Man pulls niece out of drama club for failing PE, gets slammed by critics online

Teenagers aren't really the best at maintaining schedules, especially when it comes to things they don't enjoy or feel like they're forced to do. When you're juggling grades, extra-curricular activities, family life, social life, and all the emotional, physical, and mental struggles that come with being a teenager, you're bound to make some mistakes. And that's where good parenting comes in. When a Reddit user took in his niece while her parents were having some personal troubles, he also took on the role of being, essentially, her parent. So when he discovered that she was failing her PE class, he chose to punish her as he would his own children—by pulling her from extracurriculars. But other users on Reddit weren't too comfortable with his decision.

He explained in his post, "My niece is living with my family and I due to some personal reasons. She moved in right at the end of the school year last year. This year, she started high school. In our state, you have to have two years of PE to graduate. My niece asked if she could do it online like my kids, and we said sure, no problem." If you're wondering how an online PE class works, this is how. She simply has to wear a Fitbit and record a certain amount of timed exercise on the smartwatch. The user's children play sports or follow online dance routines, for example. However, his niece didn't log enough time on her Fitbit to pass the class.

He went on, "My niece hasn’t met these goals. In fact, she hasn’t registered a single minute of what the Fitbit counts as real physical activity. And she says it’s not a malfunction. She thought that walking to class and drama (even though by her own admission they mostly stand and read) would be enough. She said that between homework and drama, she didn’t have time for exercising. Our house rule is if you fail a class, you’re pulled from all extra-curriculars, no matter your other grades. My wife and I called the school and told them we were pulling my niece from drama and why."

Her parents were furious, of course. Much like many of the users who responded to his post. One user stated, "I never understood why denying a child an activity that will help them grow as a person is a valid punishment for failing at school. Learning how to act is a very useful skill for her future. I agree that she needs a punishment but this one is stupid. Also, did she know ahead of time that this was on the line?" Another added, "I’m a school choir director and I can tell you that when a student struggles in school, the last thing you should do is pull them out of their favorite class. Her drama class may be an oasis in the middle of an otherwise challenging day. It may be the thing that motivates her the most to come to school each day. Taking that away is not likely to lead to better academic results, and is sure to be a major source of frustration to her." Hopefully, his niece will soon be able to join her drama club again and graduate with flying colors too.