To say I loved my ten years as principal of Union Heights Elementary School would most definitely be a true example of an understatement. Actually, I could say the same thing about my sixteen years at East Ridge Middle School where I taught and coached in the first stage of my educational career, and now for the past five years as the Career and Technical Education CTE Supervisor for our Hamblen County School system. It rarely has ever felt like work, thankful to be in the profession I feel like I was purposed to be a part of from the beginning. Blessed. Okay, note to self, stay on topic.
As a principal one of the major roles you carry out is to be the extreme conflict resolution center for the school. Students who wound up visiting my office for behavioral issues normally had missed the opportunity to reach a resolution in the classroom, or even better before the teacher got involved. Classroom conflicts happen, albeit more rarely, when organization and structure are evident in any classroom. There just isn't too much room for misinterpretation of the expectations in an elementary teacher's class. Head down to the cafeteria and, for the most part, the same set of expectations from the classroom apply in the cafeteria. Stay in your seat, keep the conversations at a table level, eat the food on your plate, if you make a mess please clean it up, and don't mess with another student's food. All pretty much anticipated wouldn't you say? Walking to and from in the hallways, morning and afternoon bus duty, each of these had rules and expectations to help make transitions doable and efficient. The one place that I did not create a set of standard rules was on the playgrounds at our school during recess time for each grade level.
The simplistic, general rule of thumb on an elementary school playground is allow the students to work out problems they encounter as much as possible. The "rules" set for this structured “free for all” time are fairly simple and for the most part can be easily maintained. That being said, I have many fond memories of being present on one of our playgrounds when one of our teachers would have to provide some minor conflict resolution guidance to some not so content playground participants. I can vividly picture a pair of sweaty, little seven-year old’s coming to their teacher to settle a touchdown related dispute, or times when inclusion just wasn't happening and feelings were devastated between two friends whom moments before were as thick as thieves. The responses from our teachers that I generally heard could have been written on stone tablets and posted on the outside classroom posts. The rules were so consistent whether it was on the Kindergarten - 2nd grade playground or up on the bank at the 3rd-5th grade location. I. Thou shalt share. II. Thou shalt play nice together or if you can't go find someone else to play with. III. Name calling is not allowed. IV. No fighting. V. Thee shall include everyone, this is not your personal playground. Of course, there were myriad nuances to this set of rules, but for the most part these five standard bearers could pretty much address most anything that occurred during recess each afternoon.
Were these five "commandments" never broken? The question goes without being asked, yet I'll answer it with another question, "Are the ten commandments never broken?" Simply stated we are not humanly capable of not breaking from Moses's contribution to the standard rules for mankind. Yes, the rules did experience deviators, but that was what the teachers were there to provide resolution for when necessary. I can pretty much guarantee you though that the teachers were always striving for students to solve their disagreements on their own when at all possible.
So, my question today is this, "What happened between our days on the elementary playground where we all had to get along or wind up sitting out on the sidelines, and where we are today where the only person that matters in most cases is "me"? Think about it each of the playground rules apply in the adult world of work, home, and even during our daily travels. Sharing? Aren't we taught that it is better to give than it is to receive? Play nice? Well if you don't like the way something is going in your world I suggest you either figure out how to get along, or go find somewhere else to go play, remember it isn't your playground anyway. We are just borrowing this world we live in from our grandchildren, let's leave it better for them then how it was when it was given to us. Name calling, fighting, those actions aren't allowed for our kids on the playground, in the classroom, or out in public, why is it okay for adults to behave like that? It isn't. We should be the role models so that our teachers won't have to do our job on the playground. The fifth playground rule was include everyone. Beyond popular belief, you are not the judge. You don't get to decide who is right and who is wrong, you can have your opinion, but this is not your playground so you don't get to decide who plays on it or who doesn't. I didn't write the rules, I'm not judging anyone, all I'm echoing is the commandment that encompasses all of the ones above. Jesus of Nazareth, Son of the Living God proclaimed in Matthew 7:12 "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law...". I suppose the "in everything" and "to others" Jesus stated includes everyone regardless of their skin pigment, I think everything includes our relationships at work, at school, at home of course, and how about on the roads and highways we travel each day. I won't digress towards the topic of road rage, but keep in mind those roads aren't yours, you are just as much a guest on the highway as the person that sat an extra :10 seconds after the light changed to green.
I firmly believe our elementary school playgrounds are an outstanding learning platform for our children to learn how to get along and play well with others. Maybe we all need to take a break and go for a swing? "I want to leave you equipped with two verses.
"Hatred stirs up strife but love covers all sins" Proverbs 10:12.
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." I Peter 4:8
Coach Carter
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