I actually just finished watching a video by Joe Santagato, and I could not believe what I heard on his latest vlog. Although he is known for his adult humor, there was nothing funny about what he reported in his latest video which he had shared on his podcast. The news he reported was so shocking to me that I had to go look it up and it indeed was true! There are schools in the United states and in Europe that want to ban the concept of best friends because of other kids that may feel secluded, according to National Review Online.
Now, I have several thoughts in regards to this. Teachers need to learn to make more activities for children as they get older so they do not feel secluded. From grade school onward, teachers and parents alike should encourage children to be social and kind to one another. But NEVER ban the idea or concept of having "best friends" in the class room. That is not fair for school systems to do so. Instead of banning the concept of best friends, why not encourage someone to talk and connect with someone new so no one feels secluded? One can then be considerate and still have that special bond with their best friend. I mean, let's be honest here, there are people we get along with immediately in this world and build an automatic friendship with. Then you have other people in this world where you simply can not click with outside of work or otherwise. There is nothing wrong with that.
There are all kinds of scenarios and experiences children and young adults will be faced with outside of school. I say, stop setting the children up for failure. Just encourage your children to be kind and respectful to others inside the classroom and outside of the classroom.
