Having time to play is important to children's education
Letters to the EditorPublished April 4, 2005
Re: Out of play, by Lane DeGregory, March 29.
I loved this article.
One of the reasons I placed my kids in a private school was the lack of "non-structured" play time in public schools. The public schools refuse to include something that seems so frivolous in their schedule. As the pendulum swings too far to the "three R's" for anyone's good, music, art, language and playtime all are sacrificed.
Don't get me wrong, I think that greater accountability for schools and teachers is important for bringing Florida schools up to standard with the rest of the United States, but not at the expense of the things that make kids kids.
Time to play and socialize is so important to learning the rules of being in society. Right now, our kids do not get enough time to just play, and as a consequence, they are not prepared to function as members of the shrinking global community.
-- Tom Olney, Safety Harbor
Recess would be a blessing
Re: Out of play, by Lane DeGregory.
This story about the lack of recess is an excellent reminder to parents that children no longer socialize freely at school. I am an eighth-grade teacher who pays the price daily for the pent-up energy from the students. I spend 90 percent of the time with 10 percent of the problem. Policymakers blame classroom management, but as a teacher I blame "no recess."
As a mother, it saddens me. My little son and daughter are drilled daily on the "R's" minus recess. School has become society's answer for a growing child care problem. My classes are 70-minutes long with 5-minute hall changes. The students sit for 70 minutes! I bet most of their parents would protest to work under those conditions. No wonder the kids are obese.
After lunch is the worst: Tons of white carbohydrates are served to these young people, then they are forced to sit still. I see the problem daily. Even in the higher grades, recess would be a blessing. But no, taxes cannot be wasted on joy. So, I will trudge my wards back to a fluorescent-lighted room without windows to sit!
-- Yamel Arronte, Tampa
The kids need a break
Re: Out of play.
Thank you, Lane DeGregory, for a lucid piece on a subject we hear too little about: the importance of play.
Is it me or does it seem as though the common-sense solutions get passed over for elaborately constructed (and costly) enhancement programs and even more new testing strategies? This happens even though educators and psychologists know that "children who have recess are less fidgety ... They pay better attention. They get better grades."
DeGregory cited a report in Education World that said that 40 percent of schools in the United States have cut or are considering cutting recess. That means 60 percent haven't or aren't planning to. I wonder how those kids are doing. Meanwhile, our schools rank 48th or 49th in the nation and we need more time to "prepare" our kids for tests while our governor is busy trying to get a special election so we don't have to reduce class size.
Sign me up for your new "National Association for Giving My Kid a Break." I'm guessing you'll have plenty of joiners.
-- Terry Gaunt, St. Petersburg
We shouldn't expect less
Re: Success is about responsibility, not race, March 28.
The above words are completely true... short, but right to the point. We should not expect any less from African-Americans - nor be surprised when they do well in school.
Also, "the father said: "The teachers' job is to educate our children. Our job is to make sure our children arrive at school prepared to learn."'
The paragraph sums up the gist of the entire column. It is true and applicable to any and every family - whatever ethnic group.
-- Dorothy E. Karkheck, Dunedin
Consider GOP aberrations
Re: GOP found religion and lost its roots, by John C. Danforth, March 31.
This important political article, which appeared in the New York Times , has received no media reaction or acknowledgement. Apparently all the media found the personal drama in Florida and its political overtones more important. However, John C. Danforth poses serious issues that suggest the possibility of a schism within the Republican Party. These are issues the media should have focused on for the last four years but that have been largely ignored.
However, when we reach the point where actions and expressions of opinion on the personal drama in Florida lead to the threat of death to a state judge for his ruling (not legislating) on the law in light of established facts and to a local state representative who voted her conscience and constitutional convictions, the importance of these issues can no longer be ignored.
Without using the analogy, Sen. Danforth suggests the dangers of moving toward the type of fundamentalist religious regime that we find unacceptable in other countries. God help us! But in the meantime we need the media to lead a serious public discussions of the issues raised by Sen. Danforth. I hope the Republican Party can find a way to return to its "historic principles."
-- Charles D. Ward, Homosassa
The true costs of war
Re: Voices of wounded will speak Iraq truths, March 17.
I've long been critical of mainstream media, and in particular their role in promoting wars like the one in Iraq, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the St. Petersburg Times run Norman Solomon's piece on the human costs of war. He has given us a reality check on the hardships, heartache and loss undergone by our soldiers and their families. This is the true legacy of war. Solomon sees clearly past the crass abstractions and false claims used to justify our attack. Iraq may or may not turn out to be a stable, semi-democratic government. We don't know, but we do know about the casualties, the shattered and broken lives, the endless grief and loss. These are factual, not speculative.
Modern warfare is an extremely blunt instrument of foreign policy that should be used seldom, if at all. The events of 9/11 called for a military response; it came in Afghanistan, and I supported that. But 9/11 should never be an excuse for making us an aggressor nation and allowing practices like torture and arrest without trial that are features of despotism.
On a more positive, personal note, it was my good fortune to meet Norm Solomon in Oregon in the 1970s. He hosted a radio show then, on which my group, the Media Gribbles, performed comic skits, and he had also written a number of strikingly well-written, original novels. In a saner time, with a more merit-driven publishing industry, he would have been a household name like Jack London or Upton Sinclair.
So, once again, kudos to your paper for printing a column by a writer of this caliber - one worth a hundred power-crazed Krauthammers.
-- Burns Raushenbush, Clearwater