36 replies to this topic

[Sandman]

Next they'll have he kids signing waivers before being allow to run.

[SCA]

Why does everyone assume the worst? Mike, have you gone in and talked to the principal? Maybe all that's needed is for her to have a conversation with the yard duties. Maybe there's one yard duty in particular who is a little overzealous.

[bordercolliefan]

The situation that occurred with my kid was he was playing 4 square with a few other guys.  The ball was sent into another square and it bounced off the kid's foot.  It started rolling away, so my son hustled after it.  He took maybe 8-10 "running" steps, and that miniscule event earned him the coveted "5 minute on the bench time out".

That is ridiculous. I worry that kids lose respect for authority figures when they make stupid rules and hand out arbitrary punishments. Adults are supposed to be smarter than kids--but sadly, not always true.

[apeman45]

I'm a big brother and had lunch with my "little" once a week for 4 years at his school in El Dorado Hills.  We formed a group with several other big brothers and littles where we played some pretty crazy games totally out of yard duty control.  There was one particular yard duty guy that was out of control and constantly yelled at the kids for minor infractions. It was his playground! Our littles loved the freedom to be with us.  Sure they were little monsters when we first met them and had fights and cursed like sailors.  This was when they were in 2nd grade!  By 5th grade they were little gentlemen. Why? Because they wanted to impress us because we were adults that paid attention to them and trusted them. They were embarrassed if they got in trouble. I became friends with the teachers and principal and helped the kids through some difficult issues.  I came to plays and school functions that my little brother's parents didn't have time to go to.  Yes it is sad.  My little is in 8th grade now and his home life has vastly improved and he's an awesome kid.

 

We had no idea what we were doing just like most parents. A kid broke his arm in one of our football games.  We sometimes clashed with the yard duties and the principal.  We compromised with the Nazi yard duty guy and actually found out he ran the entire after school cross country program for the school and we all got along.

 

The point of my story is the schools do the best they can with the resources they have.  If you have been on a school playground recently there is a lot for the yard duties to do.  We as parents are the ultimate role models for our kids.  If there is a problem then ask the teacher or the principal.  Volunteer in your kids class.  Go to a school board meeting once in a while.  You will be surprised to see only 5-10 people at one of these meetings where major decisions are made.  

 

Stop making assumptions and be a part of the process.  It's easy to point fingers if you aren't involved or choose to be uninformed.  It's actually really fun and an eye opener to participate in your child's education.  

[Carl G]

I think the reason this story strike a chord with me is that I've seen similar things at my children's school.  Sometimes you just have to shake your head at decisions.  My kids have told me of several innocuous games that were outright banned because of a problem.  Yes there was a problem, but instead of dealing with the problem and allowing the children to grow as a result, an arbitrary decision gets made that helps noone.  Sometimes the problem is safety related and sometimes it is something like a group of friends are playing and they don't want to allow a new person to join the game.

[2 Aces]

Yes there was a problem, but an arbitrary decision gets made that helps nobody.

Yep, just like ObamaCare. Instead of tweaking the prior system and making some changes, they dismantled it altogether. And now look at the mess. Dumb.

And when did the whole *playground monitor* thing get started anyway? When I grew up in the 70's, we didn't need no stinkin' playground monitors. We just went out and played and everyone got along no problem. And if someone fell and skinned their knee, they got a Band-Aid. Big deal.

But I guess now we're firmly entrenched in the nanny-state. It's a sign of a weak society.

[apeman45]

It's not a sign of a weak society.  It's a sign of a litigious society.  Parents sue for anything leaving the schools with no choice but to protect themselves.  

 

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