Posts Tagged ‘life’

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What Are We Doing to Our Kids?

November 19, 2010

It’s unbelievable how political correctness has infiltrated our schools. The intentions may be noble, but the results are sure to be disastrous. Yesterday, I wrote of the incredibly stupid hugging ban at a Gold Coast primary school. Today, I was informed of another shocking school rule at Mt Martha’s Osbourne Primary School in Victoria.

The primary school principal of Osbourne has banned students from being in groups of more than three while at school in a radical plan to combat anti-social behaviour.

Principal Liz Klein said the ban was a short-term measure to tackle anti-social behaviour around the schoolyard.

But Ms Klein denied the school, with more than 600 students, had a bullying problem.

“This is not about bullying, it’s about silly, annoying behaviour at the hands of a select few,” Ms Klein said.

But that’s not all!  Two months ago a Queensland school principal was under pressure to perform a policy backflip after he banned students from doing cartwheels and hand stands in the playground.

This is just wrong!  School is tough enough as it is.  We should be investing more time and energy into making school a far more friendly and inviting place.  Draconian rules like these are so counter-productive.

What’s next?  Outlawing monkey bars?  Bunsen burners?  Sharp pencils?  Scissors?  Smiling?

Get a grip!  If you want to make schools safe, let go of political correctness and instead change your culture!

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Political Correctness at School

November 18, 2010

I realise schools try to avoid controversy wherever possible, but what was William Duncan State School in Nerang doing?  Banning primary school aged kids from hugging?

Reports indicate that the children at the William Duncan State School are being punished with detention for hugging or touching their friend.

Parent Ross Kouimanis’s whose daughter Emily was given a warning for hugging her best friend calls it “Political correctness gone mad.”

”They are making something so innocent seem dirty or wrong. It’s just normal”, he said.

So what is the reason for this new policy?

Education Queensland South Coast Regional director Glen Hoppner said there was no EQ policy banning hugging in schools.

”William Duncan State School has determined that unwanted or unnecessary physical contact, which in some circumstances can include hugging, is inappropriate playground behaviour,” Mr Hoppner said.

”The school is mindful of protecting their right to not be touched in an unwanted or inappropriate way.”

Why are we making schools, which you could already mount an argument, isn’t the most natural surrounding for a child, into a cold and gloomy place?  Whilst teachers all around the world struggle to keep kids engaged, happy and motivated at school, bureacrats work hard at making school as difficult a proposition for our children as possible.

School should be as fun and exciting as possible.  We should focus our students to get on, co-operate, care for each other and thrive.

Less rules!  Less political correctness!

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Body Image and Our Youth

November 17, 2010

Young Australians are struggling with stress and school related challenges, but body image is by far their biggest concern.

The survey found stress levels had spiked this year. When asked to rank their personal concerns from a list of 15 issues, 27.3 per cent nominated “coping with stress”, putting it in the top three, compared with 18.7 per cent last year.

Anne Hampshire, from Mission Australia, said that body image issues created stress for both genders.

“What came through in the responses was that young people are worried both about their personal body image and about how the media continues to promote a level of physical perfection that is neither healthy nor achievable,” Ms Hampshire said.

Carmen Acosta, also from Mission Australia, says the results show there needs to be more emphasis on education and programs to tackle poor body image.

“The work needs to continue past adolescence and the information and the support to young people should be also included or extended to post-school environments such as tertiary institutions,” she said.

From my experience in the classroom, body image is a huge area of concern among upper-primary school aged kids as well.  The issue is a strong area of interest of mine, and an inspiration for my unpublished novel (which deals extensively with body image).

It is essential that we improve the way we deal with this very real concern.


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