OP-ED: Life lessons learned on the playground
Some of my fondest recollections of growing up in Uniontown center around recess and going to the city playgrounds.
So many important life lessons were learned there. I played Foursquare at recess, carefully following the rules of the game. When you reached Square A, the highest achievement, you got to serve the ball and control the tempo of the game until a player in Square B,C or D got you out on a spiked ball and you immediately proceeded to Square D.
That player, the new King or Queen of Foursquare, would replace you in Square A . If you missed the ball in Square D, you left the game and the next kid in line took your place. Everybody knew the rules, and everybody abided by them.
On the other side of the playground, a competitive game of kickball was happening between the fifth-grade and sixth-grade boys. The losers of the hard-fought game accepted their defeat as graciously as 11-year-old boys could manage, and conceded to the winners. They knew tomorrow would be another day and another chance to win and get bragging rights for the day.
On cold days, a few of us girls would opt to stay inside and dance to our records like “Build Me Up Buttercup” by the Foundations and “Dizzy” by Tommy Roe. Our beloved teacher sat primly at her desk, grading papers while we spun around the room in our poor-boy sweaters, miniskirts and knee socks. She was “older than dirt,” like many of our teachers, but we respected her, and we, along with our administrators, appreciated the greater wisdom and experience that made our older teachers great instructors and great human beings. I remember a well-meaning principal once introducing me to students, comparing me to a “kindly old aunt”, and I was only 52! Respecting our teachers and our elders was just an accepted part of life.
In summer, we learned teamwork and good sportsmanship on the city playgrounds with such classics as volley tennis, tetherball, table hockey and basketball. We were a diverse group of kids from different backgrounds. All we cared about was having fun and playing together to win. We learned the value of courtesy and respect toward others, and the importance of following the rules. It was a great place to learn the lessons of winning humbly and graciously accepting defeat. Those playgrounds were the birthplaces of championship teams that dominated Uniontown High School sports for decades.
From the time I was a little girl, I understood the importance of following safety rules. The late police officer Leonard Stoviak would visit our schools to teach us the importance of pedestrian safety on our way to and from school. We all loved Traffic Safety Day and those safety films. Learning how to walk to and from school taught us to take responsibility for our own safety. That’s how things were back in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. As children, we understood the rules and followed them. And we understood the importance of telling the truth. And as far as I know, none of us from my elementary school days grew up to become lawbreakers.
While much has changed, much has stayed the same. Most students don’t walk to school anymore, and all the great old neighborhood elementary schools have been closed due to declining enrollment. But an important constant is that our principals, teachers, coaches, clergy, local police and firefighters continue to guide our children along the way by demonstrating the importance of following the law and becoming good citizens. They deserve our appreciation. Those who work in after-school programs to help our children grow into confident and productive adults are a true blessing in our communities.
We all understand that the consequences of breaking school rules and breaking the law should be applied equally to all. That’s just a simple rule we all learned as kids. Without the rule of law, our lives would become chaotic. Just ask any teacher who has ever served playground duty.
If only our political leaders would embrace our simple childhood rules.
Paula O’Connell is a retired teacher and Uniontown resident.