The U.S. Department of Education, recognizing the need to teach standards of positive behavior, has made grants for character education available to school districts in nine states, including Chicago's. Programs in character education have been instituted, but they are primarily an intellectual exercise without the concomitant opportunity to practice social skills at play. It does not provide a configuration within which to practice caring, courtesy, honesty, kindness, respect, personal responsibility, honor and consideration of others as alternatives to violence and other anti-social behavior. Squeezing recreational time out of the day ignores important needs in social and physical development. The playground is a place to practice fair and respectful methods of conflict resolution, to develop problem-solving skills and to engage in the art of decision making.
Responsible conduct is most successful when students are involved in activities.
Students can discover positive ways to succeed in the world around them. These are life-long skills. Containment serves to suppress and to sublimate. Access to the campus and playground would enable students to develop socially and physically through the use of that bright new equipment and those newly painted areas for hop- scotch, jump rope and other games. School grounds are places for learning.