Sad

[cjsmith]

Game of tag banned in Santa Monica school

I grew up without seat belts or bike helmets. How rapidly our concerns for safety have multiplied since then!

Comments

[anisoptera.livejournal.com]

While I agree that children should play games that burn off energy, I think "tag" can be retired along with any game that "chooses up sides" along with dodge ball. Tag is fine in private, with friends, but as part of a public school program, we can do better. For exmaple:
http://web.bham.ac.uk/M.Cox/games/homepage.htm

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I got the impression from the article that tag wasn't necessarily part of a school program, and that playing it at recess was the sort of thing that was banned. That said, I like non-competitive games as a way to teach that fun doesn't have to create winners and losers. Yes competition is a fact of life, but non-zero-sum games are too, and it's useful to teach them (if only so that the kids will look for win-win solutions to things).

Competition

[anisoptera.livejournal.com]

Yes, real life has competition, Until a a few years ago I would have agreed with you. Now I found that people who are emotionally heathlier have been "protected" from competition in early life and are perfectly capable of dealing with competition in later life. Especially if the earlier life had unconditional love as part of it.

With unconditional love, they get all they need to meet life's challanges.

This has been a big life change for me.

Re: Competition

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I'm missing which part of what I said you're disagreeing with. That real life has competition? That it should be okay to play tag at recess? That it is good to teach non-competitive games?

Re: Competition

[anisoptera.livejournal.com]

Kids don't have to learn to play tag so they will be able to deal with competion as adults.

Is this more clear?

Re: Competition

[anisoptera.livejournal.com]

Elaboration: Tag should not be played in school yards, where parents expect school personnel to supervise. Neighborhood games amoung kids is "private space". Kid will sort this out for themselves. Uncontrolled competative games in school yards, smacks of institutional approval.

Sort of like, tell "dirty..sexist...etc"..jokes to friends (who appreciate it) in private, but don't make it part of the overall work/public enviroment.

Re: Competition

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Ah ok, thanks. I'm not sure what my position on this is. I would be very surprised if there is any child in America today who grew up without any form of competition. That child would be a good test case for learning competition for the first time as an adult...