| I consider myself plenty intelligent. Still, there are | | | | It was horrible. The ball hit me so hard it knocked |
| some things I just can't wrap my head around. | | | | me down and I passed out. When I woke up, the |
| One of these things is dodgeball. I don't | | | | pain was terrible and it made me cry for a good |
| understand dodge ball at all. When did it become | | | | while. |
| 'fun' for kids to hurl hard plastic balls at one | | | | Why do schools still have kids play this game? |
| another? And why is this considered a game | | | | What benefit comes from learning about |
| instead of a form of violence? | | | | dodgeball? What does this teach kids other than |
| I can remember being on the playground as a | | | | to be brutal? |
| child and dreading dodgeball. We had no way to | | | | Kids learn to try to stay alive while being attacked |
| get out of it. Out on the concrete, our gym | | | | by their peers. Is this really the type of thing that |
| teachers would herd us into a circle and pick a | | | | we want children to be learning while in school? |
| few unlucky kids - usually the new kids - to stand | | | | When I look back to my own childhood, I am |
| in the circle. | | | | astounded to think about kids being able to play |
| These kids in the circle were the targets for | | | | this way. There are so many other games to |
| other kids to try to hit with the balls. The kids | | | | play while on recess. Why would schools want to |
| would have to bob and weave and try to keep | | | | encourage a game that is based on being violent? |
| from being hit as long as they could. It was | | | | I truly cannot think of any benefit that can |
| impossible to successfully dodge for long. The first | | | | possibly come from dodgeball. I'm so glad that I |
| time I played, I got hit smack in the face. | | | | won't ever have to take a gym class ever again. |