RECESS COACHES
by
Darrel D. Miller
SMASHWORDS EDITION
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PUBLISHED BY:
Darrel D. Miller on Smashwords
Recess Coaches
Copyright © 2011 by Darrel D. Miller
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RECESS COACHES
Every year or so I have to go to some type of training (usually because I have a new job). Often these trainings are boring (and useless, the two don't necessarily go together) One I had to attend was called Trauma Informed Care (and I thought it was about my job) somehow we got onto the topic of Playgrounds, and School (finally someone knows what school really is, trauma) The presenter then told all of us that he thinks what children need now are Recess Coaches (to which I responded “Drop It and Give me Ten Minutes”) Now I am not fond of Coaches (any one really) telling me what to do, and therefore see even less need for them during a time when I would want a break (I meaning the children) You see as far as I am concerned School is like Work (that you dont' get paid for) and Recess like a Coffee Break (without the coffee, and now without a break; its like working in Michigan) As far as I am concerned, American schools are training children to be good factory workers, problem is: no factories.
The reasoning for having recess coaches are numerous and critical. (according to the presenter, I don't think there are sufficient reasons) First, we can't have children just standing around (lesson: they need to learn to stand in a line waiting for their turn to do their 10 seconds of work) Then, we can't have them doing nothing (lesson: because time is someone else's money) Next, there are less referrals to the office for bad behavior (lesson: last thing a boss wants to do is deal with employees) There will be less injuries (remember, the first rule of business is that bruised produce won't sell) Finally, it will curb bullying, keeping it to one place, the Administration (lesson: monopolies don't like competition).
Some of these reasoning feeds off of complaints that parents and administrators have had about children for decades, I've heard most of these in one form or another. They include the following: Kid's don't have hobbies (well none of yours), how could they, we structure every minute of their day. Another one: Children aren't making smart decisions (this would mean they get to make decisions, which they don't, see above). We must keep kids busy or they will get in trouble (wouldn't want them to organize later, and cause problems for their employers.)
But this presenter insisted that Recess Coaches don't limit choice, they make more choices possible (its not a choice if your only choice is to do what your told) He made the point that it gets kids to playing games (except that is not playing).
Playing is doing something you want to do for no other reason than you want to do it. Anything else is WORK. And yes, it should be a four letter word we don't let our children hear that often. In fact I think it is worse that Fuck or Shit, but only because WORK has been so narrowly defined by our educational system that anything that doesn't promote compliance and obedience ISN'T work. But guess what, play is work, and it is what made this country, America, great. In the past it was called innovation, now its called laziness. Because innovation isn't efficient or standards based (and involves boring things like thinking, failing, testing, and failing). It breaks rules. Innovation is the only product we have every made, and we sold it for a 40 hour work week and 3 weeks of vacation. Which was then sold for working part time with no benefits of any kind. What a great deal.
So when you ask your children what they did today, and they tell you nothing, they aren't lying, they haven't done anything today, except what they were told to do.
One of the strongest reasons presented to my mind (till I thought about it anyway) was that Recess Coaches could turn Recess into what it was always designed to be (even though we were led to think differently): An Energy Sink (remember, tired employees are easier to control, and drug) Besides if we can tire them out, they will sit still, be quiet, and do as they are told (and for those few that won't, we created ADD, for which we now can classify any student as having, then medicate them into a catatonic state, problem solved)
Not surprisingly, many teachers love this idea, and I think they are right. I think they are right. This is a great idea, because now we will be able to positively identify the shitty teachers. Something we haven't been able to do for decades. But that is because teachers are being taught to be bureaucrats, and we don't need bureaucrats teaching our children. We need innovators.
Even less surprising is the fact that Administrators like this idea. Now they have even less contact with potentially problem students (and we wonder why children have problems with authority)
Ultimately I think the problem with our educational system is that it is monochrome. Its black or white, Rules or no Rules. A good education should teach kids to break the rules, then live with the consequences. Anything other than that isn't education, its indoctrination.
One final question: Would you put up with this crap at your job? Yes you would, and you do, but you get paid.
And you can quit.
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NOTE TO THE READER:
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