Playground politics

Mass. grade school bans tag, other chase games
Updated: 10:38 a.m. ET Oct. 18, 2006
ATTLEBORO, Mass. - Tag, you're out!
Officials at an elementary school south of Boston have banned kids from playing tag, touch football and any other unsupervised chase game during recess for fear they'll get hurt and hold the school liable.
Recess is "a time when accidents can happen," said Willett Elementary School Principal Gaylene Heppe, who approved the ban.
While there is no district wide ban on contact sports during recess, local rules have been cropping up. Several school administrators around Attleboro, a city of about 45,000 residents, took aim at dodge ball a few years ago, saying it was exclusionary and dangerous. Modified versions now include softer balls and ways for children to re-enter the action.

Do you remember playing Dodge Ball when you were in school? Are you a better person for it? Did it mess up your life? Or is it just one of those things we do and then move on to something else?
I would put myself in the last category. When I was in Elementary School I played Dodge Ball. When I got to Junior High I moved on to something else and never looked back.
I never would have thought of Dodge Ball again if I hadn’t read several articles condemning it. Dodge Ball has been nominated for the Playground Game Hall of Shame because it promotes violence and encourages elitism.
There are children just entering school that may have their lives ruined by this terrible game. Perhaps we should investigate this game before it claims more innocent victims.
In Dodge Ball the aggressors on the outside of the circle hurl a projectile (the ball) at innocent victims in the middle. If the projectile hits a victim the victim is out. Those who are slow are picked off first. Those who are faster may be able to survive.
So not only are we promoting violence but we are promoting a society with class distinctions. There are those who are slow. (I don’t want him on my team he is too slow.) Then there are those who are fast. (Pick Billy he’s fast.)
And what happens? These children grow up with a poor self-image and a tendency to violence. So we need to do away with Dodge Ball. Wouldn’t it be better to roll puffballs and have kids try to avoid them?
That is one of the solutions that has been proposed. However, I have a different opinion. Instead of banning Dodge Ball we should add classes that instruct children in the deeper meaning of Dodge Ball. (Can we say the Zen of dodge ball?)
Imagine a group of children coming back to class after recess. Perhaps the teacher could engage them in a discussion.
Teacher “Welcome back class. What did you do today during recess?”
Students “We played Dodge Ball.”
T “Did you have fun?”
S “No, we hate Dodge Ball. We stood in the middle of the circle and the other class threw a ball at us. If we got hit we were out. “
T “Did it hurt when you got hit?”
S “It stung a bit but we’re all right now.”
T “If no one got hurt why do you hate it?”
S “We lost.”
T “Do you think you will ever lose again?”
S “Probably.”
T “You don’t really think you will always win do you?”
S “ Naw, we won’t always win.”
T “Do you think Dodge Ball can help you learn that you don’t always win.”
S “Maybe.”
T “What else can we learn from Dodge Ball?”
S “Not everybody is on our side.”
T “Very good class. There are always going to be people who are not on your side. Anything else?”
S “The other team throws things at you.”
T “You kids are really smart. Yes, sometimes the other team does throw things at you. What can you learn from that?”
S “We can learn to duck.”
Dodge Ball is life. Puffballs are politics.