Reflection #6: Chapter 4 (and a re-read of Chapter 13)
1. What information surprised you or was new to you in this chapter? How does this information connect to info in the main course text?
2. What
information do you agree with and why? What info do you disagree with and why?
3. Describe an experience you have had that
relates to the information in this reading.
4. How can you use this information in your personal or work/school life?
5. Rate this chapter on a scale of 1 to 5 and explain your rating (1 = low and
5 = high).
Chapter 4: Bubble Wrapping Not Required
I was surprised to read that so many schools had
eliminated recess. None of the schools that I have worked with have done so,
though several have banned running, even during recess. I find this ludicrous.
Children need to exercise and build up their cardiovascular health, maintain a
healthy weight, and to develop their gross motor skills (Paris, Ricardo, &
Rymond, 2019, pp. 183-194).
I agree that children need time to play alone, and
that unsupervised moments are a critical aspect of growing up (as
age-appropriate, of course). Children who have their caregivers constantly
providing entertainment will likely grow up unable to entertain themselves, self-regulate
their emotions, or find innate motivation. I also agree that schools most
likely ban running, tag, and other such “risky” games because they fear
litigation. I have often quoted articles about kidnappings and molestation by
strangers, trying to lesson the fear of others or draw their attention to the
fact that it is the people their children already know who are the most likely
threats to their health and safety, not strangers. People do not seem to
process and accommodate this information easily. Our highly connected world puts
every incident right in front of us, making them seem more numerous than they
really are.
When I was a child, my father worked the afternoon-evening
shift just a mile down the road from 2-11pm. My mother would make dinner, supervise
us as we ate, and then take dinner to my father. She would sit with him at work
during his break, and they would eat together. During these times, my older sister
was “in charge,” which meant that she, being a rebellious teenager, completely
ignored me. I would take these opportunities to get away with all manner of
experimentation in the kitchen. I would look up recipes in my mom’s cookbooks
and bake all sorts of interesting treats. As I got older, they improved. Though
my mother was initially annoyed with my older sister, she humored my interest
and independence, even going out of her way to purchase a few ingredients that
she thought I could use and leaving them for me to find. As an adult, I am a competent
cook and baker, and I predominantly learned those skills through unsupervised
trial and error.
I think it is important to use this information in my present
temporary post as a kindergarten teacher, particularly since we are online. During
our daily breaks, I encourage my students to step away from the computer and
play. I tell them, “Use the restroom, get a drink, and get your wiggles out!” I
cue them to return to the computer by playing a boisterous song that encourages
them to dance or move about while singing their ABCs, counting, etc. This helps
them become refreshed and ready to learn as well as encourages the development
of their gross motor skills.
I rate this chapter a 5. I really do think parents
need to stop hovering and let their children explore their own budding
personalities, test their limits, and grow to be self-reliant.
References
Paris, J. Ricardo, A.,
& Rymond, D. (2019). Understanding the whole child: Prenatal
development through adolescence. Open Educational Resource Publication
by College of the Canyons.
Pica, R. (2015). What if everybody understood child development? Corwin.
This video is a perfect example of how to allow children freedom. They learn how to navigate the "danger zones" in a house without childproofing. The only thing childproofed in our home when I lived in the city was the fence around the pool because the landlord had to have it for insurance reasons, but other than that, my son knew what not to touch just like your kids. My son was allowed to climb on whatever he wanted, no matter how high and he stopped when he felt unsafe even though i knew he was OK.
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