Abstract
After nine years of experience in Catholic institutions of learning, the writer has concluded that our Catholic philosophy of education is partly ignored in our parochial school system. The fact that physical and health education receive so little emphasis in the curriculum is indicative of the fact that a complete education, which is the goal of our Catholic philosophy, cannot be attained. John D. Redden and Francis A. Ryan state it thus:|"Catholic philosophy teaches that the body and soul are joined in substantial union and that in seeking the welfare of the soul, specific attention to the welfare of the body ought not to be neglected. It is evident, then, that in order to avoid exclusivism and give adequate recognition to man’s true nature, the educative process must include physical and health education. An educational theory and practice which ignores, neglects, or denies the importance of the physical side of man’s nature and its proper care and training, is guilty of exclusivism, the outstanding defect of modern false philosophies of education."|The writer purports to show by investigating thirty parochial schools in Omaha that the parochial school system is guilty of negligence by failing to recognize to the fullest extent the physical aspects of man in the educative process. The writer is determined to evolve, as a result of this study, a plan for instituting a sound physical and health program from the kindergarten to the high school inclusive.|Such a program necessitates the understanding of the various philosophies concerning physical education from the earliest civilization to the present time, and an understanding of the theories of play and the ever-increasing needs for health and physical education. This material will be considered in the first three chapters.|In Chapter IV, the writer will present the results of an investigation of the parochial grade and high schools of Omaha to see to what degree they are providing a type of education consonant with the educant's complete nature, intellectual, religious, social, aesthetic, and physical. The writer has set about to accomplish this work by visiting twenty-nine grade schools and seven high schools. A questionnaire, which was utilized to obtain the results, will be found in the appendix. Chapter IV will also answer, to some degree, questions that may occur to the reader. The data is obviously limited and incomplete but sufficient to warrant a fair amount of conclusions.|In Chapter V, as a result of the findings, the writer sets forth and enlarges upon the following recommendations:|1. That a Director of Physical Education for the Omaha Parochial Schools be selected to formulate, co-ordinate, and supervise the physical education programs for all schools.|2. That a plan of physical education be included in the curriculum so that recreation can be furnished to all children.|The writer hopes that, as a result of this survey, it will be possible for the parochial schools to see wherein they may add certain aspects of a physical education program, thereby catering to all aspects of the child's nature—physical, as well as religious, mental, moral and social.