WHY WE DON'T ALLOW ROUGHHOUSING IN CLASS
Someone could get hurt.
Playful Roughhousing can escalate to something serious.
Some involved might not actually want it.
Different students have different tolerance levels for roughhousing.
Students need to practice self-control and self-regulation.
Students need to practice mode-switching (school mode vs. social mode).
While physical play and roughhousing may be developmentally normal for many middle school students, it is important for students to understand their setting and surroundings.
In school, roughhousing often leads to problems, some of which are listed above. Even playful behavior can quickly escalate, result in injuries, distract from learning, or make others uncomfortable.
As a father to a boy who would tell you that wrestling is his favorite thing in the world, I understand that physical play can be fun, social, and positive in the right setting. However, part of growing up is learning how to “mode switch” — understanding when certain behaviors are appropriate and when they are not.
One of our goals in physical education is to help students practice self-control, awareness, and respect for others while creating a safe environment where everyone can participate comfortably.
Examples of roughhousing include wrestling, tackling, pushing, shoving, pulling, grabbing, play fighting, jumping on others, or other unstructured physical contact between students.