I walk down the halls of an elementary school and catch sight of a group of students walking single file.
The teacher walks at the front of the line as each student follows the one in front of them like a line of baby ducklings following their mother.
All the students are looking straight ahead with their hands crossed neatly behind their backs.
Perhaps most noticeably, all the students have their cheeks puffed out full of air making what teachers and students know as 'bubbles.'
Another teacher walks by and praises the students for creating such a wonderful line while having some of the biggest and best bubbles she has ever seen.
The students aren't making any noise and are marching almost militantly down the hall toward their next destination.
Full disclosure... I've never been an elementary teacher nor have I ever worked in an elementary school. So, it's quite possible that I'm missing the boat here and don't fully understand the justification of this practice.
I do, however, understand the importance of walking the halls without disrupting others and I understand keeping one's hands to themselves. I also understand that some of our early elementary students have never had any type of structure in their lives, so their ability to act around others can be challenging.
Having said all that, I just wonder if there is another way we can accomplish what we are trying to accomplish without this rigidity... I wonder if this is how I'm going to want my son, Emory, to be treated...
Check out some of the responses I got on Twitter when I tweeted this question: image: https://twitter.com/justintarte/status/637989365105467392
The teacher walks at the front of the line as each student follows the one in front of them like a line of baby ducklings following their mother.
All the students are looking straight ahead with their hands crossed neatly behind their backs.
Perhaps most noticeably, all the students have their cheeks puffed out full of air making what teachers and students know as 'bubbles.'
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| Read more here about these 'bubbles:' http://goo.gl/VWzgZi |
Another teacher walks by and praises the students for creating such a wonderful line while having some of the biggest and best bubbles she has ever seen.
The students aren't making any noise and are marching almost militantly down the hall toward their next destination.
Full disclosure... I've never been an elementary teacher nor have I ever worked in an elementary school. So, it's quite possible that I'm missing the boat here and don't fully understand the justification of this practice.
I do, however, understand the importance of walking the halls without disrupting others and I understand keeping one's hands to themselves. I also understand that some of our early elementary students have never had any type of structure in their lives, so their ability to act around others can be challenging.
Having said all that, I just wonder if there is another way we can accomplish what we are trying to accomplish without this rigidity... I wonder if this is how I'm going to want my son, Emory, to be treated...
Check out some of the responses I got on Twitter when I tweeted this question: image: https://twitter.com/justintarte/status/637989365105467392