It's 6:00 a.m. My alarm wakes me and I roll out of bed.I arrive at school around 7:20 and begin school at 7:30. Classes let out at 2:20p.m. and I try to attack any homework I can finish before practice, which endsaround 6:30 every night except game nights, when I don't get off the bus fromaway games until 10:00. When I finish my homework, it is late.

Eliminating physical education from the schedule of student athleteswould give them an extra 40-minute jump on homework so they would not have tostay up all night. PE was implemented to keep students physically fit, but thatwas when many did not participate in school-related sports. There is no need forthose who do to attend gym class during their school day.

Thestudents who play sports and are still forced to participate in gym class areoften more active in the class. Most of the time, however, they receive the samegrade as someone who does not perform to the level the student athlete does. Ifan athlete does not put forth all the effort they are expectedto, their grade falls.

At my school, your gym grade does not evencount as a full credit toward your grade point average. Why would someone tryhard in gym? If you are known as a student athlete, it is expected that you tryyour absolute hardest, but would you if you knew you were facing a two-hourpractice followed by two or three hours of homework?

Instead of forcingstudent athletes to participate in gym class, school boards should considermaking extracurricular sports good for a credit toward your grade point average,or just take gym off student athletes' schedules to allow them more time forhomework.

Everyone says they wish they had more time in the day. I knowhow they feel when I have to stay late up to finish homework which could havebeen done in study hall if I didn't have to take gym.