A small school in Seattle just banned legos from their classrooms, because they believe 'it teaches kids the evils of owning private property.' The school believe kids will claim ownership of the toys and it will cause fights and encourage the children to learn ideals that the teachers do not share.
Teachers said that their values believed allowing ownership and possessive qualities to continue teaches the children to accept and live in a society that is 'capitalistic and oppressive.' The story began when a group of 8 year olds began building a lego town. The lego town grew over the next couple weeks and as children began to play with it, several claimed possession of different parts of the town. Teachers began to discuss the ban when a child's lego airplane was denied the use of the lego airport. Several other minor possession claims arose in this same manor, and teachers decided to ban legos.
Many spectators have ruled this as 'riduculous', but the school has not backed down from their position.
It sounds to me as though the kids are building their fine motor skills while unknowingly developing an understanding of economics. This ban is without a doubt ridiculous and possibly more harmful to the children than helpful.
In an attempt to litteraly brainwash the children into accepting communist standards the teachers have now removed the ban on legos only now they have given new rules that oppose the capitalist society the rest of our nation lives in.
- legos and what is built can only be owned by a team or group, not an individual
- all structures are public structures
- all structures are also limited to standard sizes only
These standards are without a doubt directly related to communist concepts that have failed time and time again to bring about the 'perfect society.' What these teachers are teaching their students is not only ethically impossible, but it is also creating a double standard with what they are indirectly taught outside of school.
Raise your hand if you think this is totally and utterly ridiculous.
[The above article is a summary of a new report found on this source: http://www.foxnews.com/bigstory/index.html# called 'Capitalism Vs. Creativity']
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*raises hand* This is not only ridiculous, but extreme. Apparently, these teachers were never taught that communism NEVER works. Sure, it's a great ideal but there's just too many flaws for it to actually work. The kids need to learn that the world isn't perfect and that they cannot be in their own little bubble for the rest of their lives.
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"They can smash your cookie, but you'll always get your fortune."
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I agree, but those teachers aren't listening to logic! Thanks for commenting.
"Teachers began to discuss the ban when a child's lego airplane was denied the use of the lego airport."
Now, a truly capitalist little kid would have just built his own lego airport, and thus learned another valuable lesson about competition.
The bottom line, I don't know where they're getting these insane teachers from (and how they all somehow have a communist viewpoint), but the ban on legos is ridiculous. We live in a capitalist society, deal with it already! It's been proven throughout history that communism doesnt work because a little something called Human Nature gets in the way. It's in our nature to be competitive creatures. That's how the world works.
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Stephen Colbert: Enemy of the Democrat?
I know! I don't know what teachers pick up during college and training but somewhere in the past few years they've gone wack! Thanks for stopping by.
While I kind of understand the teachers position and them wanting to avoid possessive behaviors in the classroom, I don't agree with the way they're handling the situation. I think this would be a good opportunity to teach about economics, property management, and pros and cons of capitalism, as well teaching about community, sharing, and working together.
I don't think the students should be allowed to be TOO possessive with their lego creations, after all the school needs to create a safe and accessible environment for all the students, and allowing some students to claim ownership of many "properties" and exclude others from using them does not create an accessible learning environment for the excluded students. Perhaps they could have designated some parts of the lego town as public areas that couldn't be claimed by anyone, while still allowing each student to claim up to a certain amount of private property, and allowing groups of students to own additional properties. Allowing time for class discussions on what property ownership means both in the classroom and in the real world would also help.
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"If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?"
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." - Marianne Williamson
Sure, communism isn't great, but neither is capitalism. A balance between the two would be perfect, but any economic change in the direction of communism would immediately label us as communists, wouldn't it? That's just the way conservatives think I guess (SCORE!). Anyway, I don't think children get their values from their toys and they should let them play in peace.
I understand that teachers of younger students want to promote sharing and understanding of others, but that lego thing does sound pretty communist in its beliefs. If the children wanted to "own" somethign for the time being, then they could still be taught how to be kind and share with others, even if they claim ownership.
Ummm....I think that most of us played with LEGOS when we were little, and we turned out just fine. They are little kids, if they are not clamming LEGO buildings it's going to be the crayons. They are still in the “what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine” mind set. They are little kids, get over it people.
Random yet insightful?
Ok, let's see what this is all about.
I think you people are overrating the issue. It just seems to me that in the whole COMMUNISM versus CAPITALISM aspect you're forgetting that these teachers are supposed to take care of a massive bunch of kids, and that the kids were getting really possessive of the Legos.
I don't believe the ban (and the following lift with rules) was a result of the teachers trying to convert the kids to communism but rather a simple and quick solution to a problem, although it may have created another problem with those who have opinions about absolutely everything.
So if by ridiculous you mean the article and the whole "Woo~ The commies are all around you~", then yes, I raise my hand.
if the actions of the teachers are accurately recorded in this article, it does nothing to further communist ideals, and only makes a legitimate movement look ridiculous. it is foolish to attempt to teach and apply complex economic and social philosophies to little kids who cannot grasp, and do not wish to grasp, there significance. It will only foster elementary understanding and prejudice of both communism and capitalism.
kids playing with legos has nothing to do with communism over capitalism. Let the kids enjoy their legos, and allow them to make their own decisions at an age when they can actaully grasp such concepts.
just another example of how teacher unions and socialist democrats are going to ruin this country if they continue their agenda
yup yup- thanks for stopping by.
