Boys in PE

This video skit by five sixth grade boys was their final project work that
ended a six-week unit on gender. Their prompt was simple: Write, rehearse,
then act a skit that reveals a common problem and common outcome to that
problem for 6th grade boys. We have been studying gender issues in class
during this time, working primarily in same-sex class groupings. Girls have
talked and written openly and freely about what it's like to be a girl in
school with other girls and with boys. Boys have discussed and written about
being boys. Students have also read two books over the past six weeks,
looking closely at the representations of masculinities and femininities in
the books. The students have also looked at portrayals of heterosexual and
homosexual characters‹specifically looking for moments of courage and
heroism. It is our hope that other classes of 6th, 7th, or 8th grade
students will watch this and the three other companion videos, then respond
to them during a class activity in school. We would like to hear the
opinions of other middle school students and open up a dialogue with them
around issues of gender, courage, and heroism. Thank you.

-Mr. Carter Latendresse, 6th Grade Language Arts, Catlin Gabel School,
Portland, Oregon

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Haven't seen that once at

Submitted by James Bonaparte (not verified) on Tue, 01/13/2009 - 10:13pm.

Haven't seen that once at Catlin Gabel for the three years that I've been here. There is always good sportsmanship during PE and no one gets their feelings hurt by a bully. I also doubt that the teachers would tell the bully who told on them. The kids did a good job acting.

I've seen this happen a

Submitted by Walter (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 2:01pm.

I've seen this happen a little bit. Sometimes having your parent call the school isn't the best thing that can happen because like the bully it might just make them madder and they might be meaner to you. If the teacher gets involved then I think kids will be nicer in front of the teacher, but to you a lot less nicer. Boys are usually good about not doing this but it can happen especially if nobody puts the bully in their place. (Mentally)

i agree with you james. It

Submitted by daniel c, sixth grade (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 10:51am.

i agree with you james. It usually doesn't happen at all. Everyone is a good sport. (oh and i also doubt that parents would tell the bully=)

I thought that you guys did

Submitted by Kallisti (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 10:51am.

I thought that you guys did a really good job acting also but I havent ever seen that at Catlin Gabel either. I have been hear for 8 years and not that exact thing but I have seen things that are kind of like that. Like if one kid thinks that another kid isn't good at p.e. than they won't pass them the ball, but they wont torment them by passing them the ball and knowing that it won't help the teen amd it will just torcher the kid that is bad at p.e. Kallisti, 6th grade :)

In the 6th grade, sometimes

Submitted by Matthew 6th grade (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 10:02am.

In the 6th grade, sometimes I see boys not passing to girls. I have seen bulling in P.E. only once in my eight years at Catlin. I agree there is sportsmanship most of the time. I have never seen a kids feelings hurt in P.E.

I think that most boys try

Submitted by Dylan 6th grade (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 10:02am.

I think that most boys try hard in PE and I have rarely seen that too, but after a football pass or soccer kick, some kids say things like "What the heck was that?" or "Why did you do that? You could have scored!" Most people say them when they're kind of joking, but some people say them meaning it, and it hurts the players feelings. Some kids can't do things as well as other people and it's not their fault. They can't help it most of the time, so we shouldn't make fun of them. I think that the people in the video did a pretty good job of acting. -Dylan G, 6th grade.

I think that this might

Submitted by Evan (not verified) on Tue, 01/13/2009 - 3:20pm.

I think that this might happen in the lower school, not as much the middle school, but I totally understand that happening. It's not as much making fun of as much as it is joking, though

yes, i totally agree! it

Submitted by Garet N 6th grade (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 10:00am.

yes, i totally agree! it seems like we would do this in lower school, but first of all, we don't play at break time very often, second of all, we're more mature than lower schoolers (i hope so!). we know not to do this i would hope.

I think that the guys did a

Submitted by Anne Gilleland (not verified) on Tue, 01/13/2009 - 8:09am.

