Brett Berk

The Gay Uncle has been saying for over twenty years that young kids learn through play. This is how they construct meaning, practice at life, learn to synthesize new information, and come up with creative solutions (on the fly) to questions and problems that are thrown at them. Not only has he said that an emphasis on play is good for them, he’s claimed that it makes them smarter, better adjusted, more socially conscious people. Even beyond this, he’s claimed that open-ended, free-form play is not only healthy, but actually NECESSARY for the well being of young children. When he ran a preschool, unstructured (but guided, controlled, rule-bound, and open-ended materials-based) play was a cornerstone of his curriculum. As were twice daily trips to the park. Snow? We put on 20 snowsuits, pairs of mittens, hats, and boots (no one froze). Rain? We built water chutes, looked for worms and snails, and changed when we got back (no one melted). Heat? We ran in the sprinklers, and then made Virgin Piña Coladas on our return (no one got sunstroke, though the shrieks of anticipatory pleasure caused by the whirring of the blender did once cause the NYPD to arrive at our doorstep.) Once-annual Arctic Blast? We stayed in, and made an obstacle course in the classroom. When people would ask, “What the fuck, Gay Teacher? Why do you always take my kid outside in any weather?” The G.U. would respond: “Kids are like puppies. You gotta’ run ’em.” So…he was more than pleased to read that a number of new studies have been released that prove conclusively that kids who get to enjoy free play are better able to focus, better behaved, do better on tests, and are generally just…better. Given the hunky new Secretary of Education’s new initiative to re-brand No Child Left Behind, The Gay Uncle would like to formally propose that RECESS be written into the new standards. All this cramming and test-taking is not only failing to educate our kids, it turns out it’s actually turning our kids into failures. Gunc votes to MAKE RECESS A REQUIRED COURSE!

Who is with him?