Month: July 2018

Wine, cheese, and wisdom are some of the things that better with age. Being built in 1971, Middleboro High School is not one of those things. In late 2013, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges stated that Middleboro would either need to update/build the school or lose accreditation. This decision brings a lot of chaos and opinions to the town meetings. Taxes, land, and time are the biggest upsets. Why would anyone not want to have the best of the best? We want what’s best for our children, right?  Is there a town in Massachusetts that does not have their own high school? Not only does Middleboro deserve a new school, but a safe one.

According to high school building standards of today, MHS is in last place. The classroom sizes are too small and there are classrooms without windows at all (basement classes). The building does not support a special needs program as well as inappropriate lab spaces. Something so scary, even grandfathered in, MHS does not have an automatic sprinkler system! In order to grow as a community, we should nurture our future by giving our children all they need to grow themselves and support one another.

The most voiced complaint regarding the new high school is money. Of course no one wants to pay more in taxes than they already have to. Is there a max price to spend on your child’s education? According to the town, property taxes would increases less than $600 a year over a 30 year period. If MHS loses accreditation, individual families would have to pay a lot more than this to send their child to a private high school or to another town high school. School Superintendent Brian E. Lynch said he was “extremely pleased and grateful” for the vote, and said the new school was “a positive investment in the future of this great hometown [that] will potentially maximize the intellectual, physical, social, and emotional well-being of Middleborough children for generations to come.

Voting day came and went! Voters voted almost 2 to 1 in favor for a new high school. In order to be a town where people want to live or move to, we need to have what people want. People looking to settle down want good schools, low crime, and a home town feel. This small fee over 30 years will help bring in countless businesses, abundance of people, and a great education to build a future. One member of the town committee is Allin Frawley. “It’s going to be the largest construction project in the history of Middleboro. Costing $103 million witha substansial investment by the State. (Around $48 million).” (Fawley)

In the celebration of the new school that my children and I will benefit from, my next concern is will they be safe? “Everyday, I fear for sending my daughter to school. I see on the news of school shootings or bullying.” (Woloski) It seems that every day we send our children to school and expect them to be educated but who is really there to protect them? With all the school shootings in the news everyday, there needs to be safety measures taken. Over half of the funding for the new school is coming from the state. There is no reason to not put in metal detectors or train teachers with defense tactics on how to disarm someone.

Now that we have the votes and the funding, we need to make sure we put the assistance and knowledge to good use. The town has heard the pleas from its people, now listen. We need updates, safety, and not to take all of our money for it.

 

Mealey, Erin. “New School for Middleboro?”, 29 September 2016

Woloski, Kristen. Personal Interview, 15, July 2018

King, Adam. “School safety changes could change your child” 23, February 2018

Frawley, Allin. Personal Interview. 5, July 2018

 

I remember spending sunny days at the Pierce Playground in Middleboro, burning my legs as I slide down the huge metal slide. Flipping backwards off the hard seated swings as my babysitter did an “underdog”. Spinning on the merry go round so fast the world kept spinning once we stopped. I remember the posts one summer, you could vote on the next playground design for the area. All made out of this chunky plastic with “safety” areas, no more hard swings or merry go round. Absolutely no more metal slide to burn my legs on! It was fun! It was our childhood. It was far from “safe”, according to today’s Consumer Product Safety Commission. Has this group’s idea of safety affected what playgrounds are meant for?

In the 1900’s, playgrounds were not free form. According to a paper written by Kaitlin Oshea, they had instructors to teach the children lessons and organize  children’s play. Play grounds were referred to as “lots” with old pipes, chains, and ladders. This reminds me of seeing “helicopter parents” at the park with my kids. If the kids try to do something that is scary to you, let them. It will build confidence in themselves as well as the parent.

All parents, new and old, enjoy bringing their kids to the playground to “burn off some steam”, but who is getting more out of it? The parents get a tiny break of having to constantly entertain. The children run, spin, slide, and laugh. Valerie Strauss, a writer and therapist, states that it is “vital to activate the vestibular complex to improve self-regulation and improve their attention span over time”. Could ADHD be treated with the merry go round? Strauss explains that after spinning on the merry go round, children have to focus in order to regulate themselves. This focus could be carried their whole lives, all in the name of fun. Strauss speaks to teachers who note the increase of children that can not sit still or focus in class. Is this increase due to the merry go round being taken out of playgrounds? Strauss says “Merry go rounds, teeter totters, tall swings, and slides all help out children establish strong balance systems”.

