Student suspended for doing handstands and cartwheels

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blueclouds

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http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/11/11/no.cartwheels.reut/index.html

"Our first concern is the safety of all children," San Jose-Edison Academy Principal Denise Patton told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

Patton said Deirdre could accidentally strike another student, or injure herself, and other children could get hurt trying to imitate Deirdre, who has been doing gymnastics for five years."

WELL, we can all pray that they remove the swings and slides too. Accidents can happen there when children try and imitate eachother. How about not letting them out for recess at all or banning gym class??!!

GIVE ME A BREAK - THIS BELONGS IN JOHN STOSSELS FILE!
 
My youngest son is in middle school. Playground equipment doesn't exist. No basketball goals, nothing. There are three benches, maybe four.....each grade level has lunch break separately, so there are only 250 kids at a time out. These poor kids have nothing to do. The girls cluster around each other, talking and laughing. The guys want to run around and are called down for doing so. A lucky few sit on the benches.

Last year my son and his best friend found a little plastic cap, like to a liter coke bottle, and they began tossing it back and forth to each other. The assistant principal hauled them into the office and "wrote them up" for dangerous activity. That's what she wrote: "Son" was engaging in dangerous activity on school grounds. I practically had to get a lawyer to FORCE her to document what the "dangerous" activity was.....I didn't want that serious charge in his "permenant record" whatever THAT is! He did get an afterschool detention for tossing the bottle cap. Coulda put somebody's eye out, ya know.

The pendalum has now swung fully over to the ridiculous.
 
She was flaunting her gymnastic skills at the risk to others and herself, and flouting school rules by doing so; the latter of which, done repeatedly, got her suspended. It's clear-cut. There are rules and students must abide by them, if not, they need to be reprimanded. If the teacher/school gave in and let her continue, despite the multiple warnings, it would undermine school authority. These days schools must be run with an iron fist and even the silliest of rules must be enforced.
 
Jacobi said:
She was flaunting her gymnastic skills at the risk to others and herself, and flouting school rules by doing so; the latter of which, done repeatedly, got her suspended. It's clear-cut. There are rules and students must abide by them, if not, they need to be reprimanded. If the teacher/school gave in and let her continue, despite the multiple warnings, it would undermine school authority. These days schools must be run with an iron fist and even the silliest of rules must be enforced.
Click to expand...

That's a bunch of poop.
 
A few years back, I taught at a university. This was a freshman course and thus had many unruly students straight out of highschool. Luckily, I never had to worry about students doing cartwheels! But really, this girl was not suspended for doing cartwheels, she was suspended for repeatedly ignoring the demands that she stop doing so. There's a difference there and trust me, it all boils down to discipline and respect for authority, not about what games one can play in the playground.

My question is, if you were the teacher, how would you handle a student that repeatedly disrespected you and ignored your demands and warnings?
 
Okay well that explains it... Jacobi is biased because of her past dealings with children.

I agree with Jeana... they should be encouraging the girl, maybe she can do well in gymastics... instead of supressing her talent

What a load of bunk!
 
Casshew said:
Okay well that explains it... Jacobi is biased because of her past dealings with children.

I agree with Jeana... they should be encouraging the girl, maybe she can do well in gymastics... instead of supressing her talent

What a load of bunk!
Click to expand...
Yes, perhaps I am a little biased because of my past experience with unruly students. It's definitely not a black and white situation. Can you imagine the outrage if this talented girl were to injure herself on the playground. The school would be sued to high heaven for having allowed it! In a highly litigious society, it's no wonder that the school "erred" on the side of caution, but perhaps a week suspension was a bit much. I think there's more to it than meets the eye, e.g. past behaviour of this child.
 
What's the answer? ~ from now on she should sit inside and surf the net whilst eating pizza pops and twinkies... then after school she can watch TV for 6 hours.

Lets play it safe. No more exercise for kids.:banghead:
 
Hopscotch. I don't know why this form of "entertainment" hasn't been banned a long time ago. A child might slip when they attempt to hop. And the pebble could ricochet and injure someone. Not to mention breathing the dust particles from the chalk!

And don't get me started on Red Rover...
;)
 
lisag said:
I second that !!
Click to expand...
I also agree. I was in gymnastics. I don't think she was trying to show off. Gymnastics is fun! Just like skipping, jumping, running, and many of the other things that kids enjoy doing. It was just a kid being a kid. Nothing more, nothing less.
 
My daughter does cartwheels down to the end of our drive way. Its a normal, natural kid thing. Some educators would rather have drugged up robot children.
 
Jeana (DP) said:
My daughter does cartwheels down to the end of our drive way. Its a normal, natural kid thing. Some educators would rather have drugged up robot children.
Click to expand...
If you told your daughter to stop doing cartwheels, would she obey you? Suppose she repeatedly disobeys you on this issue, what would you do in terms of punishment or in lieu of punishment.
 
Marine Mom said:
Hopscotch. I don't know why this form of "entertainment" hasn't been banned a long time ago. A child might slip when they attempt to hop. And the pebble could ricochet and injure someone. Not to mention breathing the dust particles from the chalk!

And don't get me started on Red Rover...
;)
Click to expand...


Oh, NOT Red Rover !! A child could be KILLED playing Red Rover !!
 
Jacobi said:
If you told your daughter to stop doing cartwheels, would she obey you?
Click to expand...

Looks like you're confusing pursuing a harmless activity with not following a parental directive for the good of the child.
 
Here's the trick, though. There is nothing wrong with doing handstands and carwheels, IF you do them in a grassy or padded area, without potholes. Most schools have basketball courts, but not gymnastics floors outside. If she was just cartwheeling anywhere, that is a problem (you don't have the same visibility around you while cartwheeling as you do when playing basketball), and she, and her parents should have understood the issues. However, as long as she was safely practicing, should she have been suspended? No. Should the school have worked with her to find a place where they thought she could practice, and not hurt other students? Yes. Should the parents have stepped in and, instead of ignoring warnings, worked with the school to find an alternative. Also, yes.

I can just about guarantee there was nothing in the school rules that said "No student shall be allowed to cartwheel on the school premises." And if so, being told that you cannot do it is not a school rule, but an arbitrary one. It's like a teacher telling you you cannot wear green, when Mary over there is wearing green and it's ok, because the teacher likes THAT shade of green.
 
Ghostwheel said:
And the elementary school kids here are not allowed to play Red Rover.
Click to expand...

You're kidding! It's a wonder I survived childhood. What about dodge ball? Hide and seek? Innocently smoking crack in the corner of the playground? :crazy:
 
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