I thought that lining kids up and choosing the top athletes to stare down the potential teamates and pick girls one-by-one to make up a team, went out with leg warmers and 8-track tapes.
Unfortunately, even though we are drowning in a pool of political correctness, this act of humiliation continues.
My daughter, who thankfully has the self esteem of Tony Robbins on Red Bull and anti-depressants, came home heartbroken (but only for a moment) since she was chosen last to make up a team of 12 girls during p.e. The hair on my arms stood straight up and I rehearsed in my mind the ugly comments I would spew at the people who thought this was a great idea. I guess that numbering off kids by saying, "team one, team two, team one, team two" until every girl is on a team takes too much - counting.
She is also the one in class who is never chosen when the teacher says, "Okay, everyone pick a partner for this next assignment." She tells me that she wanders around the class in hopes of gaining a partner, only to have everyone retort, "Oh, sorry, I already have a partner."
I have made a point of telling my student teachers to NEVER, with large capital letters, allow students to pick their own partners for a class project or let the line-up-and-choose routine occur when they have their own class. Hurt feelings are inevitable. It is much better for kids to partner with those they normally would not associate in order to build social skills and manners.
I saw with my own eyes, a student teacher who decided to let the class choose on their own the partner they would have for a science project, and I witnessed the results. Low and behold, one boy was left with no one and was placed with a girl who had experienced the same rejection. Awful! I wanted to jump up in the middle of the lesson and shout, "I'll be your partner, and then I'm going to buy you a double scoop of ice cream!!"
Rejection will happen again, I'm sure. After all, she has just left the starting blocks of the teen years.
I'm just going to have to teach her where to find thick skin. I happen to know a guy, although it takes years to put on.
Unfortunately, even though we are drowning in a pool of political correctness, this act of humiliation continues.
My daughter, who thankfully has the self esteem of Tony Robbins on Red Bull and anti-depressants, came home heartbroken (but only for a moment) since she was chosen last to make up a team of 12 girls during p.e. The hair on my arms stood straight up and I rehearsed in my mind the ugly comments I would spew at the people who thought this was a great idea. I guess that numbering off kids by saying, "team one, team two, team one, team two" until every girl is on a team takes too much - counting.
She is also the one in class who is never chosen when the teacher says, "Okay, everyone pick a partner for this next assignment." She tells me that she wanders around the class in hopes of gaining a partner, only to have everyone retort, "Oh, sorry, I already have a partner."
I have made a point of telling my student teachers to NEVER, with large capital letters, allow students to pick their own partners for a class project or let the line-up-and-choose routine occur when they have their own class. Hurt feelings are inevitable. It is much better for kids to partner with those they normally would not associate in order to build social skills and manners.
I saw with my own eyes, a student teacher who decided to let the class choose on their own the partner they would have for a science project, and I witnessed the results. Low and behold, one boy was left with no one and was placed with a girl who had experienced the same rejection. Awful! I wanted to jump up in the middle of the lesson and shout, "I'll be your partner, and then I'm going to buy you a double scoop of ice cream!!"
Rejection will happen again, I'm sure. After all, she has just left the starting blocks of the teen years.
I'm just going to have to teach her where to find thick skin. I happen to know a guy, although it takes years to put on.
Comments
Your blog is enjoyable!