It’s time we faced the truth: students cannot be expected to hold more than one idea in their heads at any given moment. The very notion that a kid could learn while not sitting still is nothing short of educational malpractice. Let us instead embrace the bold, logical future: one subject at a time. Why do we force children to “connect” ideas anyway? In real life, when has anyone ever had to use more than one knowledge base at once? Doctors don’t need biology and ethics. Engineers never touch math and physics simultaneously. And don’t even get us started on artists who incorporate history or political theory into their work; those individuals are just being difficult. Let’s do away with the chaos of interdisciplinary learning, with its tangled web of critical thinking and inconvenient relevance. Our students deserve a more straightforward, purer path: one subject, one brain cell, one glorious monoculture of thought. After all, if attention spans are shrinking, shouldn't our curriculum follow suit?
How ridiculous did that sound?
Well, here’s the quiet part out loud:
Far too many PE teachers are failing to integrate their content with the broader school curriculum.
Yes, I said it.
And no, I’m not sorry.
Because the truth is, we’ve been using the same excuses for too long:
“We don’t have time.”
“It’s not our job.”
“We’re here to get kids moving.”
Meanwhile, there has been a national movement towards cross-curricular integration. Math teachers are weaving in coding. Science teachers are collaborating with art teachers. Language arts teachers are writing persuasive essays on environmental science. But PE? Too often, it is stuck in isolation like a dusty gym mat in the corner. However, are we doing this to ourselves? There is a chicken-and-egg argument over why PE teachers are looked down upon. Is our hesitation to collaborate setting up a veneer that gym class is its own thing, with zero connection to the rest of the school?
Now, before you come at me with pitchforks made of pool noodles, I acknowledge that physical education (PE) teachers face real, systemic challenges.
⏳ Time Constraints
Yes, time is a legitimate concern. Most PE teachers teach six, seven, or even eight classes a day with barely a moment in between. There’s equipment to manage, safety to monitor, and sometimes hundreds of students rotating through your space each week. The contact hours are limited, and the pressure is real.
But here’s the truth: every educator is pressed for time. Integration doesn’t mean overhauling your entire program. It means finding intentional, strategic moments to connect. It could involve using heart rate data in a graphing activity, analyzing movement mechanics in a science unit, or playing a traditional indigenous sport from a culture the students are studying. Start small. Stay consistent.
🏛️ Lack of Administrative Support
Too often, PE is treated as a checkbox on a compliance form. Rarely is it seen as an academic discipline with rigorous learning outcomes. PE teachers are often left out of curriculum meetings, denied access to planning time, or deprioritized in professional development opportunities.
However, here’s the opportunity to demonstrate the value added by PE. Show where PE has supported cross-curricular content and gather testimonials from teachers, parents, and students on how PE “made learning fun” and active. A powerful testimonial a family gave me was when I taught the Indonesian game Gobak Sodor in my class. For the first time, their half-Indonesian child began to show interest in her culture. The admin ate this up with a spoon because it was an obvious way our school supported diversity, equity, and inclusion. This was a clear example they could use of how every facet of the school day enriches the whole-child mission of the school.
👀 Perception Issues: The "Second-Class Subject" Narrative
Let’s talk about the elephant in the gym: Physical education has long been treated as a second-class subject by administrators, colleagues, parents, and sometimes even by PE teachers themselves. We're too often seen as the break in the day, the cooldown, the “special” that gives classroom teachers a breather. And let’s be honest, when we lean into that perception, we reinforce it.
This narrative is damaging. It implies that our work isn’t academic, intellectual, or essential to student success. It suggests that the gym is somehow separate from the school’s mission, that what happens during PE doesn’t require the same level of planning, assessment, or professional skill as teaching math or English, and that we’re “just” keeping kids active.
Why has this perception lingered for so long?
Because too many PE programs are still operating on a disconnected island. No collaboration. No visible ties to academics. And as long as that’s the norm, the stereotype sticks. But here’s the hard pill to swallow: if we want to be seen as equals in the academic ecosystem, we have to act like it.
That means stepping up, integrating, sharing student success data, building bridges with classroom teachers, attending curriculum meetings, speaking up when our content is sidelined or misunderstood, and, above all, refusing to accept the false hierarchy that puts us beneath our peers in core subjects.
🧰 Resource Limitations
Yes, some of us work with minimal equipment, share space with after-school programs, or run classes in hallways. That’s not okay, and we should advocate loudly for equitable funding.
But limitations don’t excuse disengagement. Integration doesn’t require fancy gadgets. It requires intentionality. Use free resources. Co-plan with a math or science teacher. Use what you do have in ways that connect students to deeper learning.
🌍 Who’s Doing It Right?
Other countries have already embedded integration into their national PE frameworks. Here are a few models worth studying:
🇫🇮 Finland
The National Core Curriculum emphasizes transversal competencies, such as critical thinking, well-being, and multiliteracy—all of which are applied through physical education.
📚 Finnish National Agency for Education – Transversal Competences
🇸🇬 Singapore
Singapore’s PE syllabus incorporates integration with STEM concepts, including biomechanics, energy systems, and nutrition, all within the framework of 21st-century competencies.
📚 📚 Singapore MOE – Physical Education Syllabus (2021)
🇨🇦 Canada (British Columbia)
BC’s PE curriculum is rooted in “Core Competencies” like communication and personal/social responsibility, emphasizing links to science, health, and mental wellness.
📚 📚 BC Curriculum – Physical and Health Education
🇳🇿 New Zealand Physical Education (nd)
PE) is integrated with key competencies, including critical thinking, cultural identity, and environmental awareness, as well as those outlined in the New Zealand Curriculum.
📚 New Zealand Curriculum – Health and PE
🏴 Scotland
The Curriculum for Excellence encourages “Experiences and Outcomes” that connect Physical Education (PE) to literacy, numeracy, and wellbeing as part of interdisciplinary learning.
📚 📚 Education Scotland – Health and Wellbeing
🚀 Integration Is Not a Threat—It’s a Superpower
Let’s be clear: integration is not a zero-sum game.
It doesn’t mean less movement. It doesn’t mean less play. It doesn’t mean less fun.
It means more relevance. More buy-in from students. More learning. More respect.
Integration doesn’t dilute PE. It amplifies it.
The ball is in our court.
What are we going to do with it?