Poor Physical Education in Indonesia

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Physical Education in America

I remember my active kid days where I used to run around the house, back here and there, jump on the bed and roll around. I guess this hyperactive habit continued when I entered Elementary School. I did elementary in the US, but Phys Ed there also wasn't quite different in Indonesia.

The bell struck for recess, everyone in single filed order came marching out into the small concrete field. This was supposed to be our playground. It felt like a high security prison with high chain fences and whenever it was recess time they locked the gate behind us, as if some of us kids had motives to escape. Arguably the worst part about it was that you weren't allowed to run.

I would agree on the fact that we weren’t allowed to run. It was concrete and not very spacious. They did gave us hula-hoops and basket balls to pass the time, but the fact that annoyed me so much was that there was a bigger field out there which they didn’t let us go on. A wide field where you could run out and play like normal kids, but instead we were contained in that small area. We also only got ½ hour of play, and that’s when it wasn’t raining.

It wasn’t all that bad in elementary school. I liked the teachers and also my friends.

Phys Ed In Indonesia

I was still the active kind of kid when I got to Indonesia. For Junior High School I went to Soedirman. Istirahat/recess time meant that you could pick either eating or playing soccer/exercising. You couldn’t pick both, there wasn’t enough time (unless you rushed eating, which isn’t healthy). Even playing soccer wasn’t officially allowed, sometimes they’d take away the ball (and sometimes we’d take it back).

With the unreliable recess time, I put my exercise motives mostly on the official Physical Education class. Phys ed tested us by how far we could throw a javelin, how well we can kick a soccer ball, how many hoops when can score, without letting us do some practice first. They would just test us and after that we were free to play on our own (which was what we wanted). That was once a week. Once a week we get the pleasure of exercising and for 2 hours only.

My high school times weren’t that different. I was always the first one to change into my gymnastic/exercise clothes. Some days I’d motivate others to also change into their clothes (which took some time). But then what happened? It rained.

Raining was the worst event that that could possibly happen on a Tuesday. It meant that no, you weren’t going to change your clothes and play soccer. You were going to do schoolwork on how sports. The rules, the area of field, the inventor, the height of the net. Is this stuff even important? Sure, it’s important for professionals where every advantage counts, but is it to us? Does it have a certain meaning? Information is not knowledge and we’ll probably forget it in a day or 2. Essays, multiple questions, drawing a soccer field instead of playing on it? Is this how exercising is supposed to be like?

“Okay kids, let’s do this exercise, oh whoops. It’s raining. Sorry kids, bad luck. Try again next week.”

“Experts explain why some people should try for 30 minutes of exercise a day, while others need up to 90 minutes” –webmd.com

Two hours of exercise for a whole week and some days, none at all? Not even close.