Page 8 | School PE lessons, children made to pick teams, disgusting or what

DistingusedSocialCommentator · 2024-02-28T22:05:55+00:00

I've just read a thread by an FM here asking if "schools were getting children to choose teams" and FM felt it was "old-fashioned" Schools bang on about inclusion/fairness/caring/MH well-being, etc etc FFS (sorry about my language) how the F does a child feel when they are the group of children who are almost the last ones to be picked??? What ruddy clowns at schools still allow this disgusting and ignorant method of choosing teams?? Are you not ruddy aware that this method of choosing teams can and does affect children's MH and can scar them for like Any teachers here care to comment, or justify this ludicrously pathetic and ancient method of hosing teams?? does it go in your child's school or one you work in? If so, have you pulled up the culprits? AIBU to believe this method of choosing teams is outdated and harmful to many of our DC? Tomorrow, I will get on to the papers/radio and tv stations to outlaw this crass method of choosing teams in PE and other settings in schools.

AliceA2021 · 29/02/2024 09:05

Shopper727 · 29/02/2024 08:54

They still did this in late 80’s when I was at school. For some children it was horrendous and soul destroying, other kids who just weren’t good at sport perhaps weren’t so bothered but I think it depends why you were left till last. I was left till last because no one wanted me on their team, I was bullied by so many people at school and they were horrible the kids who tried to help were then targeted so I was left alone. So standing there on my own whilst the person who had no choice said my name in a horrible way and the rest of the team groaned didn’t do much for my already battered self esteem and confidence. This is all whilst the bloody pe teacher stands there and watches and does and says nothing.

I was the kid who wasn’t good at anything, i didn’t have theatre or dance to fall back on, it’s great for those that say it didn’t affect them, great for you honestly but some empathy for those of us who it did upset and affect I just remember the comments when I joined my ‘team’ or being left to stand there on my own as the rest of the class sniggered at me not being chosen again. And this was every week in pe. It’s also nothing to do with resilience I was a little girl, a tiny little thing who had very sticky out teeth (goofy - one of many names I was called) and dyslexia so I struggled at school. People who say people are snowflakes have no idea what some people have been through and lucky them I guess!!!

This.

Bullies can use this picking last with comments like 'do we have to have her, she's useless ' to add to general bullying. This can be done in front of the whole group, several classes if PE, with lots of sniggers. It's really not nice, week in, week out.

willWillSmithsmith · 29/02/2024 09:23

Wolfpa · 28/02/2024 22:08

How would you suggest that teams get picked?

You’re really stumped by that?

The teacher could literally count how many kids there are then point half of the mass in one direction, voila, two teams. There’s a zillion other ways you can do it, picking your mates first and leaving someone to be last is not one of them.

TimetohittheroadJack · 29/02/2024 09:26

When I was at school the PE teacher usually picked two team leaders, then each of them picked who was on the other team. This meant the kids who were not sporty got picked first (for the other team), no one picked their friends (who would then be on the other team) and the sporty ones were picked last. Seemed to work quite well.

Zyq · 29/02/2024 09:26

Wolfpa · 28/02/2024 22:08

How would you suggest that teams get picked?

Can you seriously not think of a more sensible way?

Original poster

DistingusedSocialCommentator · 29/02/2024 09:26

Boomarang · 28/02/2024 23:47

I think I might be the sad little Irish one 😂

Always last to be picked! Admittedly grew up and educated in Eire so I can’t plead or blame racism. I did get bronze the egg and spoon race one year but that’s because I had a very large serving spoon and a rather small potato on it.

The good news is that I survived all… thrived in music and academics, and am now a tutor for Oxford Uni post graduates.

I’m one of 5 children raised in a single income house.

Don’t overthink OP. Teach your children. They are good at some things, not the best at others. My kids are 8 & 12. Best thing they ever did was get into competitive sport. It teaches them they aren’t the best at everything, working to improve, it’s not an equal playing field where everyone gets a medal and you need to figure out their strengths and play to them.

