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tag ban

Disenchanted

Thinker
D
Joined
Aug 25, 2007
Messages
205
An elementary school in Colorado has banned tagged.

hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/ODD_TAG_BANNED?SITE=PAPIT&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=home.htm

"It causes a lot of conflict on the playground," said Cindy Fesgen, assistant principal of the Discovery Canyon Campus school.

Running games are still allowed as long as students don't chase each other, she said.
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This ban and others like it seem asinine to me. So what if it causes conflict, then the children would learn how to handle conflict.
 
We don't allow tag at the school where I work. At first, it was only banned on the playground equipment after a student fell off the equipment and broke his arm. Later tag was banned completely when the taggers were tagging the taggees rather forcefully. There's only two of us to watch more than a 100 kids at a time. It may seem silly, but banning tag has cut down on the number of injuries we have to deal with.
 
...

:(

That's quite sad - playing tag was one of the best things about primary school, and at the primary school I went to it was probably the least violent activity that was least likely to cause injury.

I do understand what Lisa is saying though, last semester I had to study a negligence case where a child was badly injured playing on play equipment at school, and one of the important factors in the case was whether the teacher supervision was adequate.

Still, I think I would have tried solving the issue by assigning specific areas in which to play tag - e.g. "Tag may be played on the oval only."
 
Lisa Simpson said:
We don't allow tag at the school where I work. At first, it was only banned on the playground equipment after a student fell off the equipment and broke his arm. Later tag was banned completely when the taggers were tagging the taggees rather forcefully. There's only two of us to watch more than a 100 kids at a time. It may seem silly, but banning tag has cut down on the number of injuries we have to deal with.
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The change in the culture in the last thirty years is amazing. I went to a grade school where the swings, slides, and monkey bars were set directly into asphalt. No one objected to kids climbing the 15 ft high swing supports, twisting a kid up in a swing and then releasing, playing various tackle games on the asphalt, etc. In our version of dodgeball, one person had the ball and the others were lined up against a brick wall. A shot to the head would have the added effect of slamming your head into that wall. Recess was usually unchaperoned. Some kids got stitches every few weeks, and the teachers and administrators would say "He's a tough kid, he didn't even cry."

I guess my point is, kids today are pussies.:D
 
To me it is an example of the "pussification of America."

It is overprotective parents and maybe school officials that are pussies and projecting it on to the kids. The kids would probably play just the same as thirty or even fifteen years ago if they were allowed to.

If kids get hurt, as Lisa Simpson describes, then hopefully they would learn from the experience.
 
Yeah. And then the parents sue. It's not the "pussification of America". It's lawsuit happy America that causes stuff like this.
 
That parents sue over playground injuries runs in conjunction to what I was saying, so that is part of the "pussification of America". And juries agreeing with BS lawsuits like that would be another factor in it.
 
when i see this sort of stuff i cant help but think its a bad lesson to teach kids. "oh a few students here and there arent getting along? lets ruin the game for everyone and ban it". ugh. is it so bad for kids to learn to deal with conflict instead of making everyone else jump through hoops to avoid it?
 
Disenchanted said:
That parents sue over playground injuries runs in conjunction to what I was saying, so that is part of the "pussification of America". And juries agreeing with BS lawsuits like that would be another factor in it.
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Every time I read a story like this, I think of my childhood: my chin stitched up three times, my head four times, my right hand once; and four broken arms.

All just effects of normal kid running and jumping around. (For example, one of the head-stitches resulted from attempting to hold my breath all the way across the city swimming pool and coming up dazed and confused with my eyes closed and bumping my head on the slide. One of the broken arms came from jumping out of a swing.)

Today, my mother would probably be in jail for life for child abuse. And she had nothing to do with ANY of it.
 
nails3jesus0 said:
when i see this sort of stuff i cant help but think its a bad lesson to teach kids. "oh a few students here and there arent getting along? lets ruin the game for everyone and ban it". ugh. is it so bad for kids to learn to deal with conflict instead of making everyone else jump through hoops to avoid it?
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That's assuming that tag is the only conflict the children have. It isn't. Not by a long shot.

"She made mean faces at me."

"She said she won't be my friend anymore."

"I counted to 100, but he won't get off the swing."

"We're trying to play soccer here, but those kids keep getting in the middle of our game."

This is what I hear every single day.
 
Lisa Simpson said:
That's assuming that tag is the only conflict the children have. It isn't. Not by a long shot.

"She made mean faces at me."

"She said she won't be my friend anymore."

"I counted to 100, but he won't get off the swing."

"We're trying to play soccer here, but those kids keep getting in the middle of our game."

This is what I hear every single day.
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So, I'm guessing you work at an American High School based on the comments.
 
I totally support this. I remember my school days, when playing tag was allowed. Oh boy, what a scene. It was carnage. Broken limbs, crushed skulls, eyes hanging down on cheeks, obtruding organs and the whole place awash with blood. And nobody seemed to care! They called it playing. Playing! They didn't give a damn about the kids in those days.

In my opinon this ruling doesn't go far enough. What about the lethal injuries children can suffer whilst running or walking, simply moving from one place to another? Strap them to luggage boards and muzzle them, like Hannibal Lecter, then cocoon them in styrofoam and have teachers wheel them carefully around the yard at break time. Except when it's raining, of course. Or cold.

People need to take action. This devil-may-care attitude has to stop right now. We're talking about the lives of innocent children.
 
Padded cells and helmets for all students!

(we homeschoolers use the velcro wall method of safety enforcement)
 
Someone recently said to me that one of the knock-on effects from banning monkeybars/playground equipment etc was that kids don't learn to swing, hang and fall properly, which causes worse injury later in life.

At least, I think that's what they said. I might be misremembering. Anyway, it seemed like a valid point. A bit of fearlessness as a child teaches a huge amount about physical limits and boundaries. I wouldn't want to learn those lessons as a more brittle adult.
 
tkingdoll said:
Someone recently said to me that one of the knock-on effects from banning monkeybars/playground equipment etc was that kids don't learn to swing, hang and fall properly, which causes worse injury later in life.

At least, I think that's what they said. I might be misremembering. Anyway, it seemed like a valid point. A bit of fearlessness as a child teaches a huge amount about physical limits and boundaries. I wouldn't want to learn those lessons as a more brittle adult.
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I'm not sure that many adults play on the monkeybars. Probably nothing to worry about.
 
Dorian Gray said:
I'm not sure that many adults play on the monkeybars. Probably nothing to worry about.
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I was actually just thinking today that I wish they made adult playgrounds. I would totally love to climb on monkeybars, and swingsets are completely awesome. Only the ones for kids are too close to the ground, I can't swing my legs around. I used to get pretty good speed and height going when I was a kid.
 
Wait a minute - there are places that have banned monkeybars?

This is crazy. What happened to 'fun'? If safety is all that matters, might as well sit the kid in front of a tv all day. Sure, the kid might get unfit, but at least he'll be safe.
 
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