HOMEROOM:
We took last week's spelling test and watched CNN for the day.
WRITING:
We finished talking about the short story by Jack London, "To Build a Fire." We then started a new writing assignment that will revolve around children in competitve sports. Students were given 2 articles to read and then their HOMEWORK was to talk with their parents about this subject. The 2 readings are posted below:
ARE COMPETITIVE SPORTS GOOD FOR CHILDREN?
There is something striking about children playing competitive sports such as kickball, softball, handball, etc., on a school ground before school, and that is that they don’t seem to really care about winning! At kickball and at softball new teams form and reform every morning that are not really teams at all; at handball there are no real “sides”, merely groups of two, three, or four kids (and often just one kid play by himself!) who hit the ball to their playmates just as often as they hit the ball to make their playmates miss. Scores, if kept at all, are forgotten the moment the bell rings. For to these children, and seemingly to children everywhere, it is the activity—and not the winning—that counts. Even when the structure of a given game is clearly competitive, the overriding spirit of the children playing that is obvious to even the most casual observer—is one not of competitiveness but of harmony! It is only when adults take charge of things that real teams are organized and winning becomes important. And it is precisely at this point that for many kids the fun is over.If nothing else, competitive sports played in earnest produces losers; for one side winning depends on another side losing. And kids don’t want to be losers. In fact, unless they are pushed, kids are not all that fired up about winning either. They just want to have fun. For many boys, for example, happy memories of the local baseball diamond when they are grown are not of Little League with its uniforms and ambitious coaches, but rather of sandlot ball, where a bunch of “the guys” who happened to be hanging around the field got together and just “hit the ball around.”When kids get older there is no denying that there is fun in friendly competition. Everybody likes rooting for the home team! But it is still all done in the spirit of good fun. Everyone growing up in America in the first half of the twentieth century heard that timeless adage a million times: “It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game that counts!”Today that adage has been stood on its head: it’s not how you play the game, but whether you win or lose that counts. In local newspapers supposedly happy scenes of childhood show little boys and girls suited up in uniform on a playing field with parents screaming in the stands. The argument is made that the competitive spirit is natural and even that it is nurturing in a free-market society where adults must compete in a capitalist economy. But this argument reveals a basic misunderstanding even about capitalism itself. And that is that people don’t create their own businesses in order to “win”, they create them in order to be a success! And in America’s miraculous economy there is infinite opportunity for people who want to succeed.Today’s America is sick with over-competitiveness: atheletes destroying their bodies by taking steroids (and corrupting their sport in the process!), neighbors suing one another instead of having backyard barbeques together; children competing not only to win in organized sports but also to “win” even in the classroom with superior grade-point averages beginning in kindergarten! (By the way, isn’t the main goal of going to school to learn?).Now of course all kids need encouragement—and a lot of it. But next time we are about to tell them that they “can all be winners”, maybe we should think about changing the wording.
=====2nd article=====
Overview
Competitive sports are usually organized around the rules and regulations of a sports organization or other entity. The pros of competitive sports include many benefits for children if the sports include child-oriented goals and controls for appropriate expectations, child readiness and safety, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. A shift in focus away from child-centered practices can negate the benefits children get from competitive sports.
Health and Safety
Organized competitive sports provide an environment in which safety rules govern all activities. Sports organizations have criteria for child readiness, matching competing teams, injury prevention and safety accommodations based on the age, size and capabilities. Trained coaches provide another layer of protection. Competitive sports involve your child in regular physical activity that can reduce risk of diabetes, heart disease and other medical conditions linked to sedentary lifestyles. Regular exercise strengthens the heart, lungs, bones, muscles and joints and can help children maintain a healthy weight.
Physical Activity
Involvement in competitive sports is the only chance some children have for physical activity. Families have less time, fewer children run and play in parks and school physical education programs face time and budget constraints. The lack of physical activity puts children at risk for obesity and other health problems. Organized sports provide some of the physical activity children need -- the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at least 60 minutes a day -- and can encourage your child becoming more physically active in other areas of his life and continuing those habits into adulthood.
Emotional
Parental involvement in competitive sports, and relationships with coaches and other adults, provides children with attention and emotional support. Competitive team sports can give your child a sense of belonging and help him learn to cope with disappointment and develop resiliency. Children involved in sports often have higher self-esteem and are less likely to have depression. Team sports develop social skills such as effective communication, goal-setting, conflict resolution and time management.
Character Development and Social Skills
Sports teams and organizations are social systems, according to the New York University Child Study Center. Within that system, your child learns how to function in the larger world, handle competition and interact with people from diverse backgrounds. Whether your child is involved in track or field, tennis or baseball, he learns to support others and learns about honesty, fairness and good sportsmanship. Competitive sports also help your child learn effective communication, goal-setting, conflict resolution and time management.
Strong Girls
Girls involved in competitive sports enjoy additional benefits, including being less likely to make poor life choices that lead to pregnancy, smoking and unhealthy weight gain. Exercise builds stronger bones and makes girls less likely to develop osteoporosis. Girls involved in sports experience increased confidence and a more positive body image. Being part of a team makes girls more likely to show up and not disappoint those who depend on them.
Tips
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pre-adolescents who participate in organized sports programs continue to participate in regular free play, or unstructured physical activities. See your pediatrician about a physical check-up before your child begins sports and to make sure your child is physically and emotionally ready for competitive sports.
