Stand silently in straight lines with your friends.
Why is this still taught in schools?
I honestly can’t think of a time as an adult where I’ve had to stand in line silently with my friends. Of course at church services and other religious occasions you are expected to stand quietly, but I don’t think it is my place to teach students how to behave in those environments. In my teaching setting now, I wouldn’t presume to teach my students how to behave in a religious environment. Even when I taught in a Catholic school this was hard for me (mostly because I’m not Catholic).
I instead teach my students to stand in line (when necessary) and keep a reasonable (usually whisper) level of talking. Of course they know that when an adult is speaking they are to be quiet and listen to the speaker. They are also taught that different adults and teachers have different expectations.
What do you think?
What are some other rules/behaviors we teach that are unnecessary?
Hmmm. That’s a great point. What about walking in a line? I mean, really, they stop walking in line once they start changing classes in middle school, right? If they can walk quietly in a small herd, why not? As long as kids learn that if another class is coming in an opposite direction, they should move over (just like you were in the mall or a busy sidewalk); I don’t think that one is that big of a deal either.
And this is all heresy from an elementary school teacher ha!
Students don’t stand in lines at my school, but I guess they do so in most schools here in Argentina.
Some days ago I saw this photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlcrucif/2493100715/
and I remembered the days I had to stand in a line in silence.It was one of the worst moments at school. Useless.
I think many still teach students to do this because they aren’t able to teach them to whisper quietly and to stop talking when an adult is speaking to them. I think many of the things that are done poorly are because of inability to do them well. Sadly, I’m not sure how to remedy that.
Great thoughts! I agree, as an adult, you are not expected to stand silently in line. I can see Jenny’s point that kids often don’t know how to whisper or talk quietly. I guess you could also argue the that talking in the hall could disturb other classes going on (if it’s an elementary w/ no standard class change time). I teach at an all boys school and we tend to embrace the idea of boys aren’t made to be perfectly still and quiet. Therefore, when we do ask for silence, they tend to be more willing to comply b/c they know it’s for a a reason.