I had to take it for 1 1/2 years in high school and all 3 years of middle school. I hated it. But, I think the main reason I hated it so much was due to the teachers. It's like they didn't understand that not everyone was an athlete! It was so frustrating. I'm not in bad shape, but I get horrible side/chest pains when forced to do a lot of running. And if I ever paused to take a break, of course I was yelled it And if I told them I was in pain, did it matter? Of course not. For someone who simply CAN'T do strenuous exercise PE was dreadful. There should be other options - racquet class, weight lifting, etc. In HS, we did have other options, but many times you had to take general PE classes first and/or get a Dr's note.

Aside from that, I honestly don't see what PE has to do with academics (unless, of course, you want to get into that field). I see no reason why that should be a required course. It is awkward and frustrating. It should be an elective credit, IMO. I don't think it's the schools' responsibility to reduce the amount of obese youth.