TAG BANNED IN SCHOOLS?!

[Siirous]

This is right up there with the banning of Christmas colors in school classrooms. Seriously, I just don't even know what to say.

Where is all this political correctness and "I'm never going to let MY child lose" at anything coming from?:rage:

 

[jamespowers]

Where is all this political correctness and "I'm never going to let MY child lose" at anything coming from?:rage:

See now? This is why there is a such thing as private school. You pay you can gripe like the dickens. They actually listen to you too.

Regards,

J

 

[Viola]

The only thing I can imagine that could make the tag thing reasonable is the fact that I knew kids who would use it as an excuse to beat the hell out of each other, or gang up on some little kid who couldn't fight back. You know, slap each other in the face, run like hell.

It led to other athletic activities, such as boxing and choking the daylights out of each other.:eusa_doh:

The markers issue, cartwheels, etc. has not even that flimsy excuse.

 

[DanielJones]

Heck, I bought some super glue the other day and the clerk was telling me that some 12 year old kid had bought a model car but couldn't purchase the paints or glue for it because he wasn't 18. He'd be lucky to be able to buy the models that include the paint & glue in the box. Just another case of wrapping the world in Nerf.

If the kids aren't allowed to run arround and play where is all that extra energy going to go? We'll soon have a generation of people that will never acheive greatness. No more up and coming competitive US Olympic heros I guess, because that would create winners & losers and we can't have that. Sad.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[HistWardrobe]

not it! not it! (Fie on political correctness!)

Geez, this reminds me of a wonderful Kurt Vonnegut short story from the 1970s called "Harrison Bergeron". It is set in this futuristic nanny state in which pretty people have to wear masks to avoid making ugly people feel inadequate. Ballerinas have to wear sandbags so that the klutzy don't get their feelings hurt.

When I was 9 years old, my nicknames were "Spaz", "Coordination" and "Grace" (the latter sort of like calling a bald guy "Curly"). I was a total klutz -- always the LAST picked for team sports. Phys. Ed. for me consisted largely of sitting in the grass making daisy chains whilst ostensibly playing softball. They put me WAAAY out in the outfield where nobody could hit, figuring I'd do the least damage out there. Did it scar me for life? Did it wreck my self-esteem? Heck no - although I'm terminally awful at team sports, I'm good at a lot of other stuff and have a pretty balanced view of my strengths and weaknesses.

On the other hand, some kids today with so-called "self esteem" problems have TOO MUCH self-esteem. They'd be better contributors to society if instead they cultivated self-respect and self-control.

I'll never forget reading a news story a couple of years ago about a 17 year old boy who carjacked a woman and killed her for her car. She managed to tape record the whole thing without him knowing. Her pleading for her life, offering to just GIVE him the car, etc. His rationale for stealing it? It was his 17th birthday and he felt he "deserved" a car. Even if it meant someone else had to die. Lack of self-esteem was NOT his problem. Lack of any sort of moral compass beyond feeding his own self esteem was.

Schools today really are an alien country compared to my day. Good grief, we used to break open thermometers to play with the mercury. Not the smartest idea but it didn't kill anybody Yet nowadays one themometer breaks and they close the whole school down as if it were Chernobyl or Bhopal. Ironically, the fish they served in the cafeteria that day probably had
more mercury in it.

"It' a funny old world" -- Rt Hon Margaret Thatcher

 

[skinnychik]

What's with all this fake self-esteem? There goes the rush of having actually achieved anything remarkable. It's important to know that you're special, just like everyone else.

I've noticed in my classroom that when things are dumbed down for the success of all, the interest disappears. Humans thrive on competition. Who wants a diploma if everyone who attends gets one? If everyone got the same score on the SAT, would anyone take it? I'm too socially Darwinistic about this topic. The fittest should be allowed to excel. If the wimpy kid doesn't want to play tag, let the little nerd find something he is good at.

