For those of us who grew up in the 1970s (and certainly anyone who grew up before then), schools, to us, would seem like prisons. Among a variety of area school districts and systems, I've heard so many stories lately that, at first blush, seem humorous. But, they are not and they indicate the twisted nature of schooling caused by having too many school boards, state education groups and federal education groups. The fact that all of the committees and groups want to be heard causes our children to have to do things we wouldn't have thought of in the past.
Last night, Garden City Seventh Graders had their school dance. Parents across the grade offered bring cupcakes, brownies, etc. They were told that no food of that type was being accepted because they were going to have 'only healthy' foods at the party. It's a party, or did you forget. I wonder how any of these teachers would feel to show up at someone's house for, say, a Superbowl Party, and find carrots, cucumbers and celery throughout the house on plates rather than chicken wings and nachos.
This carries on during the day where children are reminded not to bring junk food with their lunch. But, the scool lunches consist of (probably USDA grade D) nasty hamburgers, sickening pizza, and a host of other positively frightening choices. What would happen if a rule was passed requiring the teachers in the school to all have to eat the same way the children eat?
Also, children a chided for bringing brown lunch bags. But, the last time I checked, they were made from paper, which is made from trees, which are replanted. It seems like a sustainable circle of life. Most kids are told only to use reusable "Tupperware" type materials and to have them cleaned and reused. So, what happened when one out of every 50 kids loses one or more pieces of these plastics each day, or throw them out by accident? How many paper bags do we need to equal one piece of plastic, that will still be on earth in 1,000 years, while the paper bag would have dissolved in a few weeks.
SHOULD HEALTH or GYM Teachers be allowed to be fat? This sounds cruel, but my kids are constantly reminded of what to eat and the container in which it must travel to and from school. On the other hand, teachers have no requirements as to what they eat, and they eat behind closed doors. My kids, and most kids in their school, are out playing sports anywhere from four to seven days a week, depending on the season. They average about two hours of intensive exercise per day. What is the health teacher doing each day after school? Are they eating Bon-Bons or cutting up fruits and veggies for dinner just before they go out for their five mile run?
Finally, with respect to schools being jails, I here more and more school in which every hallways and every inch of public area is covered by a camera and that all the cameras go into the central office and are monitored and saved. Outdoor recreation is similar. I recently received a call home to tell me that my son had chosen to stop playing a physical game outside and was jumped on by a child playing th game. When the child didn't listen or hear when my son said he wasn't playing, and didn't get off him, my son kind of spun him of to the ground. The kids apologized, but both parents still received a phone call home to explain the incident. "Was anyone hurt, is anyone in trouble, is there something I should discuss with my son?" Those were my questions. The answer was like Cain's budget plan in translated from German. Instead of nein, nein, nein, etc. I heard, no, no, no, no. Oh, thanks for the call. It was helpful and useful, I think?
So, kids are no observed by video cameras the entire time they are on school grounds, have the food police all around, have their meals judged publicy as to whether or not they are suitable. Then, by the end of the day, they are given so much homework, that they wouldn't have time to do anything after sports practice if they tried.
What is all this accomplishing? Are we creating super children? Or, are we creating kids who will go crazy the second they get to college or move away from home, because they won't know what it is like to live without persistent, intrusive, oversight of their every move.
Well, then they can get treated the same way in colege, their first job, by red light cameras that give out tickets, speed signs that send out speeding tickets, etc., etc., etc.
I am glad I grew up in the 1970s. And, I feel bad for this false paternalism being espoused by schools today. Let boys be boys and girls be girls. Let them figure out how to have fun, not how to organize their time so well that they have school calendars with entries of items due and tests already out through January.
It's a crazy world. I aways said I would move out of any town where my kids would have to go through metal detectors. It seems, though, that they now have every other kind of oversight that the metal detectors wouldn't even be necessary. I am just glad that my children still seem happy and to actually be learning. So, things could be a lot worse. A nothing can replace a happy childhood.
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