An unusual pilot project at a Quebec elementary school will encourage its Grade 3 students to participate in jostling – a form of roughhousing – in the playground next month, but some parents are worried the activity will promote violence and cause injuries.
Cheval-Blanc Elementary School says that students will be supervised by referees as they rush each other in the snow and that the activity is optional and won’t be violent.
Patrick Courville, the school’s principal, says jostling is about “grabbing each other, having fun and bringing the other player down in the snow just like we do with our kids at home, so that when they go back to school, they are more energetic and ready for learning.”
Courville said that the children will be allowed to jostle one-on-one, but only in the snow. They will pick from six moves and if at any point a child wishes to call it quits, the game ends.
There is “no kicking, no hitting, no elbows, nothing of that,” Courville told CTV Ottawa.
He added that the school sent out a letter to parents this week informing them of the new activity and that most parents are supportive.
One mother told CTV Ottawa that she doesn’t think jostling is a good idea and that she is worried her daughter could suffer serious injuries if she participates.
Experts say that some studies show roughhousing can be good for children, but keeping it safe in the schoolyard will be key.
“I think there’s going to be the potential for kids to get hurt and they mask or downplay it because they don’t want to look weak or they don’t want there to be further abuse,” said Tracy Vaillancourt, a professor at the University of Ottawa’s faculty of education. “Teachers just need to be really mindful.”
