August 14, 2014

recess!

What do you think of this?

The cynical black helicopter paranoid in me says this is just one more example of the social engineering of the sort Dewey imagined for the education system. Build the herd mentality, develop the notion where we are all the same, everyone does the same thing. THEY know best. THEY will tell you what to eat, when to play, what to play, where to work, what you will be paid. In other words, 1984 writ large. This policy squashes individualism, prepares young minds for group think.

I suspect the same mindset that envisions this is a good policy are also dead set against keeping score in the mandatory games, less someone think they win or lose. They forget that the competitive kids, even at 6 years old, know who wins, who loses, who is good at the sport and who is not. There are some non-athletic kids who struggle to make it through PE class in elementary school once a week. Imagine their reaction to organized sports every single day.

I think the education experts forget that these are kids. They need time to depressurize. There is nothing wrong with walking around the playground, looking at clouds. Imaginations are fostered in youth. Forcing everyone to do the same thing every minute of every day is the antithesis of imagination.  As Einstein quipped:

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

Heck, this might be a good idea. I was wrong once before.

6 comments:

Fuzzy Curmudgeon said...

I have nothing but contempt for people who send their children to public schools. It is nothing less than child abuse.

Ed Bonderenka said...

Fuzzy +1

hey teacher... said...

Ed & Fuzzy,
Pence and the for profit school cabal are hard at work to end your hated public education and put in its place a one size fits all robot factory. Individualism, Hah!

Fuzzy Curmudgeon said...

Fuck private schools, too. If I had kids they would be home schooled.

Any time the government meddles with education, the kids suffer.

Joe said...

Most of the teachers at public and private schools are good and dedicated. It is the administration that comes up with the wacky ideas and socialist one size fits all curriculum. I know several teachers who refuse to use the textbooks for that very reason.

hey teacher... said...

As I look on the horizon towards retirement I am saddened by all the crackpot potshots at educators and the stripping of benefits and bargaining power for younger teachers who are really getting dumped on with the revolving door of new standards, testing,IEPs, testing, 504 accommodations, testing, intrusive evaluations and did I mention the holy of holies, TESTING. I can't give my students a quickie lesson on a graphics program in our computer lab because every day all 3 labs are scheduled with somebody testing something!
Gotta go type up my new lesson plans for our new principal and her new forms. And the beat goes on...
My regards to your daughter, Joe. I hope she can tough it out.

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