I think that the guys did a really good job at summing up what happens in PE between boys. Most boys think all guys have to be really good at sports, and when they see one who isn't, they look down on them. Anne Gilleland 8th Grade

I haven't really seen a lot

Submitted by Isaiah Adams 8th grade Catlin Gabel (not verified) on Tue, 01/13/2009 - 1:02am.

I haven't really seen a lot of this happening at Catlin Gabel, but being very competitive can very easily turn into someone being picked on for being bad at something like a sport for example. As i said before i haven't really seen this at Catlin Gabel but when someone is bad at something people will take notice and maybe pass to someone else for example. So in all, that it isn't verbally expressed but can be noticed through actions of people.

I think that is something

Submitted by Brendan A, 6th grade (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 2:03pm.

I think that is something that doesn't happen at Catlin but if it was, I can see how that would be a problem. When a boy or someone isn't good at sports you cannot pick on him just because of that because he is probably better than you at something else. Everyone has their talents. Brendan, 6th

I agree that I haven't seen

Submitted by Moss (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 12:43pm.

I agree that I haven't seen a lot of this at catlin. But every now and then, people get so wrapped up in the sport that they are playing that they will get mad if you mess up. Moss 6th grade

This was a cool skit, but in

Submitted by Owen Chapman (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 10:43pm.

This was a cool skit, but in my experiences at Catlin, there doesn't seem to be a lot of that going on. Everyone keeps it pretty nice, and although there is plenty of the stuff that your skit addresses, it is in a friendly way. No one takes it too seriously. I have gone to private schools all my life though, so I'm not sure if my experience is representative of schools around the country. Great job guys! -Owen Chapman, 8th grade, Catlin Gabel

I agree with you Owen. I

Submitted by Forrest K (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 10:00am.

I agree with you Owen. I think that there are some boys that hog the ball, and sometimes that's me. But usually I just think of it as 6th grade PE. Usually everyone gets passed to. I've been at Catlin for 7 years, and I think PE has always been fun and everyone has been nice.

I think that this has

Submitted by William Bishop (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 10:19pm.

I think that this has happened a lot and i see it happening, it has even happened to me (but it doesn't bother me). I think that the mean guys don't be all in-your-face about it though. You guys obviously worked hard and put effort into this, great job.

The 6th grade might have

Submitted by Jake Fishman (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 10:14pm.

The 6th grade might have changed a bit in the two years since I was in it, but I've never seen this stuff happen in the middle school. Most of the times when people are made fun of, and almost all of the times when they're made fun of for their athletic ability, it's in a joking manner. However, I have seen this happen in elementary school, and this video does a good job of showing how alot of the time, telling on people for doing that usually makes things even worse for yourself.

I don't really know much

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 9:56pm.

I don't really know much about how boys treat each other when it comes to sports, but I was shocked to see the student's portrayal of problems in PE. The behavior of the boys seemed really mean, and something I'm not used to, but it appears that the students have had some exposure to that type of teasing. In general, many boys are kind to other boys and to girls, no matter what their skill level is, but I have seen the occasional meanness. Teachers are supposed to be moderators for games; they make sure that everything is fair, and on the whole they do well, but it must be difficult to see everything. I would like them to pay more attention if others feel upset about how situations are being handled. Margaret Fossand, 8th Grade

The boys tend to put a lot

Submitted by Naomi (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 9:56pm.

The boys tend to put a lot of pressure on each other. But you just have to work through it, it may help you improve on your skill level. -Naomi 8th grade

i liked how you showed that

Submitted by Connor Burris (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 9:48pm.

i liked how you showed that sometimes a resolution doesn't work. sometimes telling a teacher can only cause more problems. good skit, it really emphasizes how harsh kids can be.

I think you are definitely

Submitted by Sanders (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 12:46pm.

I think you are definitely right about how telling a teacher can make things worse and kids being harsh and all, but I don't think that really happens here at Catlin. It definitely is right about other schools like some public schools. --Sanders, 6th

in my experience this sort

Submitted by Allison (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 9:35pm.

in my experience this sort of teasing and such happens more after class and/or out of the persons earshot. boys aren't always that mean although they can be jerks on occasion, then again girls can be that way too, sometimes worse than boys. Allison, 8th grade, Catlin Gabel

I though that this was a

Submitted by Zach (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 9:31pm.

