One thought on “October 21st, 2015 ~ Gymnastics”

  1. Nice presentation Elixa!

    I am sorry you were unable to attend the gymnastics class, the team teach group did an excellent job at creating a diverse and enjoyable gymnastics class.

    I like that you touched upon safety in your presentation as I feel this is an important aspect of athletics and gymnastics in particular. In class we talked about how many teachers shy away from teaching classes, such as gymnastics, as they fear potential student injury. We also discussed many of today’s parents who appear highly restrictive of their children’s physical activities. In addition, we touched upon the legalities surrounding student activities at school and the constraints placed upon teachers who fear potential litigation.

    I am terribly saddened by this developing bubble of supposed physical and emotional protection that is often placed on school aged children. While certainly gymnastics was one of my favourite activities, so were many more potentially risky sports. Personally, I believe that too much protection can be stifling on the emotional, cognitive and physical development of children. I wonder how we learn to jump, if we don’t have the opportunity to fall and scrape our knee?

    While certainly I see a place for and value safety in all activities I do hope that we don’t established such firm boundaries of security that we eliminate the essential components of play. By empowering children with knowledge to make their own safety decisions they may be better equipped to manage rough and tumble play. I suggest that yes we should aim to soften emotional and physical falls, but teach that the real value is in learning from the fall itself.

    Jennifer

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