Students Sitting Still all Day - Could You? †

A physical therapist observes the effects of restricted movement on middle school students. “I’m doing anything I can to pay attention…It’s useless, I checked out forty-five minutes ago…50% of the children are fidgeting and the rest are…slumped over their desks…I was planning on observing the whole day. I just can’t do it. I decide to leave right after lunch.”

As a chronicler of the adventures of ElsBeth Amelia Thistle, the young Cape Cod witch with a family legacy to defend the natural world, I knew ElsBeth would be upset about this. No, she'd be mad.

The article continued: “All people in decision-making positions for school policies should be required to sit through at least one school day and experience first-hand what is required of children today…Maybe then they will begin to value children’s need to move, to play and the need to be respected as the human beings that they are.”

Full article at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/12/03/a-therapist-goes-to-middle-school-and-tries-to-sit-still-and-focus-she-cant-neither-can-the-kids/ A few words from ElsBeth on action, from ElsBeth and the Call of the Castle Ghosties

Outside her window a shadow flicked by. Professor Badinoff, her familiar, teacher and closest friend, still flitted about in the pre-dawn dark. She wanted to ask the insightful bat if he thought it was OK for her to go on the trip today. But there wasn’t time, and he’d probably just say, “Think for yourself.” He was always encouraging ElsBeth to think things through on her own.

As much as she wanted to be good at that, she knew thinking about things wasn’t her strongest point. She preferred action. She liked to just start ... and then keep going.

ElsBeth slipped out of bed and padded down the creaky, curvy staircase. While up the stairs rose smells of cinnamon, and honey, and enchanted baking.

More on ElsBeth’s adventures at http://www.capecodwitch.com/#!books/cnec