Thanks OP

Our younger is well over 30 and oldest is almost 40 and in a challenging jobs, but thanks

When I read the other thread about this thing, if it was still happening, i posted on it about myself and my worry for our GC

Posting this, reading the other and the many comments here, this moring, before I tunred on the laptop took me back to the times when others, at times at school just randomly kicked and punched me in the back as we left classes in narrow corridors as there was a but of shoving going on

I will be contacting the media today, to see if they can raise this and hopefully, some teachers and our clowns in parliament see this and talk about it on a wider scale and stop schools from doing this. Especially pairs which I forgot about in OP until another, few others gave their examples at school

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Zyq · 29/02/2024 09:27

TimetohittheroadJack · 29/02/2024 09:26

When I was at school the PE teacher usually picked two team leaders, then each of them picked who was on the other team. This meant the kids who were not sporty got picked first (for the other team), no one picked their friends (who would then be on the other team) and the sporty ones were picked last. Seemed to work quite well.

That's daft. In that scenario, everyone would know the significance of being picked first and it would be equally shaming.

Original poster

DistingusedSocialCommentator · 29/02/2024 09:29

coureur · 29/02/2024 07:59

I’m a sports coach for junior athletes. I always pick the teams. I let captains make tactical decisions, such as relay order, but they don’t get to pick the teams. This is absolutely standard practice in all junior sports coaching, and also in adult elite sport. I’m not surprised though that school PE teachers are massively out of date.

Many thanks for sharing that. It is good to hear that there are some very thoughtful and caring people around,

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Original poster

DistingusedSocialCommentator · 29/02/2024 09:31

tinofbeans · 29/02/2024 08:01

PE teacher here. I don't know any school that gets kids to do the 70s style picking teams until there's only one left. Totally counter productive.

My preferred method is 'sit with 1 or 2 people you want to be on a team with' then join those little groups together to make the desired team sizes. Also gives you as a teacher ways of differentiating groups to meet your lesson objectives.

Thank you.

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Zyq · 29/02/2024 09:31

I will be contacting the media today, to see if they can raise this and hopefully, some teachers and our clowns in parliament see this and talk about it on a wider scale and stop schools from doing this. Especially pairs which I forgot about in OP until another, few others gave their examples at school

I'm not sure I'd bother if I were you, OP. They might pick it up if it's a slow news day, but you won't be able to control how it gets reported and spread, and you will undoubtedly find yourself on the end of lots of accusations of being a snowflake, woke, and similar nonsense.

It's probably better to talk to people like teacher training colleges and organisations offering training to teachers on mental health support. Ofsted might be a good shout also - if schools know they will be marked down by Ofsted if they go in for these practices they will quickly come off the table.

Trinity65 · 29/02/2024 09:32

I was one of those chosen last

It bothered me not one iota

Zyq · 29/02/2024 09:34

Boomer55 · 29/02/2024 08:57

I attended school decades ago, and this was always the way it was done.

We all survived.🙄

Is "we survived" your only criterion for whether something was acceptable? By that token, let's bring back corporal punishment, people survived that, albeit with a few scars.

Zyq · 29/02/2024 09:36

tinofbeans · 29/02/2024 08:01

PE teacher here. I don't know any school that gets kids to do the 70s style picking teams until there's only one left. Totally counter productive.

My preferred method is 'sit with 1 or 2 people you want to be on a team with' then join those little groups together to make the desired team sizes. Also gives you as a teacher ways of differentiating groups to meet your lesson objectives.

So what happens when no-one wants to sit with the slow kid?

ColleenDonaghy · 29/02/2024 09:38

Meh. I was always picked last, and the only one in my entire primary school class of 37 not to win a single medal in 8 years of primary school sports days, not even in a relay race. I coped.

At a time when we're realising more and more that teenagers and young adults are frequently lacking in resilience, I don't think it's a bad thing for children to learn to deal with uncomfortable situations and move on from them.

It's also good to realise that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses - my strengths certainly don't lie on the sports field and that's fine!

