Playground Mishap

I would call the principal of the school to talk about this. I would also be upset if I weren't immediately notified and also that my child was allowed to play on a dangerous hill.

J.

I also had a mishap while playing with my children and tripped and broke off my 2 front teeth. My dentist fixed it by putting plastic on the ends of my teeth. They are so strong that I can chew like my natural teeth and it does not show.

My oldest son had an incident while playng on the playground while in kindergarten. He came home with a bloody lip. I was so angry that I pulled him out of school and home schooled him. I wish now that I had not. He missed out on socialization with his peers.

When we were kids there was no playground supervisor and we went sledding on a hill everyday. If a kid got hurt they did not try to blame anyone else. We had some good times on the hill.

I have a second grader who is not the most gracful of children. She has ended up in the nurses office with mishaps quite a few times. The first time the nurse was concerned since it was her nose that was hit quite hard. I wasn't overly concerned and haven't had a phone call ever since. There are bound do be playground mishaps, but if you have a funny feeling give the school a call and talk to the principal or her teacher. It has been my experience that they are usually willing to check into a situation to make both you and your child feel more safe at school.

Personally I would not have expected a call for an injury like that. Those things happen and I trust that the adults at the school would take care of it properly. There is nothing I would have been able to do that they didn't.

As for supervision on the playground. It is impossible to watch every child, every second. I volunteer for playground duty at my daughter's school. You do your best, but you can not have your eyes on every child every second. While on duty, I have noticed that the snow has a tendency to tempt the kids to do things they are not suppose to. If the hill is a rule, I am sure your daughter knew it....maybe you should talk to her on why she was not following the rules. My kids know that my sympathy for injuries goes away when they happen when they are doing something they are not suppose to be doing.

I'd be ripping into the school for not following the rules. Maybe I'm too dramatic but when it comes to my kid getting hurt due to someone else I get upset. Also, that chip on her tooth would not be there if it weren't for them following the rules. I'd ask to speak to someone there. If my kid got hurt I expect a call from the nurse. Maybe that is not their policy though.

The nurse will inform you, of course, if there is a serious injury, but this sounds like a more typical occurance. Instead of going with what your neighbor told you, why don't you call up the principal and ask him/her what the rule is for the snow hill?

I would talk to her teacher or and give her your concerns. She can tell you who supervises recess or what exactly happened. My daughter who had never lied to me ever before started lying in first grade and I was SHOCKED so I've learned to always call her teacher and get the other side of the story before I get upset.

My daughter is in first grade too and has been to the nurse atleast 8+ times and I've NEVER been notified. My daughter is the only person who tells me what's going on. I suppose if it's real important or she's real ill they call or something I dunno.

FYI: I had a friend who's daughter fell at recess, hurt her arm, it took 2+hours for the nurse to contact her mom thought the kid was being a cry baby, the kid turned out broke her arm etc.... but child protection was called on the mother by the hospital. She had to prove her daughter got hurt at school out of her care and stuff so school's aren't always great at supervising or taking care of our children we have to be their advocates.

I'm not sure what policy is at your school (and you may wanna check), but I agree with the posting about "above the neck injuries." I've worked in public schools, private schools, with children 0-10yrs and whenever the face or head was involved, visible blood, or fever, parents ALWAYS get a call. Don't blame you for being upset.

However, I'm not exactly sure you should rush to blame the school for the actual injury. I'm a firm believer in accountability. Not to sound harsh but my 7yr old too has suffered a few scrapes herself and at one point took her coat off in 30-degree weather. I was boiling mad... at her. The school has rules that they explain to the children about playground safety. At this age, kids are testing boundaries and trying to show off for friends. I treated it as a learning experience and explained to her why we have rules and why she should mind them. You may want to do the same.

However, if you truly do feel she is danger, observe. Stand out of sight and monitor the playground during her recess. I did this. Yes, overall I felt the attendents weren't doing they're best but the kids were as safe as if I let a teenager or my brother babysit... not to sound mean. But keep in mind, these people ARE NOT trained professionals. They're there to provide minimal supervison. If your observations leave you feeling uneasy, you may want to volunteer or require that she has study hall during recess.

I have volunteered in a schools nurse's office before and the amount of kids that come in with scrapes, bumps, brusing, sickeness is truly unbelievable...I can tell you they don't get paid enough. However it should be a general rule any ingury that happens to the neck up at least gets a call home. I would go and talk with your school nurse. Our's is terrific and I trust her judgement. You might just need a conversation or two with him/her to feel more comfortable. About the playground, I know my son's school is about 1 adult per 25-30 kids so what can you say.... I just have 4 at home during the day and that is difficult, I can't imagine 30 big kids outdoors!!