The BBC was wittering about sport in schools this morning. A comment made during the discussion was that of quantity and quality. There is an assumption that this must be on the curriculum and if enough time is not devoted to it, there is a problem. I notice a similar theme being discussed a couple of weeks ago over at archrights when Terri picked up on Gordon Brown’s desire to increase the recommended two hours to four hours.
My school days, some thirty years ago, remain fresh in my mind as if they were yesterday and sport is one reason why. Not for the reasons Brown refers to:
Mr Brown says in the interview that his memories of his school days are less about his academic studies than about the sports teams in which he was involved and he remembers the joy of being picked for the school rugby team.
Oh, no. When the BBC presenter questioned the point that many of us do not continue sport when we leave school, I look back not as Brown does with nostalgia but smoldering resentment and loathing. That is why.
In those days; the late sixties and early seventies; we had the full four hours a week that Brown would like and they were four hours of abject misery. Four pointless, wasted hours running about half naked on a frozen pitch chasing after a ball (except that I made a nuisance of myself by refusing to take part). An utterly pointless exercise that did me no good whatsoever. I recall as if it were but earlier today; shivering with cold, soaking wet and longing for the time when no one would ever force me to endure such torture again. That day, the first day of July 1976 was one of the happiest of my life. I left behind forever physical education lessons and football. That my pathological loathing of football endures to this day is due to an education system that fails to see children as individuals, that assumes as the buffoon Brown does that we must all be part of a team and all want to waste time chasing a ball about:
“I am a believer in competitive sports,” Mr Brown said. “I think people do better when challenged and you are challenged when involved in teams and comeptitions.”
The man is an arse and so are those who would inflict their stupid team sports on children who do not want to play them. Fitness, often proffered as an excuse doesn’t wash. I was fit – in my spare time I cycled and a thirty mile trip was not unusual. I also enjoyed individual sports, I held a junior green belt at Judo and was a moderately competent archer. It was simply that my choice of sport did not fit in with the mainstream so I was either forced unwilling and uncooperative onto the football pitch or despatched on a cross country run to get me out of the way. That I then simply bunked off for a couple of hours and was never followed up suited me fine – if it were not for the bitter cold.
I disliked maths at school as well. Yet I do not advocate giving children an opt out on this. Nor do I harbour any resentment at having to endure it even though I dreaded these lessons almost as much as PE. The difference being that maths has proved an invaluable tool in my life. I could not get by without maths and English, nor could I navigate without geography. Other subjects such as History have proved fascinating and enlightening to me. I can enjoy the knowledge for its own sake. These academic subjects have proved invaluable. PE has not and never will. If I never see nor hear another word or image relating to football it will not be too soon.
What those games lessons did teach me was a vigorous hatred for control freaks wherever I find them, a powerful sense of individualism and self determination, a lifelong refusal to cooperate with those who try to make me bend to their will and with that, a valuable life lesson in how to be awkward, uncooperative and stubborn and get away with it. Maybe it was some use after all – if not the intended one.
To the BBC news team; does that answer your question?
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