Children are not supposed to sit still and be quiet

Students listen  during a lecture in a same gender science class at G. James Gholson Middle School  in Prince George’s County Public School District earlier this year. (Photo by Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

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I recently posted my response here to a blog on Edutopia in which teachers discussed "techniques" for keeping students quiet.  No one seemed to consider whether or not keeping students quiet was the best thing to do. All these teachers want is to maintain control, and for them, this control means keeping students in their seats and quiet.  I posted another comment there two days ago.  Obviously, I am in the minority when it comes to opinions regarding classroom management, how children learn and how children should be treated - and in regard to intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation.  

The image above is from the first article below.  It is exactly what I witnessed, and experienced, when observing a full class period in a middle school in Houston.  It was horribly boring.  The classroom was a mess (teacher's mess).  Some of the students had just pulled their hoods up over their heads and put their heads down on their desk.  Teacher just kept right on droning.  This makes me sick, and if one of my children was in such a classroom I would be in the principal's office and getting my child out of that school, or at least out of that classroom.

Today I came across an excellent article related to this topic.  

A therapist goes to middle school and tries to sit still and focus. She can't. Neither can...
washingtonpost.com

You may also be interested in the articles below:

Why so many kids can’t sit still in school today

The right — and surprisingly wrong — ways to get kids to sit still in class

Teacher spends two days as a student and is shocked at what she learns

Please watch Sir Ken Robinson's talk/video/art below.  Notice the map of the United States in Ken Robinson's video and compare it to the one in the article above, Why so many kids can't sit still in school today.

Even if you have seen this before, it is an excellent reminder.