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http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/shirleymu07
haha! ah sarcasm how I love thee so
"What the hell are you waiting for?" Linkin Park-Jay Z
glad you enjoy it so much. xp
visit my blog
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/shirleymu07
That's ironic, socialist democracy would make something pretty damn close to communism.
" * legos and what is built can only be owned by a team or group, not an individual
* all structures are public structures
* all structures are also limited to standard sizes only"
Working in childcare myself, I really must applaud these teachers. The kids could not play well with others. After being told time and time again to share, etc., the legos were taken away. Perhaps banning the legos altogether was a bit extreme, but their reinstated rules were a stroke of genious. The kids get their legos back if A) they use teamwork, B) they share their creations, and C) they share the Lego pieces. Truly, these teachers rock.
"What the hell are you waiting for?" Linkin Park-Jay Z
So they can grow up to share their stocks and bonds, right...
--Mike
Look, working in childcare, I know how hard it is to keep kids having a good time while keeping them from fighting. What these teachers did was the best thing for the situation. To call it communism is just rediculous.
"What the hell are you waiting for?" Linkin Park-Jay Z
They destroyed what was quite possibly the most promising experiment of economics. Imagine what this could have proven in the way of anarcho-capitalism or libertarianism were the kids able to figure out their own system.
I'm going to have to promote this experiment to an econ major...
--Mike
My mother has been a kindergarten and/or first grade teacher for more than twenty years and I've been working with younger kids since I was a young teen. When my mother and I read the article we both agreed that the standards promoted by the teachers undercut the capitalist society we live in. We also agreed that the depth of the values the teachers wanted to instil in the children was motivated in a communistic direction. We aren't demeaning the teaching methods we are rebuting the standards within the rules/ban.
Also, the point of working with children, i.e. teaching, is not 'to keep kids having a good time', it is to help them learn and grow in maturity.
-S
visit this blog: http://www.progressiveu.org/175107-slavery-still-exists-be-an-abolitionist
Hand raised (not to heil Hitler, though). I still don't understand why there is so much of an ultra-left slant in education, and why it started with gym class.
--Mike
Lol, oops I didn't even think about the Hitler hail until you said that, maybe I should have said 'nod your head' instead. Thanks for stopping by. :D I'll try to return the favor. (Thanks also for the above comment, I wasn't sure how I was going to respond.)
-S
visit this blog: http://www.progressiveu.org/175107-slavery-still-exists-be-an-abolitionist
Except the fact that Hitler was fascist, not communist.
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Bloggers! YOU are the future of this country! How are your actions measuring up?
True, but economically his standards were similiar to communism... tyfc
visit this blog: http://www.progressiveu.org/175107-slavery-still-exists-be-an-abolitionist
Technically communism is the exact opposite of facism, since facism wants to return back to the traditional ways but communism wants to reject anything traditional (China's 5 Year Plans called for complete elimination of anything of the "old" life).
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"They can smash your cookie, but you'll always get your fortune."
My blog
The difference between fascism and iron-fist socialism is really a matter of perspective.
Socialism removes civil rights as they interfere with a government-controlled economy while fascism takes away economic rights as they interfere with a goverment-controlled populous.
--Mike
quite the debate on political semantics
is it worth it?
probably not
There is an increasing lack of concern for political issues and policies in my generation. I think promoting knowledge of the world and environment around me is always worth it.
What other purpose would this 'progressive' site serve? This is what it is here for.
-S
visit this blog: http://www.progressiveu.org/175107-slavery-still-exists-be-an-abolitionist
debating the definition between socialism, fascism and communism should be low on the list of "progressive issues"
but for those who want to....go at it
It helps to better understand political theory, which is usually very relevent.
--Mike
Like the other responder said, if you don't understand political parties, economics, and the proceedures of all government, then you are less likely to have any clue of what you are debating. People who are educated on current events as well as the ins and outs of government policies actually know what they are talking about, where as some who ignore the text book side of things are just blabbering steam from their mouths with no knowledge to back it up.
visit this blog: http://www.progressiveu.org/175107-slavery-still-exists-be-an-abolitionist
Like the other responder said, if you don't understand political parties, economics, and the proceedures of all government, then you are less likely to have any clue of what you are debating. People who are educated on current events as well as the ins and outs of government policies actually know what they are talking about, where as some who ignore the text book side of things are just blabbering steam from their mouths with no knowledge to back it up.
visit this blog: http://www.progressiveu.org/175107-slavery-still-exists-be-an-abolitionist
understanding of political philosophy should include an understanding that definitions are fluid and vary according to the situations in which they are implemented.
but your are correct, a solid understanding of the basic priniciples is very important.
i can now see that it was a basic understanding that the previous discussion was attempting to uncover.
Yes that was our purpose. Thanks for stopping by.
-S
visit this blog: http://www.progressiveu.org/175107-slavery-still-exists-be-an-abolitionist
ur welcome?
I agree- this is almost as bad as some other situations I'm aware of:
teachers restricting the brand and number of crayons students are allowed to have- Your kid can't have 24 crayons, that's not fair to the 8-crayon kids. Well, wake up teacher, life's not fair.
I've also heard of other schools banning any type of competitive game, rewards for good behavior, and show-and-tell on the grounds of these being "unfair" to some kids. In my opinion, the best lesson a child could learn is that not everyone is given equal resources and opportunities, but he who makes the best of given resources (no matter how lacking they are) comes out ahead. Who cares if Kid A has 1000 crayons; it doesn't matter if the 8-crayon kid is the better colorer.