There’s a difference between P.E., gym

This is in response to Mr. Flamel (Fence Post, July 14), in regards to gym teacher pay:

While I will agree $191,000 for a teacher may seem a little steep, it bothered me to know that Mr. Flamel did not know the difference between physical education and gym. I will explain briefly:

Physical education is an academic subject that tests four learning domains: affective, cognitive, psychomotor and health-related fitness. There are numerous organizations that continually advocate for daily quality physical education.

What physical education teachers do (besides being certified by the Illinois State Board of Education and other accreditations) is specialized. As a matter of fact, I took a measurement and evaluation class in physical education in which we didn’t just use Scantrons for exams (as many other educators do).

I could go on and on about the benefits of daily physical education, but I hope Mr. Flamel recognizes there is a difference between physical education and gym. If not, could I send my undergraduate tuition bill with teacher certification in physical education and history, Mr. Flamel? As a 22-year-old teacher candidate, I would appreciate it!

Patrick Eversole

Northern Illinois University

DeKalb