GYM CLASS STANDARD TOO HIGH? Request a conference with the teacher Dear Carol, I recently read some of the letters published on the site referenced in the subject line of this e-mail which prompted my inquiry.  I very much enjoyed reading some of the letters. My sister is the mother of two boys, one of which is a 9 years old.  He is the youngest in his 4th grade class @ school.    He has a new P.E. teacher this year and I don't believe she is a certified teacher and may just think she is doing her job.  In any event, she is asking the class to run one mile in 8 minutes, do 45 military-style pushups in 1 minute, and pull themselves up to a bar and do 6 chin ups.  She told the class they would have to do this by Thanksgiving and would be graded on it. My nephew is VERY concerned and worried that he will not be able to do these activities.  They have not had to do anything like this before and are starting to practice each day. Can you advise if such activities are in the guidelines of what is acceptable or not acceptable? Thank you for your time and attention to this inquiry. Concerned Aunt, Cincy Dear Cindy, My guess is that the P.E. teacher is following a part of the President's Challenge program for kids, but you are correct. The teacher's standards seem high. You are right to be concerned. You can find out about this program by visiting this site: President's Challenge There are 3 levels of the President's Challenge. The standards you quoted me are higher than each of the 3 levels: Presidential Physical Fitness, National Physical Fitness, and Participant Physical Fitness. According to the philosophy of the program children should be encouraged and rewarded if they meet any of these levels. My suggestion would be to read up on this information and request a conference with the teacher. Perhaps your nephew misunderstood what the teacher was requiring, or perhaps he was correct, but going to her with this information will help you discuss this issue with her. KR believes that if kids are encouraged, they will learn to love running and fitness. If the standards are too high, many will be discouraged. Good luck, Carol Feel free to email the kid's editor at rwedit@rodale.com.