I though that this was a funny video. In 8th grade you don't see that happening a lot but it still happens. Since I've lived in a lot of different places i got to see the differences in different school enviorments. When i went to public school it tended to happen more often.Thats my opinion on your video.-Zach Peterson 8th grade

It does seem like it might

Submitted by Reed, 6th (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 10:53am.

It does seem like it might happen more in Public school, compared to here. Catlin has a tighter community so that's why the teasing-rate is lower. i can imagine, and i've seen people when that sort of thing is happening.-Reed, 6th

This video was accurite to a

Submitted by Walker Owen (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 9:20pm.

This video was accurite to a sertin extent. I don't see this happen very often and not in that direct form. Its a lot more subtle and we don't really ever do it to be mean we just do it as friends.

Eve Lowenstein 8th Grade-

Submitted by Eve (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 9:19pm.

Eve Lowenstein 8th Grade- In P.E. class that scenario doesn’t happen very much as you get older. I think that because most people have bonded with their fellow peers and they know your weaknesses and they can help them improve in those areas instead of saying put downs. I have noticed that girls don’t tend to make fun of their classmates because they mostly just go into P.E. to have fun and they don't get really competitive.

I think you're right that it

Submitted by Ford B, 6th grade (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 10:51am.

I think you're right that it would not happen a lot when you get older. Also, that some boys get really competitive and they yell at you when you make a mistake. I think that P.E. should be a little competitive but mostly fun. I also think that it would not happen much at Catlin Gabel because we are more nice about P.E. and we don't tease as much as some other schools. -Ford B, 6th grade

In the video, boys make fun

Submitted by Lianne Siegel (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 9:12pm.

In the video, boys make fun of another person for not being very good at sports. They keep passing to him because it's funny to watch him mess up. I don't know whether or not this really happens with the guys in our class. I think people are pretty good at not making fun of people, so I don't really think it's that big of a problem, or at least a lot less of one than at many other schools.

NOw that we're in middle

Submitted by Rachel (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 9:07pm.

NOw that we're in middle school, we don't really make fun of each other. We understand that different kids have different abilities in P.E., and some aren't as good as others. I'm sure this happens sometimes behind peoples backs when people laugh, but not right to their face.

I agree, I think that we are

Submitted by Zac (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 10:51am.

I agree, I think that we are much more mature and we don't really tease each other like this anymore. It might happen sometimes but this is a much more lower school kind of thing. Zac T 6th grade.

i think that when a boy is

Submitted by maggie m (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 8:59pm.

i think that when a boy is not really any good in PE or with sports, other boys think that they is something wrong when a boy can't play. also when a girl can play better then a boy in a sport they feel weird. -maggie m, 8th grade, CGS

this doesnt really happen.

Submitted by Ian Jones (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 8:36pm.

this doesnt really happen. not only does this not happen if you were to rat someone out it would just make things harder for you. we also go to catlin gabel where this wouldnt happen opposed to other schools

I agree with you about this

Submitted by Aaron (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 12:46pm.

I agree with you about this stuff not happening in catlin but in other schools it does because i came from a school where teasing, fighting and harassment was normal.And yes, ratting on someone in my old school would make life A LOT harder for you.--Aaron, 6th grade

You are right. People don't

Submitted by Simon S, 6th grade (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 10:58am.

You are right. People don't make fun of people for being weak and they don't be mean at people for talking about a problem. People do not pass to bad at sports people.

This is a very real thing,

Submitted by Dan Maunder (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 8:20pm.

This is a very real thing, but it does not happen often. I think this happens mostly in a joking way at times and most of the time everybody goes along with it but when you do it to someone who isn't familiar with the "joke" then thats when this occurs and feelings get hurt. I think the catlin community does the rarely compared to other schools.

