By Jason Fields

With students facing issues from asthma to obesity, schools struggle to find time and space for

Hard work. Focus. Determination. Grit.

That's what it takes for small children to sit still for an entire lesson at PS 24. There they sit, in their rows, filled with barely contained energy, looking for the slightest excuse to pop out of their seats. One hand goes up; a girl needs to go to the bathroom. After she gets permission, a forest of raised hands says that their owners need to go, too.

It's not some kind of synchronized bladder syndrome. It's just the way little kids are, looking for any way out of their chairs. Looking to take flight again, in their sneakers.

Peer into another classroom, where the children are bigger, and you'll see more calm. But, you'll also see more around the middles, padding on arms and legs, faces that are rounder than perhaps they should be. And this sight isn't particular to any one classroom. This could be any classroom in Riverdale, in the Bronx, or anywhere else in the city. Overall, 43 percent of students in New York City are overweight, with nearly one in four obese, according to a study done for the American Journal for Public Health.

Can physical education get us out of this obesity mess? And are local schools in a position to take on that challenge?

Carrión's criticism

A report issued by Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión Jr. that came out earlier this year says no. It says there aren't enough phys. ed. teachers. It says facilities are in poor shape in places where they exist at all. Improvement is needed almost everywhere, and it's not just the poorest neighborhoods that have problems. Even "good" schools like PS 24 or PS 81 may not come up to the standards set by the city and state.

But, what's physical education really all about? Is it Weight Watchers for kids? Is it the place where kids learn the fundamentals of competition? Is it the coaxing they need to get off the couch, or is it the chance for students to breathe free?