Teaching 2nd graders to ride bikes is now part of DC curriculum?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love it! It will making bicycling even more popular. 10 years from now many of these kids will be using their bicycles to get around instead of having to ask their parents for a ride every time.

Seriously. The problem is tha tmost of these kids have completely disengaged parents to begin, one reason many of them can't ride a bike. I wonder like a PP, where are all these bikes going to be stored. I would bet money that at least half will be stolen by the first semester. I am ALL for physical fitness but this just isn't very thought out.

You think my kid can't ride a bike because I'm "disengaged"?

Perhaps you should get out of your suburban cul-de-sac once in a while.

PP apparently also thinks some parents are "disengaged" because they're poor.

Actually they're "engaged" in working more than one job, possibly commuting to take care of your WOTP children or clean your grandmother's bedpan. They could be "engaged" in paying increasingly unaffordable DC rents and not have money left over for a bike.

Talk to a poor parent some time. Tell her to her face her kid doesn't have what your kid has simply because she doesn't care.

Be sure to carry your yoga mat to your meeting so she sees how much harder you work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love it! It will making bicycling even more popular. 10 years from now many of these kids will be using their bicycles to get around instead of having to ask their parents for a ride every time.

Seriously. The problem is tha tmost of these kids have completely disengaged parents to begin, one reason many of them can't ride a bike. I wonder like a PP, where are all these bikes going to be stored. I would bet money that at least half will be stolen by the first semester. I am ALL for physical fitness but this just isn't very thought out.

You think my kid can't ride a bike because I'm "disengaged"?

Perhaps you should get out of your suburban cul-de-sac once in a while.

PP apparently also thinks some parents are "disengaged" because they're poor.

Actually they're "engaged" in working more than one job, possibly commuting to take care of your WOTP children or clean your grandmother's bedpan. They could be "engaged" in paying increasingly unaffordable DC rents and not have money left over for a bike.

Talk to a poor parent some time. Tell her to her face her kid doesn't have what your kid has simply because she doesn't care.

Be sure to carry your yoga mat to your meeting so she sees how much harder you work.

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Better than the damn square dancing I had to do in PE growing up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Better than the damn square dancing I had to do in PE growing up.

This made me LOL! I enjoyed it because it was chock full of side-splitting laughter, but I still can't figure out what value square dancing was supposed to have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Better than the damn square dancing I had to do in PE growing up.

I hadn't thought about that in 40 years until you mentioned it. Agree 100 times over! Stupid square dancing lobby!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Better than the damn square dancing I had to do in PE growing up.

This made me LOL! I enjoyed it because it was chock full of side-splitting laughter, but I still can't figure out what value square dancing was supposed to have.

No practical purpose as in "you will some day be invited to a hoe down," but it does require brain to body coordination, memory, concentration, rhythm, etc. So it actually is developmentally appropriate. But silly too. My kids love the Cotton Eye Joe.

And no, my 3rd grader cannot ride a bike and not from lack of trying, nor due to disengaged parents.

[Anonymous]

They are moving around, not sitting around, learning a skill that involves concentration and balance. That's it. Just relax and enjoy it. Think of all the initiatives DCPS comes up with that involve sitting and testing - there is really no harm to this one, but there is a lot of potential for good.

[Anonymous]

I'm all for it except I can't figure out where they're going to do it safely, at least at the two elementary schools I've seen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Better than the damn square dancing I had to do in PE growing up.

I hadn't thought about that in 40 years until you mentioned it. Agree 100 times over! Stupid square dancing lobby!

I grew up in a fairly urban district and we, too, had to do that fucking square dancing lesson.

On the plus side, I got to be partnered with the cutest girl in our class ?

[Anonymous]

I would love if "learning to tie shoes" was added to the PK/Kindergarten curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would love if "learning to tie shoes" was added to the PK/Kindergarten curriculum.

I agree. But some curmudgeon somewhere is poised at the keyboard to say that "engaged" parents who "care" about their kids should be doing this at home.

[Anonymous]

My concern is that DCPS will not provide the budget money to maintain these bikes. I have CP CPS get excited about a new program and then abandon it after a year I hope these bikes don't end up in a warehouse or that it falls to the pta to buy new bike tires

This is the second year dcps is providing a budget to buy new library books even. This is not a school districts that budgets with long term planning in mind

[Anonymous]

Huge fan of this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In an email we received from DCPS, Kaya Henderson spent considerable time talking about some new curriculum initiative. The only concrete example she pointed to was that the curriculum would include teaching second graders to ride bikes.

Really? This is for school time? No wonder DCPS scores so low. This is not a "curriculum." This is what kids have done for ages on their own time at home.

It's PE. Cycling is as useful a subject for PE as lots of other sports. PE is good for kids. Fit kids have higher IQs and get better test scores. Kids who have PE are better able to concentrate when they are in the classroom.

It's a great idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Better than the damn square dancing I had to do in PE growing up.

I liked square dancing.

I will now go drink to cover my secret shame.