this post was submitted on 26 May 2026
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So, I lived in India as a foreigner over 12 years ago now and, back in both 4th and 5th grade, our class teachers would record our weights and heights(I don't remember if this one a year or for every term) and would later be written in our report card for our parents

As fat kid, having to step on the scale in front of the whole class was humiliating and its not like they did anything with those numbers. They didn't mention them to parents, didn't make life style changes recommendations. The least they could have done was take those measurements in private and not in front of the whole class

Is this still a practice Today in India school? Was it popular during the 2010(I lived there from 2012-2014)? For people who had their measurements taken, especially other fat kids, how did it feel?

What about other parts of the world?

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[–] Nemo@slrpnk.net 3 points 10 hours ago

We had it taken, but it was considered private medical information and was not given to teachers.

[–] ChexMax@lemmy.world 14 points 18 hours ago

In the early 2000s in the US these numbers were taken, but there was like 10 feet between the front of the line and the scale so hypothetically private. Didn't stop your friends from asking what your numbers were the second you stepped off, so kind of a weird self imposed humiliation.

[–] kbal@fedia.io 10 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

In 1980s Canada there was a brief period of official enthusiasm for physical fitness branded as "Participaction" and not only did they measure the weight and height of all the elementary school kids, they also tested us to see how far we could long jump, how fast we could run, how long we could hang from a bar, and probably other things I've forgotten. I was pretty good at hanging from a bar.

[–] radiofreebc@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago) (1 children)
[–] kbal@fedia.io 2 points 6 hours ago

Holy shit that's the one. For a minute there I wondered if I had just imagined the whole thing.

[–] zout@fedia.io 11 points 17 hours ago

I'm still pretty good at hanging around at a bar.

[–] IWW4@lemmy.zip 10 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

I have no idea what schools in India do with that information.

When I was growing up in the US we did this thing called “The President’s Physical Fitness Test”. That was a bunch of running pull up tests and they also did Height and Weight.

As far as what the school did with it, I have no idea. It may have went towards some grant applications or something.

When I was growing up Gym class ended in the 10th grade (THANK FUCK) after that I never heard about that test again.

I grew up in a fucked up house so all I never did organized sports or anything like that ,so naturally I failed the stupid test.

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

God I hated that so much. I think that's what made me hate exercise for most of my life. It wasn't til I got older and moved to a walkable city that I discovered the joy of recreational walking

[–] Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 19 points 17 hours ago (3 children)

When I was growing up Gym class ended in the 10th grade (THANK FUCK)

Reactions like this show how bad many schools are when it comes to getting kids to exercise. They could make it fun but often don't. For us in our first year of 6th form they started doing it but because it wasn't legally required anymore by that age and people might just fuck off they put more effort into picking things that are fun. Had more fun there in 1 year than the previous 5 combined.

Games rather than competitive sports were far more fun.

[–] fluffykittycat@slrpnk.net 2 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

Yeah the whole thing's fatally flawed. Didn't help Mr lose weight or run farther or anything, and I got sexually harassed in the locker room and no one did anything about it. It's just a traumatic memory

[–] kylie_kraft@lemmy.world 9 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (1 children)

the real crime is that they stopped doing the big parachute after like the second grade

[–] tal@lemmy.today 4 points 13 hours ago

Man, I'd forgotten about that. I do recall really enjoying that relative to other PE stuff.

https://www.weareteachers.com/parachute-games/

Parachute day in P.E. class is the best. Watching that parachute float up and down is mesmerizing. Running around a parachute is great exercise. And working together to keep all the balls on a parachute during a game of Popcorn encourages cooperation.

[–] IWW4@lemmy.zip 4 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

It is really easy to get kids to enjoy outdoor and gym play.

That was never my issues with gym.

The first minor issue was time. Classes where 50 minutes long. So 10 minutes for changing into gym clothes and changing back into school clothes, which is insanely fast, leaves what 30 minutes for the actual activity.

The real major issues were:

  1. It was the hellscape that is adolescent males in the locker room.

  2. Nothing like getting all sweaty and nasty when your body is already going crazy with secretions and odors. I really loved 9th grade. I would get up get cleaned and ready for school and first period was dumbfuck gym…. Now I get to spend the rest of the day smelling.

To me gym class should have aways been after school.

[–] fluffykittycat@slrpnk.net 1 points 8 hours ago

It is really easy to get kids to enjoy outdoor and gym play.

