Slashdot Mirror
Elementary School Bans Students From Touching Each Other
theshowmecanuck writes "A school in British Columbia (the province that now even California can call flakey) has just banned elementary school students from touching each other during recess. You know, one of those times for play and more importantly learning how to socialize (which itself includes touching). CTV News reports: 'A ban on touching during recess at a B.C. elementary school has shocked parents, who call the new no-touch policy "ridiculous." For most kids, recess is a chance to run around and goof-off with their friends, but a new ban on touching at a school in Aldergrove could put a damper on playtime. School administrators at Coghlan Fundamental Elementary School in B.C. have banned kindergarten students from touching each other during recess.'"
Somewhere behind all this is some whack-job parent's bitching.
It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
When my daughter was in high school, the school district announced at one point that they were going to ban all public displays of affection, no matter how casual. It became known as the "no-hugging rule".
Although I don't know what the reaction was at other schools, at my daughter's school "hug-ins" and hugging sessions were organized via facebook and texting. Kids would have massive group hugs during recess, designated "hug monitors" would hug everyone who went by in the hallway, (daughter was one such) and hugging became the common greeting. A few days into it I asked daughter how it was going. She said the principal had made an announcement that they were not going to adopt that particular guideline.
Point is, change can be wrought, even by children. If all (or most) of the kids held hands at every recess on every day, what could the authorities do? Suspend the entire school?
This kind of thing only continues when the people don't stand up to it.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
As it turns out, I actually know the administrators personally, as well as the kindergarten teachers. My kids go to this school, and have had this principal for several years. I have nothing but praise for this principal and the kindergarten teacher that my kids had. They're excellent, committed professionals.
Of course, that doesn't stop someone who's read the Slashdot 1-paragrapher of the original, grossly-slanted news story from launching an ad-hominem attack on people (s)he doesn't know. Way to jump to conclusions.
And, really - 5, Insightful?
My wife and I had to go in and have a conference with the principal and two teachers when my 4th grade son drew a picture of a figure holding a shuriken in its hand. I was confused by the initial letter of complaint sent home by the teacher: it was not clear whether he was in trouble for drawing a picture (any picture) because he had been instructed to not read or write after finishing a test he was taking, or that he was in trouble for drawing a picture of a WEAPON! (Underlined three times in the note). Things didn't get any better during the meeting when I pointed out that he hadn't read or written anything, he had made a drawing (he is very literal that way). Then they pointed out that he had drawn a picture of a WEAPON! (Imagine that, a 10 year old drawing a picture of a shuriken!). Since I knew already, I asked them what the test had been about - primitive societies. It included several questions on the tools that they used to hunt. You know, weapons. I asked them how they could possibly expect him to differentiate between GOOD weapons (used by primitive people 1000s of years ago) and BAD weapons (shurikens as seen in Japanese anime). Finally, my wife told them we were just going to have to agree to disagree about the whole weapons thing. They assured us they were just so concerned because it was school department policy to have to report any such incidents to the superintendent of schools. Sheesh. Oh - it is also a big no-no for them to make the "gun sign" (point your finger like a gun). This includes anything that even slightly resembles making the gun sign (like making the "L" for loser sign on your forehead).