I suppose technically no teacher can “make” you do anything although your grade will suffer for not doing the assignment. Maybe if policy permits, you can offer a doctor’s or parent’s written excuse with a valid reason and be offered an alternative task. However, I don’t think “I really don’t want to” is a valid excuse. You need to try at least one or two steps. This in turn may help you begin to overcome your shyness and weakness (that’s the point) If you explain your concerns to the teacher, chances are the teacher will respond in one of two ways; either as a drill sergeant or an encourager. Either way, try to change your “don’t want to” into “I get to” or “I’ll try”.

My honest belief in life is in order to get over a fear you must keep trying and not give up. Things in life may seem very difficult now and you may even be affraid but I find it to be true once you get older and look back on this you will find it to be silly. Fear is a very serious thing and should never be taken lightly. I feel it is a very good idea that you speak one on one with your gym teacher. I realize you are shy but really need to let her know how you are feeling. Overcoming shyness and the ability to do things is very important. You don’t want to go into adulthood regreting you felt this way. Ask your gym teacher if you can come by after school just for 15 minutes and see if you can overcome this fear. Tell her having the entire class there makes you very uncomfortable. Tell her once you feel comfortable enough climbing the rock wall then it won’t bother you with people watching you. I myself have always been uncoordinated and to the point where I would be walking, lose my footing and go flying to the floor. People would laugh and sure that bothered me but at the same time there was nothing I could do about it. Afterawhile people just realize that is who I am. You would be suprised how many people in your gym class feel how you feel. Most of the time in Gym Class there is certain requirements that someone has to achieve in order to get a passing grade. Physical fitness and endurance is a very important part of GYM and yes it must be learned. Everyone is required to try and try until they have accomplished the feat. You don’t have to be perfect at what you are doing but I can tell you the effort says alot about you as a person. Your gym teacher will take pride because you have tried and that is more important then your ability to do it or how well you have done it. Take a deep breathe, ignore what other people think and do the best you can!!!!

Nobody can make you do anything you do not want to. Tell the gym teacher in private your concerns and ask for an alternative activity. If this don’t work suck it up and don’t climb the wall. I’m sure not doing this task will not fail you the course. If it does than you have a legal issue to take this up with.

Yes, they can. I didn’t like to do difficult math problems in school, but I still had to. It’s part of the curriculum. The same reasoning can be applied to PE. Just because it’s difficult doesn’t mean you just don’t have to do it. How are you going to get stronger if you don’t work on your weaknesses? I’m sure your gym teacher DOES understand that some of you are weak, which is exactly why he’s working on strengthening you. If you’re not the only one in the class who doesn’t want to do it, then don’t worry about having to do it. No one will care if you suck at it because they’ll suck too.

I doubt he can physically make you climb the wall, but you may get a lower grade than everyone else. When I was in gym you had the choice to work out or not if you didnt you got a 0 for the day. I hope this helps you!

can I answer this as a rock climber? First, the stength to climb a wall isn’t as much arm stength as you think. Your legs do most the work (I’m a pretty weak female, but I can climb 5.9s)

I think you should give it a chance. When I first did it, I was a little nervous, but then I found it was cool. Imagine how tough people think you are if you tell them you rock climb?

It is a sport of grace, too. When I’m belaying my boyfriend, I recomend moves to him. He listens because girls and boys approch problems differently. Women are more graceful and have better footwork. It makes us usually safer. 🙂

Go for it, you’ll never know if you find something you love.

Don’t they have safety ropes so that if you fell, nothing would happen to you. I know that I wouldn’t want to climb a rock wall, but if I wouldn’t get hurt, I would at least try. As a teacher, I would get upset if all my students said that that didn’t want to do something. There shouldn’t be a choice in the matter.

You can get a lower grade, but like another respondant said, he’s not going to carry you up the wall!

Lots of people have fear of heights or distrust for other people who are belaying your climb. I’d share that with him and maybe he would be willing to help you through that either by belaying you himself or seeing that success for you is climbing halfway up the wall rather than up the full wall.

He probably will work with you on this, but if he doesn’t–be sure to be attentive and not disrupt others who are climbing because then he’d think you were just trying to ‘get out of doing something’ rather than dealing with a real fear.

Good luck to you!

No, a teacher can’t make you do something like that.

Teachers have to take into consideration the individual needs of their students. You sound as though you have a fear of heights. If you do, he would be putting your mental, emotional and physical safety at risk by making you climb a rock wall. You would have the right to refuse.

I am 100% sure he cannot make you. He can give you a failing grade, but he can’t MAKE you do anything.

If you really don’t want to climb the rock wall, take the “0” or however they do grading these days and go on with your life.