At McLean School, Playing Tag Turns Into Hot Potato
A playground pastime is getting a timeout this spring at a McLean elementary school.
Robyn Hooker, principal of Kent Gardens Elementary School, has told students they may no longer play tag during recess after determining that the game of chasing, dodging and yelling "You're it!" had gotten out of hand. Hooker explained to parents in a letter this month that tag had become a game "of intense aggression."
The principal said that her goal is to keep students safe and that she hopes to restore tag (as well as touch football, also now on hold) after teachers and administrators review recess policies.
The decision has touched off a debate among parents. Some call the restriction an example of overzealous rulemaking that fails to address root problems and undermines children's development; others say it's best to err on the side of caution.
"We are regulating the fun out of normal childhood activity," said Jan van Tol, father of a Kent Gardens sixth-grader. "In our effort to be so overprotective, we are not letting children be children."
Gerri Swarm, secretary of the school's Parent-Teacher Association, said she was glad the principal was taking seriously student concerns about being pushed or shoved. "In this day and age, you can't dismiss this as something not to worry about," she said.
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I remember playing a form of "team tag" at an elementary school I attended while living in the panhandle of Texas. The games were always racially divided with Latinos, blacks, and whites being on separate teams. Thinking back, it is quite disturbing what this game was manifesting--and that was some much deeper issues affecting the community. The games were never banned, though could become heated. I'm shocked that we were never stopped or that no teachers picked up on the very obvious segregation taking place. And so, while I can understand teachers' and administrators' concerns over violent games of tag, I have trouble with the notion that banning tag is the solution. As with my experience, the violence that is taking place is likely a manifestation of much deeper issues our children and communities are facing. It would serve the school well to address scratch a little deeper at the surface to identify the root cause of increased violence in games of tag.
The Washington Post just posted an update to this story...
'You're It!' May Again Be Heard at Va. School Michael Alison ChandlerThe Washington PostApril 24, 2008
Students at Kent Gardens Elementary School in McLean are refining their dodging skills and polishing their recess etiquette this week in preparation for a game of tag.
Three weeks ago, Principal Robyn Hooker halted the pastime, saying that it had become too aggressive. Her decision set off debate among parents -- some appreciative of her caution and others wary that the restriction was excessive. Now, a committee of administrators and teachers has devised a plan to reinstate the game.
After a week of "reorientation lessons on playground safety" in physical education classes, classroom discussions of safe recess behavior and monitoring by teachers on the blacktop, students are likely to be yelling "You're it!" by tomorrow.