Submitted by Phantasmagoria, Feb 25, 2007 02:51

I went to an affluent public school, so I was lucky. But even so, I know the evil plight that has sickened the institution is not something that can be cured without straight out revolution and large tractors demolishing physical walls.

Get rid of public-school-driven sports. Get rid of PE. I know this is a source of utimate American pride, but just think about it. I know many Americans would kill anyone who defies their love of school sport and team pride, but I contest this commonsense assumption. What I have seen is that P.E. and these other "school spirit" activities cause shame and stress for students. It enforces ideologies on diverse peoples with diverse backgrounds, privileging some and squashing others.

I support sports, but not as an attached component to public school institutions. I think sport-related institutions should remain apart, like independent associations and clubs that may even be situated near schools. But the highly inseparable symbiosis between schools and their sports is part of a suspicious and objectionable hegemony that favors elitism, violent competition, primordial instincts. This is not the ultimate result of sport, and sport is often a wonderful thing, but in practice, I have only seen it do harm as a part of public schools. Independent sports associations may use market forces to lure their kids into the world of sports; that is fine. But education should remain separate from these other activities.

If there is less time spent on PE and some of the other excessive activities in school, then daily school hours would be reduced, and then there would be more time left either before or after school for children to express themselves and excercise themselves as they fit. Some children want to hike in the woods instead of doing jumping jacks on the simmering asphalt in regimented order with people they feel embarassed with.

Another weakness is the environment within the classroom. I don't even see why the desks, chairs, and overall mise-en-scene must be arranged as they are. The mise-en-scene of the classroom has not changed since one-room school houses in the 19th century. The teacher should share more space with the students, and not remain in a separate bully pulpit in the front. If the children feel they are part of a discussion, they will feel they are part of the world, and accordingly feel that they share the world, and have a responsibility and an interest in exploring that world. The teacher should walk around all the students' chairs, sit down with them, or demonstrate like an actor more often than not.

There is much more, but I'll end with this. Urban sprawl is a huge problem affecting eeeeverything. Just about everything. 1950s consumer car culture has effectively set up many obstacles in our society, and it affects schools too. The mere time wasted on transporting to and from school is an almost emotional weight to students. The desolate and insignificant architecture dominating the buildings and landscape surrounding schools and within schools also hinder the nourishment of intellect and creativity. Urban planning should foster equal opportunities for citizens, as a reflection of the writ of our nation that also mandates equal opportunity. As it is, poor kids are severed from schools because of acres of damnable asphalt, or they must face dangerous crime on the long journey to and fro; children grow pale and unfit because they can't walk between school and home and once all the congested traffic is done, children are right to say to hell with homework and studying and excercise, especially after traffic in the mundane landsape of suburbia today!

That is my opinion. Maybe it's rash. But I think many public schoolers feel the same.

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