Proposal Argument - Essay Example

Families are now busier than ever with activities or entertainment and spend less time outside or exercising. Children are camped on the couch in front of the television more whereas 30 years ago, they would have been outside playing. Also, while they are on the couch they are ingesting unhealthy snack foods that program their bodies to retain excess fat. The typical American diet has drastically changed over the same 30 year time period. Meals that were previously prepared over a stove are now prepackaged and heated in the microwave; or they are eaten out of a sack in the car.

Mom’s meatloaf and mashed potatoes have been replaced by a #2 value meal with a large Coke. This processed, packaged, and unhealthy diet contributes to the growing epidemic of obesity in children. The combination of poor diet and sedentary lifestyle is raising a generation of fat, lazy children who will grow into unhealthy adults. It must be stopped. Children and adolescents spend the majority of their time in schools. This makes schools a viable solution for educating future adults how to take care of their health and well being.

Schools can play a critical role in the physical well being of their students by providing physical education and recreational opportunities. Investing in a quality physical education program in schools is an opportunity to better the lives of our future citizens. There has been a saddening rapid decline of the amount of physical education offered in schools. Very few states have minimal if any requirements in terms of the amount of physical education the students receive. (American Heart Association) It is also not required that physical education be taught by certified physical education teachers or trainers.

Often schools are forced to cut back or eliminate their physical education programs due to lack of funding or interest. Mandating students to pass physical education in order to complete their high school diploma would solve one of