Kindergarten Chronicles: Shoes

Kaia hasn't even been in school a month, and already, I'm stirring up trouble. The problem all started with this:



The shoes. I put those shoes on her specifically for P.E. The rules are pretty strict for P.E. Students must wear exercise tennis shoes on their P.E. days. There is another rule too, kids that can't tie their shoes yet, are asked not to wear shoes with laces (for safety reasons).



Kaia wants you to know that the shoes are cute, but she can't wear them for P.E. Apparently they aren't tennis shoes. I found this out by white slip Friday evening. If you have never seen me mad, then you might just want to imagine smoke coming from my ears. Kaia had to sit P.E. out because they weren't just right. Now these shoes fit with everything sent home, but still were not ok.

I have talked to her P.E. teacher, but we are not in agreement on this. I think there is something fundamentally wrong with the philosophy that a child must have on just the right shoes to participate in physical activity. Children need to learn that P.E. is fun, and that they can be active in every day life, not just when they have on the right shoes.