I’ve heard of lot’s of revolutionary ideas in childhood eduction. When I was a kid, it was “Drop Everything And Read” (DEAR) that was a new idea tested on us, but ‘drop everything and massage’…in middle school? Hmmmm…
Massage…In Middle Schools?
What would happen if you had kids giving eath other massage in middle school?
Youngsters at Thomas A Becket Middle School in Glebeside Avenue, Worthing, are being offered up to 45 minutes of relaxing massage time a week.
It is hoped this would calm them down and make them more confident, a teacher at the school said.
In a letter to parents a school teacher said parents could come and watch a DVD explaining the virtues of offering massages to children.
The letter said: “Children wear their normal school clothes and give massage to each other on the back, head and arms. They take part in ten to fifteen minutes massage two to three times a week.
“Studies have shown that, when children give massage to each other, they become calmer, concentrate better and have more confidence.
“They learn to respect themselves and other children. Each child gives permission for massage to take place. If children do not want to give or receive massage they sit and watch.”
The sessions would take part as part of the Massage in Schools Programme, an international scheme.
Even though I love massage (don’t get me wrong) I can’t help but see massage…in middle schools as a phenomenally bad idea for a few reasons.
First, at an age when kids are going through their transition from child to young adult this kind of thing (and it’s a theory of improvement in school) could easily be a hormonal field day. How do you handle it when hands start straying…oops !
Secondly, when we (especially teens) start touching, the oxytocin flows and we rev the mechanism of attachment. This is the same mechanism that attaches the baby to his or mother through nursing – and it’s beautiful in this context. In the context of developing an automatic feeling of trust through touch with peers, it could add to an already peer directed generation and further undermine the leadership of the very adults who are introducing this idea…unless the adults do the massaging, but we won’t even go there!
So what do you think? is massage in middle school the next big thing, or a really stupid idea?
Share your thoughts below!
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