TO: Parentadvocates.org

I am writing to inform you that it is not mandated that teachers be certified in physical education at the elementary level. This is tragic. Parents, your children are not being educated properly if their gym teacher is not certified. From the ages of 5-12 the motor and sport skills that should be taught are not. In my school I observed that there are third graders that do not know how to skip and fourth graders that do not know how to properly throw a ball or play games other than basketball. This is not fair to the children of NYC. Because there is not physical education curriculum set up by the NYC school system, your gym teachers can basically play games with your children each time they have gym and never have to teach them a single thing or be accountable for what they do. I had no idea this was occurring in the NYC school system. It needs to be brought up and discussed so that postive changes can occur. Please for your child's sake, make sure that your physical education teachers are certified. I do not think that you would want a gym teacher teaching your child how to read so why is a classroom teacher allowed to teach in the gym. There are so many Physical Education teachers without jobs and that is because teachers without the correct certification are in those positions. Just because someone is a teacher does not mean they have the knowledge or skills to teach in any area. You wouldn't go to a dermatologist if you have a cold, so why would you allow a classroom teacher to teach in the gym? I hope you can make a positive change for the children of NYC. Thank you, Christie [last name omitted by Parentadvocates to protect privacy]