Laptop schools

[hockeyfan21]

Youth sports are about having fun and learning life lessons....

Don't forget they put a score board in the rink for a reason. If we keep playing for fun, our teams will keep coming home with participation medals. Learning how to win, and that you don't always win are great life lessons. Our elementary schools are trying very hard to eliminate all competition in the classroom as well as the playing fields. No more top grades posted because someone might feel bad.

I've read enough of your posts on these boards to know you are crazy parent #1.

Yes winning and losing is an important life lesson. Is hand picking WHICH school/youth association you attend based on your chances of winning and losing a good life lesson? Is switching high schools 2 or 3 times (numerous examples) for hockey a good life lesson?

What happened to the life lessons of building a community from the ground up? To making a team better, not just yourself better? To learning to deal with a boss (in this case coach) you disagree with or don't like?

How about the lesson that if you work your a@@ off and do everything you can and make a B team, that you tough it out and play for that B team instead of claiming it is political, that the program sucks, that you got screwed, and moving?

And regarding our elementary schools eliminating competition... you have no clue. The battery of tests (NWEA, MAP, MCA, ORF, PLL) that students take that have a direct impact on class placement beginning in 1st grade is doing anything but eliminating competition. No more top grades posted? Again, no clue. Top students are posted visibly. Honor rolls are published in local newspapers. Schools rankings are posted in the Star Tribune annually showing which schools are producing and which aren't. And oh by the way MN is annually a top 5 to 10 state for education.

The reason teachers hesitate to point out flaws in little Johnny and Suzy isn't because the kids cant take it. It's because the parents are freaking nuts and refuse to put any of the accountability on their child or their parenting skills.

Yes video games teach a variety of things that can translate, as can stick handling. But I've yet to see a debate about whether God given video game ability manifests at 13 or 7...

Instead of just anecdotal evidence I like to site my sources.

http://newsinfo.iu.edu/web/page/normal/6073.html

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_an ... oblem.html

http://www.science20.com/chemical_educa ... tion-90781

[imlisteningtothefnsong]

I've read enough of your posts on these boards to know you are crazy parent #1.

And all these years my mom said that I would never amount to anything!!!

[CHI-TOWN HOCKEYDAD]

HF21,

I agree with some of what you have said but:

.... Is hand picking WHICH school/youth association you attend based on your chances of winning and losing a good life lesson?

This is called freedom of choice or capitalism and what our country is built on.

...What happened to the life lessons of building a community from the ground up?

This is called communism.

Would you be forced to change 2 to 3 times if you had freedom of choice? Perhaps, but much less likely. At least if so, then you can only blame yourself for not doing your homework. Is the choice really on the chances of winning and losing or could it be on the best development. The coincidence is that better development often translates to more wins. Yes, we can pick our schools. I wonder why do you think that is? Perhaps because if the one in your community doesn't suit your desire, you have a choice. I wonder, why do we HAVE TO link school and hockey? Why can't one choose the best school and the best hockey program? If so, there might be less of a market for these types of programs.

Would it work if your choice of company/profession/position had to be based upon the good of the community? Absolutely not. The reason is the bottom looks to the top to pull them through which in turn inhibits progress. As well, it retards the potential of those at the top. Survival of the fittest. If you are well prepared (a good player) you have more choices than if you are not. Inside a limited community regardless of your talent your choices are in turn limited.

I know which life lessons I want my children to learn. The system, as it stands, doesn't suit them as well as it could if it reflected realistic "life lessons" not communist lessons that don't translate later when Johnny has to compete to survive outside his community.

So what is the lesson? We live and compete in a world economy not a community one. The earlier this is learned and mastered the better off one is.

Just my $0.02 (Ok maybe $0.10 , go ahead and trash away)

[hockeyfan21]

Chi-town.

Wrote a long rambling diatribe in response. Bored myself when I read it. In general we agree.