Not really, it sucked

  1. It was the hellscape that is adolescent males in the locker room.

This part's 100% true though. It should be the law that all students get the right to private changing areas upon request and if they can't be provided in sufficient quantity for timely changing relative to demand the student doesn't have to do gym that day with no penalty

[–] Shellofbiomatter@lemmus.org 8 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (1 children)

Back when i went to primry school, grades 1-9, ~1999-2009, in Eastern Europe. Cant recall whatever it was done at higher education, grades 10-12 and trades school as well as i barely showed up back then.

Yes, height, weight, eyesight, ~~posterior~~ posture, lyce , vaccination, blood pressure and some other minor things were checked yearly. Though at the nurses office not in front of the class.

Nowadays with my kids, that's being done at the general practitioners office, recommendbly yearly, but usually whenever we might visit them.

[–] CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works 8 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

posterior

They checked out your butt? For what?

[–] Shellofbiomatter@lemmus.org 6 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Probably wrong word. They checked whatever the posterior chain and the spine were within normal variation, not too straight or too curved in any way.

[–] MajorMajormajormajor@lemmy.ca 10 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

I believe the word you're looking for is posture?

[–] Shellofbiomatter@lemmus.org 6 points 17 hours ago

Yes exactly, thank you.

[–] mysticpickle@lemmy.ca 1 points 13 hours ago

Think in Japan they used to use these special stickers on your butt to detect the presence of pinworms when they were a lot more common

[–] trolske@feddit.org 6 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

In elementary school in Germany (grade 1-4), we had one day when they were weighing the kids and our backpacks.
The point was not so much the weight of the kid, but that the backpack shouldn't be more than x% of your body weight.
Nobody cared about it after that was done.

[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 5 points 17 hours ago

I remember a number of various medical tests done in primary, like weight and height but also a dental check or a check for colour blindness. I also remember that discussion around backpacks being too heavy but I think that was after I had those tests? Anyway, I assume they were done primarily to screen for developmental issues or parental neglect which would explain why for most people nothing ever came off it.

[–] trxxruraxvr@lemmy.world 5 points 17 hours ago

In the Netherlands we had a couple of health checks in elementary school. I don't recall exactly, maybe 2 in 8 years or so. It wasnot in front of the whole class though, kids were called in by the doctor one by one. This was in the 90's. I assume the results would have been reported back to the parents, but I don't recall anything of that.

[–] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 4 points 17 hours ago

I don't think we did this.

Sometimes we lined up by height, and by third grade, I was always first. In high school, there were two guys a bit taller than me, though. They played basketball, I did not, I've never been good at sportzballing.

The "fat" kids we made fun of back then would be considered pudgy at most by today's standards.

[–] FinjaminPoach@lemmy.world 4 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (1 children)

Yes i did, and then they lost it or something stupid. Government claims i have no medical history prior to covid. UK.

This wasn't for a report card though, it was just because screening kids at school is more efficient. So it's like a survey of childhood health and in the process they can give vaccines or check for headlice.

[–] Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 3 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Did they record it against your name or did they just record some number of kids without overly caring about who they are? Might be why you don't have it as a medical history entry.

[–] FinjaminPoach@lemmy.world 4 points 17 hours ago

I think it was against my name because i actually missed the weight day and then they sent a nurse to get my weight another day.

I remember going to the doctors a lot as a kid, too, and being vaccinated whenever offered. Baffling. The most annoying thing really is that they want to know your vaccination history when you join university and I had no idea what exactly I'd taken, just that i'd taken everything.

Basically my childhood GP office must have just set fire to all their records or something.

[–] Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 3 points 17 hours ago

I have this same memory.

It would have been the late 80s.

[–] RandomStickman@fedia.io 3 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

When I was in Singapore the first PE class of every year is to record our height and weight. And also as a fat kid I would get enrolled into "fat camp" where we have to come to school early for a run. It was great.

[–] fluffykittycat@slrpnk.net 1 points 8 hours ago

That sounds awful

[–] fushuan@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 points 17 hours ago

Not weight but they did measure our height. It was fun since I was the tallest, I guess it wasn't as fun for others.

[–] Return_of_Chippy@lemmy.world 1 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

Only in regards to the wrestling team. Height was taken three times through the season and weight was taken two times a week not counting match/torni weigh ins. Regular school just recorded your mile time and if you were really unhealthy there was a alternative gym class called "health and wellness" or something close to that.

[–] HikingVet@lemmy.ca 1 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Well, that wasn't a thing in Canada growing up.

[–] HikingVet@lemmy.ca -3 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (1 children)

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[–] HikingVet@lemmy.ca -3 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

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