Original poster

DistingusedSocialCommentator · 29/02/2024 09:43

Trinity65 · 29/02/2024 09:32

I was one of those chosen last

It bothered me not one iota

Thank you and I'm glad for you. I wish I and many others were like you and "could not be bothered," but as the thread proves, it was not the case.

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willWillSmithsmith · 29/02/2024 09:45

When I was at school (primary) kids weren’t being picked last because they weren’t good at that sport (sometimes we didn’t even know what we were going to be doing) they were picked last because they were the unpopular kid and it was invariably the same kid/s every time. Even as a kid I didn’t like this method and I was never picked last.

Its nothing to do with resilience otherwise we’d all go out of our way to make sure our own kids felt ‘last’ in order to teach them it.

ZebraDanios · 29/02/2024 09:46

Zyq · 29/02/2024 09:34

Is "we survived" your only criterion for whether something was acceptable? By that token, let's bring back corporal punishment, people survived that, albeit with a few scars.

Edited

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“This thing happened to me but I survived so everyone else should deal with it too even though it’s totally avoidable” is alive and well on this thread, as is “if we don’t make kids feel shit about themselves for no apparent benefit they’ll never learn to function in society”

YuleDragon · 29/02/2024 09:47

i used to have the last laugh being picked last for netball.. i was short, fat, unco-ordinated and an academic.

but i was an excellent shot and never missed the net as i had one at home and played with it endlessly in the garden.

I used to keep my mouth shut though, always got stuck in some useless position like Wing Defence. Last session of PE ever in Yr11 the person they picked as GS hurt themselves, so i volunteered, and as it was a 'friendly' the PE teacher relented and let me 'have a go'

Within 3 attempts (and wins) at net, my team cottoned on i was a damn good shot, and started getting the ball to me, not the person in GA as they kept missing. i didn't miss one. We won 15-2.

After my PE teacher asked me why i never played for my House team.. i pointed out i did in yr 7, and my house won all 3 matches i'd playing in GS... but that i'd been dropped from the team in yr 8 for people taller/sportier so i stopped bothering.

Not all fat kids are crap at sport.

Original poster

DistingusedSocialCommentator · 29/02/2024 09:50

ColleenDonaghy · 29/02/2024 09:38

Meh. I was always picked last, and the only one in my entire primary school class of 37 not to win a single medal in 8 years of primary school sports days, not even in a relay race. I coped.

At a time when we're realising more and more that teenagers and young adults are frequently lacking in resilience, I don't think it's a bad thing for children to learn to deal with uncomfortable situations and move on from them.

It's also good to realise that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses - my strengths certainly don't lie on the sports field and that's fine!

I disagree. As many others have stated here, just like me, there were other factors and we are all different.

I've given other reasons inc mine in the 70's at high school - so there are several reasons why some children were always picked last, almost last because of other perceived factors or prejudices.

Children can be very cruel and some of the things I did in high school to fit in with the bastards, I'm not to proud off as otherwise they would start on me and not the otherOr they did not like you in those days as you were deemed too fat, worke glasses, claims of smell (they did not smell) - possibly because your were smaller than the others and clever - ot

OP posts:

willWillSmithsmith · 29/02/2024 09:50

ZebraDanios · 29/02/2024 09:46

“This thing happened to me but I survived so everyone else should deal with it too even though it’s totally avoidable” is alive and well on this thread, as is “if we don’t make kids feel shit about themselves for no apparent benefit they’ll never learn to function in society”

Show quote history

It’s horrible isn’t it. No empathy just an I’m alright Jack mentality.

I survived bullying in my secondary school but only because I literally didn’t die. It did though affect me for a very long time after.

Maverickess · 29/02/2024 09:52

willWillSmithsmith · 29/02/2024 09:23

You’re really stumped by that?

The teacher could literally count how many kids there are then point half of the mass in one direction, voila, two teams. There’s a zillion other ways you can do it, picking your mates first and leaving someone to be last is not one of them.

