by 
Recess. Every school kid’s favorite time of day… Long lines and heat are no deterrent to a good game of foursquare! Or Dodgeball, or whatever else has now been banned from playgrounds.
A first grade teacher and I were visiting the other day before the youth rodeo about all the changes our local school system is implementing this year. Some have merit. Taking away recess privileges is no longer an acceptable punishment for bad behavior. Sweets aren’t recommended for rewards. These make perfect sense. Take the young boy with ADD, for instance. His only outlet for nervous energy is recess, and bad behavior will only get worse when sitting on the sidelines day after day.
But banning the best loved games of yesteryear, in the name of prevention? I understand concerns about safety and injuries. But what’s really behind these new regulations? Could it be bullying/intended violence, worry over potential lawsuits? Maybe schoolyard “picks” are too much for fragile self-esteem? Something drastic must be behind Las Vegas’ implementing “no touching” and “no running” rules. Students can’t even push a fellow student on the swings!
Apparently Blogging says it best:
“So let me get this straight. Kids can’t run around and play games because the activity might hurt them – but they CAN sit and stare at a computer game and play violent video games all day and that’s just fine. I’m glad my kids played tag.”
And I say it’s just another good reason to homeschool.
good grief, i have no words for this one!
sheesh, I mean SHEESH, what is this world coming to?
Mrs. Meg Logan
I always thought Dodgeball was fun, and then I learned that they banned that game. I’m not quite sure what games do not have some risk of injury.
I think the followup to this one is the fact that schools now can’t have a winner or loser in competitions– they have to have games that everyone wins, or everyone gets a ribbon. This definitely skews against boys– who thrive on competition!
That is so dumb… it doesnt boost anyones self esteem when every one wins
that sort of pansy concept is just a lie wrapped up in a pretty ribbon.
Mrs. Meg Logan
Chess anyone?
I love chess.
I took a softball to the head twice in junior high. Kept on playing after they picked me up off the ground. Broke my glasses too.
So, everyone wins…will that extend to future world series…
All those poor die-hard sports fans…
What is with the weird pagoda people that accompany all our comments???
Did you not know to duck? 🙂
Eveyone wins in school– that artificial place where rules are bent so as not to hurt feelings and we say we’re preparing the next generation but we’re just a glorified day care. Plus, having to cope with the winner’s ego and the losers hurt feelings is more than what teachers are paid for! I mean, it must also hit awfully close to home since they probably didn’t win in school either.
The “pagoda people” are the default comvatars that you get when you haven’t commented for 10 comments. After 10 you get a link below the entry box where you should be able to change them. However, it takes an e-mail to select a new one, AND I haven’t seen a lot of e-mails coming out of wordpress this afternoon/evening so please be patient!
We used to play Smear the *Rhymes with one who practices an alternative lifestyle* on the playground every day. At one point, the teachers did have to step in with a no “slide-tackling” rule because some legs got broken. Maybe that’s why we swere so well behaved. You can’t cut up when you’re nursing war wounds.
That’s true– harder to overcome the humiliation. 🙂
I was thinking of this no touching rule yesterday…I know it has to do with “roughness in play”…but when will it be considered innapropriate touch to hug a child who’s frustrated over their struggle to read? It most likely is already discouraged.
And I don’t know that you want teachers touching your kids with what’s been going on between teachers and students nowadays! It’s likely that it might go farther.
I agree– why do people still have their children in public school?
That’s why it crossed my mind. We had a rough bit yesterday, tears over reading, and a hug was in order. Can’t imagine how that would have played out in a classroom of 20 kids. I could never manage a class that size, and wouldn’t want my child lost in the shuffle.
And you are so right! I still think there’s more wonderful teachers out there than sexual predator/teachers, but with all that’s in the news lately…the no touching rule sounds okay.
Of course, it’s technically already in effect since they can’t “hands-on” discipline…
Our private school principle had several paddles in the office to use in administering “licks”…I narrowly escaped them once…(drum roll) for forgetting my spelling book at home!
Such an offense.
We had a paddle in our small Christian school– but it was rarely used.
We’re certainly listing lots of good reasons for homeschooling!