 

[VintageJess]

Did it scar me for life? Did it wreck my self-esteem? Heck no - although I'm terminally awful at team sports, I'm good at a lot of other stuff and have a pretty balanced view of my strengths and weaknesses.

On the other hand, some kids today with so-called "self esteem" problems have TOO MUCH self-esteem. They'd be better contributors to society if instead they cultivated self-respect and self-control.

What an excellent point! I must say that since becoming a parent, I have noticed this "self esteem push" quite frequently in other parents. EVERYTHING is about fairness and equality, and the children are instructed that they can absolutely achieve and succeed in ANYTHING and EVERYTHING they put their mind to.

Please don't get me wrong--I am absolutely for positive encouragement of children and their goals. I know that I will always be the biggest supporter of my son. But like most things in life, I think there should be a healthy balance.

The bottom line is, life is NOT fair. I feel the sooner children learn that, they better off they are. There will be disappointments, tough breaks, and bad days in life and that is just the way that it is. Rather than trying to eliminate those, I think it is important for us to teach children how to learn and grow from them. I feel that there is a lot of personal growth and character development that can result from going through those "tough times." And while I don't think any parent would knowingly wish those on their children, I don't feel that it is healthy to overly shield them either, less we end up with adults with little or no grit, determination, and personal fortitude.

Moreover, how about a little honesty? The truth is we were not all born to sing like Marian Anderson, hit like Babe Ruth, paint like Picasso, or write like Hemingway. I feel that some people are just born with God-given abilities or physical characteristics that the rest of us just do not possess (or at least to the same level.) Sure, we can practice every single day of our lives and greatly improve our skills, but in the end we still cannot change the raw talent and physical capabilities that we are born with. But that shouldn't prevent us from enjoying singing, baseball, painting or writing if that is our interest. The idea should be to encourage children to be the absolute best they can be, which, in reality may not be the best in the world.

I think it is a shame in this PC world of ours that we have to downplay our differences and water down our talents in order to make an even "playing field" for everyone. We all have something to offer, as Kathryn explained above. We all have our own talents and gifts and they may not be the same as the next persons. In my view, it is better to encourage children to explore their own interests and natural talents than to set them up for disappointment with a bunch of unrealistic, rah-rah fluff.

Jessica

 

[skinnychik]

There will be disappointments, tough breaks, and bad days in life and that is just the way that it is. Rather than trying to eliminate those, I think it is important for us to teach children how to learn and grow from them. I feel that there is a lot of personal growth and character development that can result from going through those "tough times." And while I don't think any parent would knowingly wish those on their children, I don't feel that it is healthy to overly shield them either, less we end up with adults with little or no grit, determination, and personal fortitude.

So true! And the school won't be there to shield the kids forever. An irate customer who screams at the customer service rep doesn't give a darn about hurting that worker's self esteem. The point of school is to prepare students to face the world as healthy, balanced adults. Part of that balance is a realistic view of oneself.

 

[J.B.]

What's with all this fake self-esteem? There goes the rush of having actually achieved anything remarkable. It's important to know that you're special, just like everyone else.

I've noticed in my classroom that when things are dumbed down for the success of all, the interest disappears. Humans thrive on competition. Who wants a diploma if everyone who attends gets one? If everyone got the same score on the SAT, would anyone take it? I'm too socially Darwinistic about this topic. The fittest should be allowed to excel. If the wimpy kid doesn't want to play tag, let the little nerd find something he is good at.

Ooof! Love the way you think!!

...But sadly, thanks to having been infested with the parasite of political correctness -- I think we've crossed our Rubicon, and the die has been cast -- for us. I only hope reason can prevail?! [huh]

 

[skinnychik]

Omigosh!Your Emoticon has a Fedora!!!
Sorry, that was fftopic:

 

[Twitch]

I saw this too. Kick ball, dodge ball and any "ball" games are being banned. Now the kids can't even play tag even with no equipment manufacture to sue.