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My school changed from the method of picking your own team to this type of thing, to try and stop the being picked last all the time, it didn't stop the "Oh but Miss do we have to have Maverickess, she's useless!" and being shoved around by my own team and left out of everything pretty much when I was just assigned a team rather than picked last and only picked because I had to be. The method of how I ended up on the team made little difference to the outcome.

But, I didn't particularly enjoy coordination sports anyway, I was a really good x-country runner though and represented the school a few times and was usually up the front in each race, my pe teacher although not pulling the ones into line that were saying awful things, did let me have the little victory of refusing to go on either team when it came to x-country or the 1500 metres, and just run as independent, and I still beat most of them, but they couldn't count my time because if they were determined to exclude me then that went across the board, even for things I was good at. I mean it didn't change how I was treated for not being good at coordination sports but made me feel a bit better!

I also wasn't involved in relays for the same reason although I'd have significantly improved a teams chances being fast and having the stamina to keep going as others tired, and suddenly in that situation, people were nice to me trying to get me on their team so they could win. Nope!

Taught me an important lesson though that people aren't always nice to you because they're good people and they like you, you're probably just useful to them in some way and when you're not, you're disposable.

ZebraDanios · 29/02/2024 10:08

@willWillSmithsmith Its nothing to do with resilience otherwise we’d all go out of our way to make sure our own kids felt ‘last’ in order to teach them it.

This is such a great point! I have yet to receive an email from a parent saying “Jemima came last in the test, could you make sure you announce it to the rest of the class? It’s the only way to teach her resilience”…

KnittedCardi · 29/02/2024 10:24

DecayedStrumpet · 29/02/2024 07:37

I'd be interested to know how many of the "I was always picked last and it never harmed me" crowd actually still do any exercise?

I do swimming, Pilates, yoga, walk every day. My kids do yoga, barre, gym, power lifting. They tend to walk everywhere. They are both very fit.

So we don't do team sports, but we all have our likes and dislikes, and are fit within what we want to achieve.

x2boys · 29/02/2024 10:25

Towerofsong · 28/02/2024 22:12

Well I was always the last to be picked for a team, but I also learned that this was fair enough as I had poor hand eye coordination.
I also sat exams and - shock, horror - we were ranked in our results!

I simply learned that I was exceptionally good at certain subjects and that I was probably better to focus on those rather than a sports career.

It didn't affect my mental health or scar me for life, it gave me a realistic understanding of my strengths and weaknesses.

Good for you ,I however was neither sporty or exceptionally talented in other areas
My primary school was a very high achieving primary school ,I was made to feel a bit thick it was only when I got to secondary school I realised I wasn't thick just average
It doesn't always follow that un sporty kids will be exceptionally bright or be able to sing or whatever

Towerofsong · 29/02/2024 10:32

x2boys · 29/02/2024 10:25

Good for you ,I however was neither sporty or exceptionally talented in other areas
My primary school was a very high achieving primary school ,I was made to feel a bit thick it was only when I got to secondary school I realised I wasn't thick just average
It doesn't always follow that un sporty kids will be exceptionally bright or be able to sing or whatever

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No, I was lucky, kind of, in that respect. It hasn't helped with the rest of the hand I was dealt with in life though. And I alsogot treated unkindly by other children because of the things I was good at. But recognising one's limitations is nothing to do with anyone's innate worth as a human being, or their capability in other areas. We all have strengths and weaknesses and I don't think it should harm us to recognise those.

x2boys · 29/02/2024 10:35

ColleenDonaghy · 29/02/2024 09:38

Meh. I was always picked last, and the only one in my entire primary school class of 37 not to win a single medal in 8 years of primary school sports days, not even in a relay race. I coped.

At a time when we're realising more and more that teenagers and young adults are frequently lacking in resilience, I don't think it's a bad thing for children to learn to deal with uncomfortable situations and move on from them.

It's also good to realise that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses - my strengths certainly don't lie on the sports field and that's fine!

And sometimes those strengths don't become apparent until.you leave school I was unsporty and pretty much average across the board academically and whilst I had friends I wasn't in the " popular " group.either
There are much fairer ways of picking teams just because it didn't bother you doesn't mean it didn't bother everyone .