I was the opposite, I have to admit
In lessons I was
very attentive and usually got the highest or second highest mark in the class. I loved sitting on my backside and listening to a lesson on the poetry of Dylan Thomas, or the rise of the Nazis, or Stanislavski in Drama, or learning to read French. I was naturally well-behaved and quiet during lessons.
And PE,
ohhh....That was the subject I hated most. I
detest football and all team sports. I tried
everything to get away from PE at school, even to the extent of pretending I'd lost my PE kit and had a broken foot!! I did like individual sports (ie the gym) and athletics but I certainly wasn't dying to run out of the classroom and get muddy. I much preferred reading and learning.
But I agree that probably the
majority of boys back in my school days were more energetic and found it difficult to concentrate in class, although there were a few like myself. For the "few" like myself, public school was a success (I came out with straight A's) however I think that many boys not of my temperament are less suited to the way classes are currently run.