In response to the growing rate of childhood obesity, U.S. Representatives Ron Kind (D-Wis.), Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.), and Jay Inslee (D-Wash) have proposed the Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act (FIT Kids Act). If enacted, the FIT Kids Act would amend the No Child Left Behind Act to support quality physical education and activity for all public schools.

To help support the bill, the national and state arms of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (AAHPERD) submitted model programs and teachers to support the FIT Kids Act and demonstrate to the House of Representatives that it is possible to have a highly successful, quality physical education program in public schools.

Among the list was the University Laboratory School and Elementary Physical Education Instructor Joanna Faerber.

“The recommendation of Joanna Faerber is a compliment to her and the school,” said Dorothy Rumfellow, elementary principal at the Lab School.

The proposed bill would require 150 minutes per week of physical education for elementary school students and 225 minutes for middle and high school students. In addition, it asks for school districts and states to report on quantity and quality of physical education. The bill also aims to ensure children gain information, knowledge, and support to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The Lab School already schedules elementary school students with 150 minutes of physical education and the middle and high school students with 250 minutes per week. But more importantly, students are taught about the importance of physical education.

“Knowledge empowers, and my belief is that we’re going to show students how and then tell them why they need to be fit,” said Faerber.

According to Faerber, the Lab School recognizes that a healthy body is an important component to a healthy mind and therefore other classes are not more important than physical education. Students are not allowed to skip P.E. to make up work in academic courses.

“The students learn a lot about the principals of fitness,” said Faerber. “I had one of my elementary students tell me, ‘Mrs. Faerber, my heart needs a workout today.’ So you can see they understand the concept of a cardio workout.”   In addition to promoting physical activity in school, elementary students receive an exercise calendar with a suggestion for a new physical activity for each day outside of class. They are also encouraged to get their parents to join them.

“This helps encourage parents to stay active and fit because we know that fit parents tend to have fit kids,” said Faerber, “And the students are excited about encouraging their parents.”

The Lab School works with the National Association for Sport & Physical Education’s Physical Best Curriculum. The purpose of Physical Best is to assist physical educators in teaching health-related fitness education, through quality resources and professional development training, with a focus on teaching cognitive concepts and knowledge through activity, enjoyment of physical activity, and inclusiveness of all children.

“Fitness is not a two-week program, like some schools present it,” said Faerber. “A lot of schools do ‘fitness’ as a one unit during the year, but we try to encourage being aware of fitness as a part of everyday activity.”

Faerber was nominated to be the Physical Best Representative for 13 Southern states. This three-year appointment involves producing the activity guides and providing teachers with information on how to make all their activities more physically effective.

And fitness is now more important than ever. According to Faerber, this young generation is one of the first not expected to live as long as their parents because of the negative effects of childhood obesity and lack of physical education.