REVerie - Colorado School Bans Tag on Its Playground

Colo. School Bans Tag on Its Playground.

To all survivors of “Post-Traumatic Tag-Playing Deficit-Disorder”  (PTTPDD), there’s cause for celebration in Colorado.  Yes, you read it right – there is an “enlightened” school in Colorado Springs that has banned tag-playing on their playground.  You can run…you just can’t chase anybody.  There’s a tear in my eye as I ponder those childhood days of hearing, “Tag, you’re IT!”  Imagine all the years of therapy, recovery, and medication I could have avoided had I not been tagged on the playground and in the neighborhood.  Alas, a new generation has been set free!

(While I obviously do not advocate violence, harassing, or bullying on the playground, does it seem to anyone else that this could be a case of over-reacting?)

Comments

[Sandy]

Having been an elem. ed. teacher for 8 years, I saw alot of playing Tag on the playground. It's such a fun game, and yes, MHR I have so many fond memories of playing it and 4-square as a child(just a side note, I was pretty stinkin good at 4-square...smile). The only times as a teacher I had to intervene was when kids would not only tag, they would push the student. A few times injuries took place from the student falling. That may have happened a hand full of times over the 8 year period I taught...there were far more injuries on the monkey bars, swings, etc...."times they are a changin." And yes, MHR, I do believe it's a classic case of over-reacting.

[Anna Thorne]

That's ridiculous. I know we have to protect kids and all, but at the rate things are going, it seems like they'll soon be in such a bubble that when they grow up, they won't have the common life lessons learned from failure that many people now do. Some things have to be learned through experience, and knowing how fast you can run before you fall and that it's not a good idea to run without looking where you're going are two of them. They're not huge lessons, but these are just kids. I thought schools were waking up to how many kids are overweight these days because of lack of physical activity and proper excercise...so their response is to ban running on the playground? I hope that school will reconsider.

[Pat]

We have helmets for children while riding a bike or skateboarding, seat belts/car seats, more vaccines to ensure good health into adulthood, but having worked in schools I know what dangers we do not protect our children from...unsupervised computer useage, and TV viewing, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, over scheduling, broken families and boy/girl friends that do not love our children.....tag...it is in a child's DNA to run and laugh and want to be chased and be tagged. What an upside-down world it continues to become.

[Tom Hanson]

It is indeed an over-reaction and is one that continues to take place across the country (see the post that refers to the same issue taking place earlier this year in Attleboro, Ma.) http://www.openeducation.net/2007/09/04/another-elementary-school-bans-tag/
Tom Hanson
Editor
Openeducation.net