This School Year Some Iowa Teens Can Mow Lawns For Class Credit

If you've walked into some stores lately, you can see they are already gearing up for the back-to-school season. One of my most dreaded classes was physical education.

I for one hated Gym class back when I was in school. I was not athletic nor was I good at any of the sports. To this day I cringe every time I hear the squeak of gym floors. Dodgeball and running miles? Not for me at all.

One school is approaching Gym class from a different angle. Iowa students in one school can do some good work and get credit for a physical education class.

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How it started...

In 2019, the Alternative Learning Center in Dubuque redesigned its PE program. This school is for 11th and 12th graders, and their PE classes are more dynamic than any Gym class you've taken.

ALC offers students different options to fulfill their PE credit like canoeing, hiking, and even yard work.

If there's no dodgeball being hurled at my face; sign me up!

Students doing good in Dubuque...

That's not all! When I first saw that kids could mow lawns for school credit I thought,

Wow! This is SUPER boring! They just mow their own lawns for credit?

The answer is no. They don't get to go home and get mom or dad to sign off on them mowing the lawn for ten minutes...they have to go out into the community. Students from this school do lawn work for the elderly or individuals with disabilities in Dubuque.

Are they still doing it now?

After several years, the students at this school continue to do this. In late April, the school posted on their Facebook page that students will be doing exterior/yard work again this year.

These Dubuque students will be doing yard work from 9 AM – 11:30 AM & 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM starting May 26th. For more information on dates, you can check out their Facebook page.