My Education Solution

THERE IS NO DOUBT that childhood obesity is one of the most significant problems facing this country today. (add boring statistics here). Experts have proposed a myriad of solutions ranging from healthier school cafeterias to an increased emphasis on physical fitness programs. Although many of these solutions are well-intentioned, they face serious restrictions. The prevalence of fast food restaurants and the barrage of junk food advertisements may overwhelm the influence of a healthy school lunch. Additionally, the increasingly competitive global economy has placed an emphasis on communication and technological skills which may eclipse time devoted to physical education. I have come up with a solution, however, that will allow children to not learn effectively but to become healthy as well. And the answer doesn’t come from Washington, DC or an education think tank: it comes from the gym.

Ever since it was introduced in the 1980s, indoor cycling, or spinning, has become a national phenomenon. This form of exercise involves a room of individuals pedalling along to the commands of an instructor. Although spinning has been done almost exclusively in the gym setting, it has many aspects that would be useful in the nation’s education system. By replacing traditional desks with modified stationary bicycles the leaders of this nation could wipe the childhood obesity problem off the map. With students exercising for hours a day, educators could combine valuable learning time with essential and much needed physical education.

An immediate concern evolving from this change would be logistical. Countless desks would have to be discarded and millions of bicycles would have to be acquired. Although the initial costs of this conversion would be high, the long term medical savings would be substantial. Not only would it save thousands of lives a year from heart disease, diabetes and a number of other ailments, but it would also provide the country’s students with a new and unique set of skills. Students would be proficient in multitasking after years of combining movement with learning. The change would also herald a revolution in the sport of cycling. The American domination of the Tour de France, started by Lance Armstrong, would continue for decades to come as millions of American cyclists would enter the world stage. With so many cyclists there would also be a decreased use of automobiles and other fossil fuel based forms of transport. Bicycles in the classroom could also be used to create electricity in order to power the school and surrounding buildings. These innovations would significantly reduce America’s already disproportionate carbon footprint and create cleaner, more liveable cities and towns.

Surely objections will arise to this proposal that exercise and learning cannot be combined. These doubts may be valid with activities such as football or basketball, but are flawed with regards to cycling. Spinning is a relatively mindless activity, especially at comfortable levels, that can easily be mixed with education. The presence of bicycles in the classroom will also give the instructor a harmless and effective method of discipline. Instead of corporal punishment or forcing the child to leave the classroom, the teacher can simply increase the difficulty on the pupils bicycle.

This plan may ultimately prove to be effective, but it is still merely a suggestion. It should be implemented slowly in pilot programs across the country and detailed mental and physical results should be recorded. Although the link between spinning and learning may be undocumented, it has been proven that children in better physical shape are more motivated to lean then unfit children. If this proposal becomes the standard, children may finally be allowed to not only have their cake, but to eat it as well and still remain healthy.