Hello. This response is to

Submitted by Jarod G (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 2:04pm.

Hello. This response is to all of the comments about this not happening in middle school. I am the really tall kid, who towers over his dad ;-) This skit was done as a reference to schools other than catlin. I'm sure that someone who reads this post has and came here from another school will have seen this, or has had it done to them. This skit was to get people thinking about what happens at other schools, public or private. Jarod - 6th Grade

I agree I don't think people

Submitted by Chloe S 6th (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 10:02am.

I agree I don't think people are treated that way in sports at Catlin Gabel and even if some one was treated that way the teacher would take old of the situation and stop the teasing. There are a couple of boys that are not passed to but the main problem in P.E is people not passing to the girls.

I don't really see this

Submitted by Emi Foster-8th Grade (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 8:17pm.

I don't really see this happen very often in my PE class. People don't really make fun in that way for silly things like that. If someone isn't good at a sport, most people will try to encourage them to be involved, and try to pass them the ball. Also, I've never seen someone pass to someone else just as a way of making fun of them. However, other people may have a different experience.

Personally, I haven't really

Submitted by Alan Mayhew (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 8:16pm.

Personally, I haven't really seen any teasing go on in my class, or in my classes at previous schools (I'm probably rather lucky), but I know this is not the case everywhere. I don't really get why someone would make fun of someone else over physical ability, but this is a problem in many schools today. - Alan Mayhew, 8th Grade, Catlin Gabel

This reminds me of the

Submitted by Nicholas Elliott (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 8:15pm.

This reminds me of the situation I was in last year. I wasn't very skilled at anything, and people didn't frequently pass to me in sports. Luckily enough, I turned that situation around and managed to become more accepted by my peers. It's good that people can grow to accept people for their present physical ability instead of their past. -Nicholas Elliott, 8th grade

I thought that this skit was

Submitted by Max (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 7:27pm.

I thought that this skit was very interesting and a good perceptive of what sometimes happens especially with the boys in P.E. class. Sometimes boys will hog the ball a lot and not pass to someone because they might be better than that person or just want to pass to people they like. Over time this seems to go away such as being discriminatorily against girls or not letting some people play because they are better than them. This differently could be an issue though especially among the younger grades. Max Meyerhoff 8th Grade

I don't really agree, I

Submitted by Curtis Stahl (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 7:13pm.

I don't really agree, I haven't seen this often in Catlin, only jokingly. -Curtis, 8

This was for showing what

Submitted by Jarod G (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 2:06pm.

This was for showing what might happen at other schools Jarod, 6th

I don't think that this

Submitted by Owen (not verified) on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 12:46pm.

I don't think that this happens very often, though in sixth grade, There is teasing and insults sometimes. especially in competitive games like dodgeball and rounders. Owen H 6th grade

I don't think this happens

Submitted by Hannah (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 7:05pm.

I don't think this happens very much at Catlin. I'm sure that some guys are made fun of but I don't think to this extreme. I think that if someone is made fun of they should try to sort it out for themselves if they can so the people making fun of them don't get the satisfaction of making the other person scared.

I am not a boy and I don't

Submitted by Valerie Balog (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 6:28pm.

I am not a boy and I don't know personally how things happen for them in P.E., but I think this video rings true to a certain degree as well. I'm not the best athlete and I know I am pressured by my gender to do better, but not as harshly. I would certainly not bring an adult into my situation, though. I'm not bullied from it. If this happened to me I would definitely tell someone. Its the right thing to do, but I don't think that some teachers always bring it up the right way with some kids.

Good job with the idea of

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 5:46pm.

Good job with the idea of discrimination, though I don't think it's usually that extreme. Spencer 8th Grade

I haven't seen this

Submitted by Elizabeth (not verified) on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 5:42pm.

I haven't seen this happening. I really haven't seen stuff like this happen since about 6th grade. i think that as you mature in the middle school you grow out of that child like behavior. If that were to happen in my P.E. class people would tell the person who is doing that to get a life or back off. Elizabeth 8th grade

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