At least if you're not good at school they should let you be good at playing!
A punishment without a crime.
I hate that at my son's school they take away recess if they act up. You're right! It is the absolute worst thing you could do!!!Throughout school, I was always placed in the
"gifted" and advanced classes... I hated them. I
never understood why I just couldn't make myself sit down, focus, pay attention,
and study like everyone else... I always got Cs and Ds... I felt stupid.
I used to be so depressed because everyone thought I was just lazy:
my parents, the teachers, the councilors... so much negativity that I started
believing it myself. I remember begging the councilors and teachers to
get me out of these classes, but because of high aptitude test scores... my requests
were confronted with accusations of just not caring and refusal to put in effort.
After school activities (mostly band, but others as well) were the only thing
that kept me happy. Because of my inclination to music, I felt normal for
once. Music was something that both calmed me and made me feel equal to everyone.
Because of the "No pass, no play" rule. I considerably missed
out on a lot. Not being able to attend contests, not being able
to march
in football games, and not being able to do parades among other
events. I was placed in a band class I know I didnt deserve
to be in (due to my ability level) because of my unreliability to get
passing grades. I
lost hundreds of dollars on some of our annual band trips out of
state. Money
I worked my butt off during summers and weekends to save.
This past Monday, I was diagnosed with ADHD after 26 years of wondering what
the heck wrong with me. I now realize that my "laziness" and
"underachievement" wasn't my fault. It pisses me off because
instead of helping me, the school took one of the only things that I ever
really enjoyed during HS, something that balanced me, and forcibly stripped it from me... making me feel utterly useless.
If your kid's/nephew's/niece's school or school district implements the "no pass, no
play"... contact them and tell them to ABOLISH it. Consistent low grades should be a warning light, a beacon that alerts you that something is wrong.
Taking away extra-curricular activities is irresponsible and
unwarranted. It takes away productive activities that
benefit and balances kids. It gives self-confidence, helps remove
the feeling of being an outcast, gives them a sense of
accomplishment, and an outlet for creativity that kids need.
(Thank you to whoever started this board. It is the reason why I finally
decided to get tested...)
I am surprised that a school - any school would use that kind of punishment. To hurt a child like that because of failing grades seems to me to be self-defeating.
Lately I've been very confused about the education system. When I was going to elementary school (70s) - if you failed enough classes you were held back. Now they seem to never do that - I've not heard of anyone being held back a grade. I've heard it said that they feel THAT is harmful to the student and difficult on the system. That smells of guano to me. Most likely it's so the school board doesn't remove funding for not performing up to standards.
But to take away priveleges while letting them move forward? That is giving so many mixed signals to the kids. Too smart to fail, too dumb to play? What does that teach - that you are going to get out of high school regardless of your readiness to do that - but you can't have enjoyment either? Boggles my ADHD mind.
I'd like to see the schools focus on readiness for the world. That's what they were built for - to get kids ready to be adults. The kids who are falling behind should be where extra money and attention goes. Maybe I'm a bit "pie in the sky" - but that's how I feel.