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Play.Rules.Apology.Forgive...

Play, Rules, Apology, Forgive...
There comes a time when the adults must let the children work it out.  Whether it's between siblings or classmates.
The playground is a place of learning that sometimes offers more valuable lessons than any textbook or teacher could impart on a child.  It is the real-life experience that sits in the minds of children and from whence they draw their conclusion about the world; what's fair, what's acceptable, what's right. 
My students have formed an impressive "playground relationship" with one another.  It wasn't always this way, though.  When they first came to me they struggled with "play".  They struggled with something that came to them so naturally.  Maybe it wasn't so much the "play" part of play that caused the problems.  Maybe it was the process of how to play in a group, enjoy oneself, and overcome obstacles that hinders the enjoyment of the game at hand.
We worked on these things.  We worked on them directly in the classroom; the teacher telling them what is expected.  We worked on them during lessons when we had small groups working together.  Here was an opportunity for them to spend a short time with others kids they might have chosen to spend time with, but with a common purpose in mind.  We worked on them during recess itself.
The last arena for practice of play is the playground itself.  Everything else is preparatory.
My students have learned the following ideas about play:
  • Play (to enjoy a game and have fun)
  • Rules (a set of agreed upon ideas about how to play the game)
  • Apology (offering a sincere "sorry" when a rule is broken or play does not result in "fun")
  • Forgive (to accept the apology and understand that we all make mistakes)
They still work on these and probably will for some time to come...
Don't we all?
Mr. Casten
May 6, 2011


  Copyrighted material of Michael C. Casten

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