If the kids just stand around in the yard and stare at each other at least they're being conditioned for their future time behind bars "in the yard" with the other cons. As teacher know, the kids need to bleed off some of that unending energy they have or they can't settle down in the classroom.

 

[cherry_bomb]

Wow! This is ridiculous!! When I was in elementary school we had a merry go round in the play yard (the kind that looks like the spokes of a tire- w/ benches on the outside). I was the one in the middle pushing, tripped, and got hit in the back of my head/ beginning of my spine at least 5 times w/ 4" in diameter solid steel poles going as fast as an 8 year old can run. I was unconscious and almost died... and the school did nothing. No- I got flowers on my desk the following monday! But my parents wouldn't try to sue the school! You're clearly NOT supposed to run in the middle of the merry go round. So I was punished (no library card for a month) for getting myself hurt.

Which I always found amusing- I almost died and then I'm punished for it. lol

And I hated that "equality" in self esteem that my elementary school had. I tested in at 2-3 grades ahead of my classmates but they refused to place me in a higher grade because it would make my classmates jealous and would give me problems forming friendships... um- I was a nerd- I already didn't have friends. And who cares if they're jealous? Let's just dumb down the smarter kids!!:rage:

 

[Lady Day]

And I hated that "equality" in self esteem that my elementary school had. I tested in at 2-3 grades ahead of my classmates but they refused to place me in a higher grade because it would make my classmates jealous and would give me problems forming friendships... um- I was a nerd- I already didn't have friends. And who cares if they're jealous? Let's just dumb down the smarter kids!!:rage:

Me too. But I was bad at test taking. You talked to me and I would rattle off the correct reply, but doen on paper, I was "kejkgf alkdjgl;a klenkae"

But I wasl always told as a kid, you will have to always work twice as hard as most because you dont have it easy. I was poor, frumpy, fat, and had a big fro. I was the biggest bully target you ever saw. But I excelled at what I did (art) because I knew I was good. My mom always told me you cant be good at everything, and some people will be good at some things, and others. SO be the best at your gift.

How can that happen if no one is to stand out?

LD

 

[jamespowers]

How can that happen if no one is to stand out?

LD

Exactly the point. :eusa_clap

Regards,

J

 

[Twitch]

The schools are simply an extension, a preview for conditioning if you will, for what corporate America has in store for you. Masses of average schmucks laboring for as little as possible in a worplace that rivals a coma for stimulation. Why should schools be any different?:eusa_doh:

 

[Zach R.]

I thought this was about banning TAG Body Spray?

I wish they would ban that stuff, it smells like wet fur.

 

[Lady Day]

The schools are simply an extension, a preview for conditioning if you will, for what corporate America has in store for you. Masses of average schmucks laboring for as little as possible in a worplace that rivals a coma for stimulation. Why should schools be any different?:eusa_doh:

True. I always hated that saying, "we need to teach the children". No we dont, we NEED to school adults, so that KNOW what to teach the children. Children learning messed up crap from adults just breeds stupid adults.

No one wants to ever be hurt, cause it hurts. But those who excel in life learn from the pain and prevail. So no prevailing? Just numb to all emotion except contatnt stimulation of mediocre.

Yay world.

LD

 

[mysterygal]

well, some good news...tag is still allowed in private schools
I really believe competetion is good for kids. Plus, remembering playing tag when I was a youngster, it was great excercise. Just one more reason why my kids will not be going into the public schools

 

[Wild Root]

The School system here sucks, I was Home Schooled... I turned out ok...

I liked Freeze Tag growing up.

=WR=

 

[mysterygal]

homeschooling has become very popular around here as well. Many of my friends are opting for it instead of public.
Wildroot, one thing I've wondered is, with being homeschooled, did it effect how you socialized with other kids/people? The reason why i ask is because my friends kids seem pretty isolated from kids thier own age except maybe twice a week and they've become a little introverted.