I am a 38yo wife, mother, friend & sister. I have been married for 17 years, and I have two children: Music (formerly Karate Kid) my 14yo son, and Drama Queen, my 12yo daughter.
I'm sure you've read all of those out-of-date laws that are still on the books in various states. Like, "No spitting on the sidewalk" or "It is illegal to use profanity in public." How about this one: "No beating the dust out of a rug on the city sidewalks during daylight hours." I'm sure everybody can agree that those are w-a-y out of date. Nobody pays attention to them anymore because they're so dumb. I wish I could say the same thing for some of the rules my children have to put up with at school.
Isn't recess a time for children to go outside and run off their pent-up energy from sitting in the classroom all morning? At the We're-Afraid-Of-Lawsuits-School that my children attend, it's okay to run...as long as you are on the grass. That sort of makes sense because who wants to go skidding across the blacktop? BUT, in no way, shape or form is anyone allowed to play tag. Tag! All because once upon a time some child's shirt was grabbed while playing tag and he fell and broke his collarbone. I want to know how many eons ago this was. And since Karate Kid's friend fell off the monkey bars last year and broke his elbow, are they going to declare those off-limits next?
But what if the weather doesn't cooperate and they can't go outside for recess? No problem. The kids stay in the classroom for indoor recess. They can play games, read or whatever they want as long as they are sitting down! Ever tried to play in the home living area while sitting down? It's pretty hard to pretend to cook food on the play stove while you are sitting on the floor. And if you (gasp) stand up? Recess is over for you, buddy.
How about no more birthday parties? No bringing little treats to share with the class on your birthday.
No siblings at any of the class parties OR programs that are held in the classroom instead of in the gym.
Once you hit the school grounds, you must get off of your bike/scooter and push it the rest of the way. You may not get back on it until you leave school grounds. And for heaven's sake, don't you dare run. Only walking is allowed.
What happened to the days when you could eat in the cafeteria and visit with your friends without worrying that the stoplight hanging on the wall was going to change from green to yellow and then red, causing an alarm to go off? If it happens twice, it's a silent lunch. No talking at all! Too bad if you're a parent there to eat with your child. You get to look at your child but not actually talk if it's a silent lunch.
Complain to the computer teacher that it's too cold (or hot) and you get to vacate your seat, sit on the floor, and do paperwork instead of computer work.
Come on, people! This is not military school (although Drama Queen's teacher does make them stand at parade rest). Get over your fear of losing control or getting sued and let them be children for a change!
I think I'm done now. I'll just take my soapbox and leave.
Posted @
2:47 PM ~
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