As I have been busy for the last few days attending Essentials of Freedomconference in Edmonton, Alberta, (they have been kind enough to ask me to say a few words on the topic of Cultural Marxism and Political Correctness), I have been a little busier than usual. (More on this later!)
CodeSlinger has been very gracious and has stepped in with a most excellent guest post (note – edited to insert source links):
The title refers to an article on stuff.co.nz and another article on TVNZ.
In a two-year-long experiment, four elementary schools in New Zealand got rid of all safety rules governing playtime at recess and lunch break. Kids could go back to climbing trees, skateboarding, bike-riding, or playing such barbaric games as dodge ball, bull rush, or tag. Just like they used to, before the nanny state ruined everything.
Of course, the playground immediately descended into mayhem, the infirmary was flooded with injured children, and the learning environment was hopelessly disrupted…
NOT!
Actually, when you let children play vigorously, and you give them freedom, the children are better behaved overall, more able to concentrate in class, and less likely to get hurt at play.
Oh, the horror!
The progressive matriarchs and their metrosexual disciples, who hold the school system in their politically correct clutches, were left palpitating in scandalized disbelief. To them, vigorous play is violent and dangerous, and freedom is the deplorable result of inadequate supervision. And evidence to the contrary is simply not acceptable!
These same progressive matriarchs and metrosexuals, who manufacture clueless, helpless, fearful people by never letting kids take a risk, were shocked and outraged to find that kids are actually pretty good at not hurting themselves or each other when you let them do what they want.
“The great paradox of cotton-woolling children is it’s more dangerous in the long-run,” says Grant Schofield, a professor of public health at Auckland University of Technology. We need a university professor to tell us this? Well, apparently, progressives do. You can tell he’s talking to progressives, because he calls this a great paradox. Normal people just
call it obvious.
These same progressive matriarchs and metrosexuals, who think that social order can only by maintained by breaking young spirits to the yoke of collectivism, were confused and distressed to discover that kids have neither the time nor the inclination to get into trouble when they’re busy playing interesting and energetic games.
“The time children get into trouble is when they are not busy, motivated and engaged. It’s during that time they bully other kids, graffiti or wreck things around the school,” says Bruce McLachlan, Principal of Swanson Primary School in Auckland. But his words are lost on progressives, who are too intent on undermining religion and tradition to admit the truth of
age-old proverbs like, “idle hands are the Devil’s playthings.”
These same progressive matriarchs and metrosexuals, who think the purpose of a primary education is to turn boys into little girls, were perplexed and disturbed to observe that kids have a much easier time sitting still and concentrating in class when you let them burn off enough energy during recess.
This is especially true of boys. Girls don’t find it that hard to conform to the sedentary, structured classroom setting. But healthy young boys have enormous amounts of energy, which they simply cannot keep bottled up. Therefore, progressives forbid them from burning it off, and then punish them when they can’t sit still. And when that doesn’t work, reach for the
drugs. Progressives call this “positive socialization,” but normal people call it punishing boys for being boys.
Four schools in Auckland were involved in the experiment and all reported similar findings: bullying and vandalism dropped sharply, the time-out area was completely emptied out, playground accidents were reduced, and classroom performance was improved.
In spite of these dramatic successes, only one of these four schools cared enough to make this way of doing things permanent. (Note: the principal of that school was a man.)
Still, one is better than none, and we can hope that this is the first hint of the beginning of the end of the politically correct progressive stranglehold on our public schools.
But as of right now, it’s obvious that the vast majority of school principals care much more about the politically correct progressive agenda than they do about the well-being of your kids.
Remember that, next time progressives exhort you to think of the children!
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