It's the 5th grade girls' least favorite time of the year...physical testing. There's several components to this including running a timed mile, counting sit-ups, and height and weight. The scale is in my office, so I have the privilege of recording the student's weights. I do my best to keep it totally confidential and calm as possible, but there's just no way to have a bunch of 11-12 year-olds getting weighed without being stressful for some.
This year was just as unsuccessful as last year in attaining my "no tears" goal, as two of the three teachers came to me afterward to inform me that (through no fault of my own, they assured me), several students were in tears. In looking at the numbers, it's easy to see why: weights ranged from 62 lbs to 249.8. Do the math: there's a student four times the lightest one, and the distraught students were both on the high end and the low end of the spectrum. There's no easier bait for teasing than differences among physical appearances.
<sigh.> Sorry kiddos, the higher-ups require me to weigh you. My opinion: I'd rather spend the time actually doing something with the kids, e.g. on a nutrition lesson. The emphasis on testing, physical and otherwise, in schools is unreal.
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It's too bad such emphasis is placed on objective testing...I know it's the only way to measure some things but I agree -- if you used that time to teach some basic nutrition and why the kids should be active, you'd be helping them a lot more.
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