I’m leaving on Thursday for Chicago to attend the political science conference. I have to take a break from the computer until Sunday. Maybe Monday.
In the meantime,
Congratulate Dan Drezner on becoming a dad.
Read this essay by Tim Burke on protecting kids from wacky science experiments and dodgeball bullies. Feel free to talk about it here, since he doesn’t have comments. I’ve been thinking a lot about holding the chaos back from our kids, but that will be an essay another time. While you’re there, read his dear John letter.
Apt. 11d 
You know, this is one of those issues that just kills me. I spent a good part of my young school life the way Tim did, and it probably didn’t help my self-esteem as far as social interactions go, but there you are. I got my ass kicked a lot, and knew it had a lot to do with the fact that the teachers liked me, I wore glasses, and was hopeless at sports. I understand the dodgeball question — it’s an evil game, but Tim’s right; it does help people know where they stand. I’d as soon see it go, but not in favor of all these namby-pamby games to make everybody feel good.
One of the things I DID learn in school was that there were some things I was good at, and some things I wasn’t. I know now that, with encouragement, I could have been better at some things (I couldn’t hit or catch a softball till I was in grad school, when a faculty member on our team helped to make me less hopeless — I can now play a solid, if not stellar, game. Just think what it might have been like had my gym teachers in school not been bullies themselves.) Still, what’s wrong with letting people learn that? School should be a place where clear talent is encouraged and effort rewarded. It shouldn’t be a place where everybody has to feel good about him or herself all the time. There’s real value to being shamed for not doing homework. There’s real value in competing — and sometimes being the winner. The secret is, I think, in having different kinds of competitions. And maybe having the class help to decide, for example, on ‘most improved’ at kickball, or ‘best drawing of the tree outside the school’. ANd perhaps, oh, I dunno — encouraging team competitions where it’s to the advantage of all the students to work together and let each student show their strengths.
Please note that I think bullying is serious and should be cracked down on whenever possible. But I am also pretty damned sure that real, lasting self esteem comes from real accomplishment. And real accomplishment leads to self-respect and respect for others. Maybe that’s the better way, rather than the shams put out by the education lobby.
(OMG — I’m looking at this and thinking of the Sec. of Education’s speech at the RNC. I totally disagree with everything that man has done — please believe that it’s just another case of the Bush people hijacking sensible buzzwords to push their BS agenda, and not me buying into it …)
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Check out the new book,”The Stupendous Dodgeball Fiasco” (Dutton Children’s Books 2004), for a “charmingly quirky” take on the wild and wacky world of elementary school dodgeball!
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