that health, being a major part in our everyday lives, can change the way others improve their health and wellness as well. I have recently been influenced by my friend who has shown me ways to eat healthy and the benefits of doing that. She had taken health class last year and it changed her life forever. She knew that it was time for her to start cutting down the sugar, salt, and caffeine. It was hard for her, but she had her friends there to help her get through it. I couldn’t help but get motivated by all the different factual information she was telling my every day. “80 percent of teens don’t get enough fruits and veggies, Illinois is the 28th fattest state in America, to burn 360 calories; you need to run 2.5 miles.” I didn’t know any of those facts which really got me thinking. I need to step up, myself and do the same thing my friend did. Make a difference.

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  17. To be quite frank, all aspects of health are important to a person’s survival! What would life be like if you had no friends, even if you were super muscular or über sexy or anything such as that? A health class may not be beneficial in an academic sense, but a student has to be alive and well to get good grades, correct? It’s not possible for a person to always be socially deprived for the rest of their life and always get wonderful grades. It’s not even possible to get good grades if you’re dead. As a student goes away to college, they grow up. Their parents can’t be there to pamper them, and give them baths and brush their hair and feed them good foods. They need to learn about it and experience it themselves so that they can make the right choices on their own. Mum and dad might be able to help, but not even they know all the answers, and that informative, potentially life-saving health class could be the difference between a great college, and doing calculus homework while waiting at the gates of heaven.

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  18. Overall, health is a fundamental part of our learning. It teaches you about all the aspects that are necessary for total health. It is much more than just how strong or athletic you are. It is just as important to be mentally, emotionally, and socially strong. The risk behaviors that we learn are also critical. We learn about everyday risk behaviors we can avoid in order to live fuller, healthier lives. I also learned that the government is trying to create a healthier nation through programs like Healthy People 2020. If the government is willing to shell out millions of dollars to inform us on health, why not add it in the curriculum. If the sees health as being that important, why shouldn’t we? Because of health class I am able to learn how to achieve an overall state of well-being, or in other words, wellness.

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  19. Health is not only vital to the health of the individual, but it is vital to the health of the nation as well. In order to “live long and prosper,” as Spock did in the television series “Star Trek,” one must be physically, socially, and mentally healthy. It is the combination of the three that one needs to reach wellness. If health class is removed from the curriculum, our school will be contributing to the disintegrating health of the world, when we could easily be preventing it.

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  20. All in all, health should not be eliminated from the school curriculum because it is invaluable in promoting health in students. In this class, students actually learn about reaching their full health potential and how to be competent when it comes to knowing about health. Health class promotes the wellness of students in everyday life by teaching them which choices one should take and from which choices one should abstain. After all, knowing how to distinguish between on risky action and on positive actions could be the difference between life and death for someone, and to parents this should be invaluable to their children’s knowledge. Overall, health class promotes life and that is one thing that every student should be able to take a part of in school.

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  21. So, in conclusion, health class should not be taken off of the curriculum because it just offers so much to the rest of the student body. It makes kids not only healthier, but also wiser, happier, stronger, and more willing to take on anything that comes their way. It is more then just another class - it's a once in a lifetime opportunity where you get the chance to see just how strong of a person you really are.

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  22. Health class is crucial for students’ wellness in their own lives and the lives of the people around them. Each part of health has its own role to play, but as you have noticed, the parts overlap to make up an overall measure of how healthy a person is. In school you may learn how to annotate a book, write a research paper, or find the square root of x, but health class prepares you for far more than the upcoming test next week; it prepares you with the knowledge you will need to take with you for the rest of your life.

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  23. Having looked at the comments above I was impressed with the strings feelings that my students have towards the subject. It is obvious that they see the value of the content and that many are applying the information to their lives and those of their families.
    The comment from "Dana" was one that stood out from the rest and she wins our $20 i-tunes gift card.

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