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Schools outlawing the game of Tag...
- Thread starter saunders45
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I was very surprised when I read that earlier. Not because of the contents, but because my mother teaches music at that school! In addition, a friend of mine is student-teaching with her until the end of the week. He said Geraldo Rivera wanted to do an interview. 
I remember in elementary school we used to have an annual snowball fight on the baseball field during recess. Anyone who wanted to go just showed up, but they couldn't cry if the principal shoved snow down your shirt or a teacher pummeled you with snowballs.
Today, it would probably be banned.
Sad. Really sad.
Today, it would probably be banned.
Sad. Really sad.
so kids don't get to enjoy a game of Britsh Bulldog anymore.... tsk tsk. I have fond memories of nearly 30 kids running from one end of our playground to the other avoiding the kids who wanted to rough you up... and this was in primary school.
I loved that game, and was consistently amazed that there were no collisions of a huge scale.Graeme A said:
My elementary (we call it junior school downunder) was awesome. We had an 'advernture playground'. Basically it was a piece of bushland area. It was all just trees and dirt. We used to run around making 'bases' and 'huts' and stuff. We all ran with sharpened sticks ('spears') and bomby-knockers, waging war on each other. It was great! And no-one ever got hurt. Nor was there much supervision – a teacher would walk through occassionally and you would throw any spears in the bushes.
It is still there but i guessing that it is banned now-a-days. I think I might go and find out.
Its a crying shame all this stuff. We are just destroying kids' lives. They will all grow up to borning, brainless drones.
And its not just America. It happens (not to the same extent) in Australia. And its not the lawyers fault (I should point I'm baised because I'm studying law). Its just that poeple won't be responsible for their own actions. The other thing to note is that when read all those cases in the newspaper about someone slipping on the footpath and suing for millions of dollars, that the newspapers rarely ever report what happens on appeal. Most of the cases are quashed on appeal or the sum of damages are reduced for example for contributory negligence, or to take into the 'vissitudes of life' etc... Also remember most of the time the cases are between insurance companies as opposed to the 'real' plaintiff and defendant.
It is still there but i guessing that it is banned now-a-days. I think I might go and find out.
Its a crying shame all this stuff. We are just destroying kids' lives. They will all grow up to borning, brainless drones.
And its not just America. It happens (not to the same extent) in Australia. And its not the lawyers fault (I should point I'm baised because I'm studying law). Its just that poeple won't be responsible for their own actions. The other thing to note is that when read all those cases in the newspaper about someone slipping on the footpath and suing for millions of dollars, that the newspapers rarely ever report what happens on appeal. Most of the cases are quashed on appeal or the sum of damages are reduced for example for contributory negligence, or to take into the 'vissitudes of life' etc... Also remember most of the time the cases are between insurance companies as opposed to the 'real' plaintiff and defendant.
Graeme A said:
I was going to bring this up too - great game! In our case, we had perhaps four or more games going on at once (one per class), all criss-crossing the same school yard - absolute mayhem.
I did actually get tripped in one game and went face first into the concrete, smashing my nose up badly. Pity I didn't know we could sue back then..
This "compo culture" is out of control over here too. People looking for any opportunity to sue. We had a great skate park setup here which was really popular with children, especially from the poorer areas of Cork; but was closed due to exorbitant insurance prices. (High claims -> High insurance prices).
inlimbo said:
-inlimbo
I think you hit the nail on the head - all the way to the bottom. It's difficult to accept responsibility in the first place, but combine blamethrowing culture with the potential to make a buck, and we get this.
L
Lau
Guest
Graeme A said:
Another grin at British Bulldog.
It got banned at my junior school (and this was in the 80s) because someone broke their arm. Of course, we just renamed it something else and carried on playing it. "I hope you're not playing British Bulldog". "No, we're playing <whatever it was>". 
My daughter broke her arm falling off the monkey bars at school over the summer. So did another girl later this year.tech4all said:
They've subsequently banned using the monkey bars without direct teacher supervision. Granted, these kids are 4-6 years old, but still. **** happens, you know? It taught her how to deal with disappointment (she had to cancel her swim lessons for 2 months) as well as how to deal with the inconvenience of having a cast.
I know they banned use because of a fear of lawsuits or insurance costs, which is too bad.
But tag? Unbelievable. Sure, we don't want to put our kids in a situation in which they risk serious injury, but tag is not one of those areas. They're more likely to get hurt in a fight on the bus ride home.
Lau said:Another grin at British Bulldog.
Happened to me in elementary school because the game were getting to violent and too big. When one game of British Bulldog takes up about 1/4 of the schools main field, something had to be done. Nevermind the fact of kids trying to trip others, clothesline them, among other thins. O the gold ol' days
Why ban tag though? What are they going to gain out of it? More kids running around with no purpose, after all, they are just kids, let them do what they want. Besides, will banning 'tag' help child obesity? Don't think so, more kids will be sitting down and watching, or playing on their gameboys.
This story reminds me a little of a time recently when I was relaxing in the local park, by a large, shallow pond.
There was a young mother nearby who was playing with her young boy; but every time she put him down, he made a kamikaze dash for the pond. She'd get to him just in time, carry him back with his legs still whirring underneath him, put him down and off he'd zoom again.
