NEWS: Just Say "No" to Gymnastics

actually, the story just said it was during lunch time. it didn't say it was in the cafeteria, specifically, although that is a possibility. it is another possibility that it was during lunch-time recess, outside, which seems a bit more probable, considering the father's reply. they certainly don't allow basketball in the cafeteria. at least i hope not. that would suck.

we had balance beams...3 of them...one taller than the next and you could step up to the taller one at the end...all over concrete. 2 kids i know fell off and broke their arms
i miss merry go rounds...those were awesome...especially when you ran around so much and just hung on and the force drug you around as you clutched on for dear life

I can't comprehend how today's youth are going to make it if they apply for the military.

I'm never far from amazed at how idiot the people in the school system can be. My god.

ya know, the entire point of being a kid is so you can f*ck yourself up as much as possible while your recovery rate is still astronomical. We get our pain tolerance from the stupid stuff we do as kids, and we learn how not to kill ourselves by damn near doing it when we're young. Even god forbid she kick a kid while doing a cartwheel, both she and that kid would watch the hell out next time, and both would learn they don't live in a void. People in America are so goddamn worried about little Timmy getting a scratch that Timmy's going to wind up a spoiled, weak, oblivious, and overdramatic asshole who thinks the entire foam-covered world is owed to him.... Such a damn shame... I fear for the future.

Well said.

Very well said.

[Edited on Nov 13, 2004 by crispy]

I DID read the story. It simply said "lunch time". That could imply either the cafeteria or the playground, hence my comment.

I'm confused. Going by the father's reaction, why were there kids playing contact sports during lunch?

And, wow, a kid getting suspended for disobeying teachers - what is the world coming to?

I think that the fact that the school is held responsible for everyone inside the school, children and adults alike is overlooked.
I can certainly understand why they suspended her. If she accidentally fell and broke her arm, her parents technically could sue the schools. or any student that she injured could sue the school....
It was a risk the school dept wasnt willing to take.

Case in point, when I was in 2nd grade, I was running during recess, and fell over a drain pipe onto a piece of glass. My mom wanted the school to be held responsible for my hospital bills, because the glass went all the way through my hand, and I had to do some physical therapy for it.
The school system balked, saying I should not have been running.
My mom brought up the fact that I was running, but didnt put the glass on the playground. The school tried to worm its way out of it, but eventually paid for everything.
Meaning, that they WERE held responsible for me running on their property, and were responsible for someone breaking glass on their property.

I dont blame the school, I took gymnastics for a while, and there is a time and place for everything. I just hope she learns she can hurt someone, and needs to follow rules.

The article is a little,short on details but I've seen kids do these things close to a crowd of other children. No warning, just pop right into a cart-wheel.

I think it's understandable that the school is worried that some other kid is going to move into the hazard area and some one could get hurt. Then some teacher will be sued for not stopping it.

ok, hands up anyone that actually sued their school when they were kids?

when i was 6 some kid was demonstrating what he'd learned in judo class the night before, 'cept he obviously wasn't paying much attention because when he tried to throw me over his shoulder he tore all the ligaments in my elbow. teachers told me to stop being a baby about it - that's a quote - and get to my next class. they had to call my mum eventually because i wouldn't stop crying, and we went to the hospital where six hours later they put my arm in a cast to immobolise the joint and give it time to heal.

at no point did anyone consider suing anyone.

kids run around, kids have accidents, kids get hurt and hurt other kids. maybe y'all need to stop trying to stop kids being kids and start trying to stop parents being fucking idiots that sue every time normal things happen to their children.

Ah yes. That was an innocent time. Life was golden then.

That's all well and good, up to a point. But...

When I was in middle school, a classmate of mine got hit in the face with a baseball bat during gym class. On purpose.It fucked him up big time.

You bet there was a lawyer or three involved, and this was twenty years ago.

There's a huge difference between an innocent mistake and willful misconduct.

I'm sure we all remember the great Chicago Red Rover disaster in '84. The History Channel interviewed a doctor that treated most of the wrist injuries. He still has nightmares.

"I remember back when children weren't too good to go through the windshield with the rest of the family"
- Jeff Foxworthy

but what about the neglect of the teachers not getting me the necessary medical attention? nodoby wanted to sue for that either.
and if someone hits you in the face, hard, with a baseball bat. on purpose. you sue them, not the school they were going to for not stopping it happening.
if a teacher hits you in the face with a baseball bat, you sue the teacher, not the school.
if the teacher did it because he was ordered to by the entire schoolboard, then you can sue the school!

stop suing schools people!

Well we didnt sue the school, but did make them pay my hospital bills, read my previous post.

i know. i read it. you didn't sue. in other news, kittens are mostly fluffy.

11 year old kids getting pregnant nowadays and we're worried about cartwheels? Wow.

You know how I learned that my actions could hurt somebody? I accidentally hurt somebody. Then I felt bad. Then I got home and got punished. Then I felt bad again.

The modern satety culture has become dangerous.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

"We're calling your father," struck fear in my heart much quicker than, "You'll get a detention." Of course, I grew up back when it was okay to yell at your kid.

she was suspended for disobeying the teachers, not doing the cartwheels. disciplinary measures WERE warranted. of course a 1 week suspension is a little extreme.

I saw this story on the news last night, the girls parents are old skool, stubborn, hard-nosed, Scotch immigrants with very cool accents! The principal said the girl's cartwheels were okay as long as she kept it outside, apparently the principal told the parents and the girl to stop her from doing cartwheels in the hallways and anyplace inside school buildings...Media has completely sucked up anything the girls parents come up with and how there poor girl is being attacked for her innocent play! The real news should be Dr. Hager being appointed as chair of the FDA, not a report on a little girl who wants to cartwheel in her schools hallway.

Bugger them.Iif they wont let children be children, then why enjoy growing up at all?