I just had to comment on this story out of Colorado Springs, which appears to have gained national attention. Discovery Canyon has banned the game of "tag" on its playground to avoid "conflicts". What rubbish! This is yet another instance where schools prove my theory that it is so much easier to be reactionary and have no improvement than to actually make a difference. There is no way to avoid conflict on the playground short of putting all the children in individual bubbles.
The administrator claims that there were complaints of children being "harassed or chased against their will." Again, rubbish. By definition, it is impossible to be chased against your will. If you aren't running, you're not being chased. The rational response is to keep children from harassing other children, right? If the harassed child is encouraged to deal with the issue themselves and then if necessary take it to a teacher, then the root of the problem is at least being addressed.
This is exactly what happened when I was in school. The powers-that-be perceived that North Colorado Springs had a gang problem so they took the only logical step (only logical because their brains were rotted in graduate school) and banned.... guns?.... Nope..... knives?.... Wrong.... gang signs? ....wouldn't have mattered since there were no real gangsters. They banned LONG BRAIDED BELTS, which happened to be the style at the time. It solved exactly zero because were one of the wanksters to decide he wanted to shoot someone (never happened), the status of his belt would have made no difference.
It is a mindset that leads our nations youth to show up in college and still know nothing about what it is to be an adult. Ask a college counselor who is deluged with students crying on their shoulders because they are incapable of handling an environment that makes demands on them (ie. the real world).
I must be frustrated...I've been reduced to referring to the University as the real world.
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Muwahahahahahaha! Where does rubbish belong? In the rubbish can! ...And D20 no less... We all know that those with opposite world views to our own have pretty much taken over the educational system in our country. I say we make the school system function just like our government...those living in a certain area elect the teachers and administrators that they feel most closely match their beliefs...to represent the parents/community's values and ideas. If you don't like your school, you can move. There's too much of a disconnect between what is being taught and what parents believe should be taught. And they think WE force ideas and agenda down people's throats!
ReplyDeletep.s. what's the significance of the picture on this blog? I see the Union Jack in the background...and a guy who looks like he just sneezed.
ReplyDeleteI was hoping you wouldn't catch the flag in the background. I just did a Google search of youth crying and this was the best one. I was going to add more commentary about sobbing semi-adults being a product of this same mentality but I never got around to it. Actually, I am embarassed to say that this brave young man is actually the a survivor of a terrorist attack in London. I know, I know...it's wrong but there really are a shortage of free pics showing college age boys crying.
ReplyDelete"I know, I know...it's wrong but there really are a shortage of free pics showing college age boys crying."
ReplyDeleteJust do a google search for the following:
"College, boys, party, beer gone"
:)
I should have thought of that. Next time I'll use you as a resource...
ReplyDelete