The playgrounds now-a-days lack the fun, engaging, slightly scary excitement! Children are less likely to want to go to the playground because their game system is more exciting. If the kids only knew that getting outside or to the playground is healthier. If the playgrounds would consider going back to the basics, maybe more children would lead healthier lives. What’s the harm in a merry go round?

 

Strauss, Valerie. 2015, November 29. Rethinking ‘ultra-safe’ playgrounds: Why it’s time to bring back “thrill-provoking” equipment for kids” Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/11/29/rethinking-ultra-safe-playgrounds-why-its-time-to-bring-back-thrill-provoking-equipment-for-kids/?utm_term=.d3970964e00

In this article, Strauss explains the importance of playground equipment and development of young children.

 

Heap, Matt. 2012, October 12. Playground History Retrieved from  https://www.espplay.co.uk/tag/playground-history/

Heap covers why playgrounds have changed due to sue happy people of the world today. He also gives insight on where playgrounds started and the latest trends in new playgrounds.

 

Bornstein, David. 2011, April 7. The Power of the Playground Retrieved from https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/07/the-power-of-the-playground/

Bornstein notes in this article regarding play time being good to develop leadership skills. He states that some children might learn better, if left alone.

 

O’shea, Kailtin. 2013, April 15. How we Came to Play: The History of Playgrounds Retrieved from https://savingplaces.org/stories/how-we-came-to-play-the-history-of-playgrounds/#.W0KRttJKjrc

This piece is written about where the design of playgrounds started as well as latest trends due to safety concerns.

 

Jespersen, Jeanette, F. 2017, November 17. The Risk-Benefit Equation of Challenging Playgrounds Retrieved from https://www.childinthecity.org/2017/11/17/the-risk-benefit-equation-of-challenging-playgrounds/

This article notes the relation between risks and learning at playgrounds. She references different Professors that call the need for risk important in order for children to learn.

 

This is a good piece. I enjoyed reading your essay regarding the obesity among children as this is an epidemic no one wants to address. When I had my first child, I wanted to make sure I made healthy decisions for my son as I knew what it was like to be a chubby kid. Your references cited are all great, I especially like that you used the CDC.

I remember spending sunny days at the Pierce Playground in Middleboro, burning my legs as I slide down the huge metal slide. Flipping backwards off the hard seated swings as my babysitter did an “underdog”. Spinning on the merry go round so fast the world kept spinning once we stopped. I remember the posts one summer, you could vote on the next playground design for the area. All made out of this chunky plastic with “safety” areas, no more hard swings or merry go round. Absolutely no more metal slide to burn my legs on! It was fun! It was our childhood. It was far from “safe”, according to today’s Consumer Product Safety Commission. Has this group’s idea of safety affected what playgrounds are meant for?

In the 1900’s, playgrounds were not free form. According to a paper written by Kaitlin Oshea, they had instructors to teach the children lessons and organize  children’s play. Play grounds were referred to as “lots” with old pipes, chains, and ladders. This reminds me of seeing “helicopter parents” at the park with my kids. My husband is the worst offender of this! If the kids try to do something that is scary to you, let them. It will build confidence in themselves as well as the parent.

All parents, new and old, enjoy bringing their kids to the playground to “burn off some steam”, but who is getting more out of it? The parents get a tiny break of having to constantly entertain. The children run, spin, slide, and laugh. Valerie Strauss, a writer and therapist, states that it is “vital to activate the vestibular complex to improve self-regulation and improve their attention span over time”. Could ADHD be treated with the merry go round? Strauss explains that after spinning on the merry go round, children have to focus in order to regulate themselves. This focus could be carried their whole lives, all in the name of fun. Strauss speaks to teachers who note the increase of children that can not sit still or focus in class. Is this increase due to the merry go round being taken out of playgrounds? Strauss says “Merry go rounds, teeter totters, tall swings, and slides all help out children establish strong balance systems”.

The playgrounds now-a-days lack the fun, engaging, slightly scary excitement! Children are less likely to want to go to the playground because their game system is more exciting. If the kids only knew that getting outside or to the playground is healthier. If the playgrounds would consider going back to the basics, maybe more children would lead healthier lives. What’s the harm in a merry go round?

 

Information sources:

Valerie Strauss, 2015, The Washington Post “Rethinking ‘ultra-safe’ Playgrounds: Why is it Important to Bring Back “Thrill Provoking” Equipment for our Kids”

Kaitlin Oshea, “History of the Land” and “The American City”

Matt Heap: www.espplay.co.uk/the-history-of-playgrounds