Reason To Homeschool #72
A friend's 7-year-old daughter came home from school with a green leaf made from felt.
They ought to give one of those leaves to all the parents who are sad that the schools spend so little time teaching their children important things, like how to read and write.
"We had an assembly today and everyone got a leaf. They told us that if we are ever bullied or an adult makes us feel sad, we can rub our warm and fuzzy leaf until we feel better."
They ought to give one of those leaves to all the parents who are sad that the schools spend so little time teaching their children important things, like how to read and write.
Permalink posted by Phil at 9:10 AM
11 Comments:
More than that this exercise comes at the expense of teaching something of value, I think it actually teaches a wrong lesson. When a child feels bullied or is made to feel bad by an adult, finding a way to feel better is not really helping to resolve the situation. The child should instead be taught how to find someone who can help remedy the situation.
wow. WOW.
Samuel, you've got it right. We always taught our kids that the first thing they should do when bullied is to walk away, then to tell someone if it continues. Last resort was to stand up to the bully. But never would I recommend that they find a quiet corner and rub their warm and fuzzy. Who lives in such a fantasy world? It reminds me of Hurley, on the TV show LOST, when he was feeling upset he just closed his eyes and chanted, "Make it go away, make it go away."
Hey, it is great that you can be there for your kids and that they have the option of walking away from people who bully them or make them feel sad. It's not a reality a lot of kids share. I think teaching a little emotional coping could be a good thing.
It's not a reality a lot of kids share.
True, but rubbing a "warm and fuzzy" is not reality to anybody.
Also, the public schools should not be in the business of teaching emotional coping. Sadly, they are, only because too many parents either won't do it or rely on the schools to do their jobs for them.
Sad
Samuel I agree!!
Wow, Phil you must have said "Phew!"
ROTFLMAO! How sad is that!
My son is telling me that there is "no sorry in kindergarten." I can only begin to imagine what kind of damage I will need to undo when he realizes that there is "sorry" in this family and everywhere else in the world.
//I think teaching a little emotional coping could be a good thing.//
Rubbing a felt leaf is not emotional coping! In fact trnasferring the responsibility for dealing with bullies from the adults at the school to children armed with fuzzy scraps of material might very well be the opposite of any kind of healthy coping.
It's impressive how much time and energy is spent on anti-bullying programs. Sometimes I wonder how much bullying these programs end up promoting by the power of suggestion.
When our kids were in public school we found they spent far too much time in assemblies and doing exercises like this one. It really did take away from their academics, and from what I saw when I was actively volunteering in the school the frequent interruptions in the routine made classroom discipline difficult too.
I've got to agree with those who have said rubbing a felt leaf is hardly a solution to bullying or adults making children upset.
Phil, I think the schools aren't necessarily teaching emotional coping because parents don't, but rather because they want all the kids to follow their established procedures. If all the kids are rubbing felt leaves quietly in a corner & they're taught not to follow up on bullying, then the school doesn't have to own up to the fact that it's going on.
We were taught that old rhyme, "No! Go. Tell." We teach our girls to be respectful & to realize that sometimes even friends and family can hurt our feelings without realizing it. But we also teach them to trust their gut feelings, to defend themselves if someone is trying to bully them, and to make a big noise until somebody comes to their aid. Unfortunately, the squeaky wheel is the one that gets the grease. the one with the felt leaf stuck to it will be chronically ignored....
Ruby
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