Now, maybe I'm an evil person inside, but it occurred to me if she just let him fall in once (it was only about 25cm deep) with her standing right by, he'd have learnt what happens when you fall into water; and would be wary of doing so again. As it is, if he's ever near a river or the sea, he's likely to do the same and if she isn't quick enough to catch him there?
I think children learn through experience, and in wrapping them up in cotton wool as they grow you're only delaying that experience. Long live bumps, bruises, and scuffed knees and elbows!
There was a young mother nearby who was playing with her young boy; but every time she put him down, he made a kamikaze dash for the pond. She'd get to him just in time, carry him back with his legs still whirring underneath him, put him down and off he'd zoom again.
Now, maybe I'm an evil person inside, but it occurred to me if she just let him fall in once (it was only about 25cm deep) with her standing right by, he'd have learnt what happens when you fall into water; and would be wary of doing so again. As it is, if he's ever near a river or the sea, he's likely to do the same and if she isn't quick enough to catch him there?
I think children learn through experience, and in wrapping them up in cotton wool as they grow you're only delaying that experience. Long live bumps, bruises, and scuffed knees and elbows!
I teach at a school in Southern California where tag has been outlawed for years... our parents are affluent and educated, they sue a lot, and law firms are actually moving into our area because there have been so many successful lawsuits against my district. It's pretty disheartening.
inlimbo said:
Pretty sure we call it "Primary School."
Bommy-knockers were sweet. We had a full on dust war in my primary school days, there was a drought on (as usual) and there was dust everywhere so we used to pile it up in the middle of the glad wrap our lunches were wrapped in, seal it in tight and chuck it at "the enemy." The plastic was so tightly stretched it would burst on impact and get everywhere, ears, eyes, nose, everywhere.
Then when the winter came and the ground was soft again there was the wonder that is:
Tackle. Bullrush.
huck500 said:I teach at a school in Southern California where tag has been outlawed for years... our parents are affluent and educated, they sue a lot, and law firms are actually moving into our area because there have been so many successful lawsuits against my district. It's pretty disheartening.
Man that is really sad. I wonder what parents sue over? Sad that kids can't play during recess because if they get hurt the school gets sued
Seems like just about anybody will sue anyone for anything; it sucks cause kids have the fun taken away from taken away from them which actually does them good (socializing, exercising which is important, etc) haha, remember dodge ball? that was so fun, course can't do that anymore....
Just seems like parents are more into lawsuits that their children going outside and having fun. Sure they could get hurt, but they could get hurt anywhere, not just school.
It is ironic to hear everyone go on about how much fun they had playing rough games. It's one of the more fun aspects of being a kid.
My shining moment in elementary school was playing king of the hill on the snow pile and jumping off and landing a boot to a friends neck and knocking him back on the hood of a car. Good times.
They should promote rough games.
My shining moment in elementary school was playing king of the hill on the snow pile and jumping off and landing a boot to a friends neck and knocking him back on the hood of a car. Good times.
They should promote rough games.
This is just complete bs. Kids are supose to have fun not be locked up. stupid schools banning one of the best games a kid will play. What is next gym will be gone. people won't be walking or getting any sort of work out and will be come even more over weight.
stupid schools banning one of the best games a kid will play. What is next gym will be gone. people won't be walking or getting any sort of work out and will be come even more over weight.
Some more details that I doubt any media outlet has shared:
The rule has been in place for 10 years.
The entire playground area is paved, and not all that big.
There are usually 100-ish kids at recess.
Combine those last two with tag (or any other game involving running in random directions) = very busy nurse, and possibly a very busy legal dept.
Besides, it's not like they sit on their asses all day. They still have P.E., and they dance/move in music class somewhat often as well.
The rule has been in place for 10 years.
The entire playground area is paved, and not all that big.
There are usually 100-ish kids at recess.
Combine those last two with tag (or any other game involving running in random directions) = very busy nurse, and possibly a very busy legal dept.
Besides, it's not like they sit on their asses all day. They still have P.E., and they dance/move in music class somewhat often as well.
this is nuts - first you can't count the goals in the youth soccer games and have no goalies so no one's feelings get hurt and now no tag because of near collissions - I guess they should outlaw bikes and roller blades and everything else. It gets nuttier everyday.
Off-Topic: Has anyone seen the type of math they teah kids at school in the US nowadays? I saw it and now I know why kids can not make change at the local quickie mart...they have made it so complicated a process to figure out simple things. The downward spiral continues...
Off-Topic: Has anyone seen the type of math they teah kids at school in the US nowadays? I saw it and now I know why kids can not make change at the local quickie mart...they have made it so complicated a process to figure out simple things. The downward spiral continues...
Right. I'm sure our math teachers have no idea what they're doing.
In fact, I think they're working awfully hard to make sure our kids are so confused by math that they'll have no energy left to play tag.
In fact, I think they're working awfully hard to make sure our kids are so confused by math that they'll have no energy left to play tag.
telecomm said:
It means she saw some things that didn't actually happen.
Over here, a few months ago, there wasn't a tsunami. However, there were rumours of a tsunami, and people complained that they hadn't received any warning about the lack of a tsunami. I felt like ringing someone up at 3 am and saying something to the effect of "This is the tsunami warning service. There is no tsunami at this time."