On Having Fun at Work and School

I was reading an article on LinkedIn about the lack of play or fun in organizations and this led to many thought-provoking comments about the lack of play in schools.  One man said that play is a structure that kids are placed into to work around the narrow requirements of the parent’s work schedule.  Wow. Another commented that as a teacher he has noticed that many children don’t seem to know what to do with themselves when given free time or a recess.  The kids may have more equipment and balls than we had in school yet they don’t seem to know what to do with it all. Another mentioned that all the testing and structure and requirements that go on in school don’t take into account the right-brained children; those that thrive on creativity and arts. 

That’s all very sad.

I belong to a Facebook group that celebrates the memories of an elementary school.  They talk about their favorite teachers and memories. My dad was a teacher at that school so I joined to bring in some of the memories that he shared with me.  It’s funny; these folks are all grown up and have families and successful careers of their own.  When they talk about the school they talk about the teachers who took them on walks to identify trees and seeds, they talk about the 5^th grade vs. the 6^th grade baseball game, they talk about the Christmas play, they talk about the love, compassion and impact they felt from specific teachers and they talk about the fun they had learning. 

My dad, the teacher that they all mentioned in the above categories used to tell me that when I found my calling or profession that I should love it and have fun with it or move on to something else.  I was lucky enough to have experienced fun and teamwork and synergy my entire career.  I swear that it came from having fun as a kid.  I think that rather than concentrating so much on common core standards and left-brain mentality, educators and administrators should inject a little play, arts and recess into the schools.  Perhaps we’d get better rounded employees out of it, those who can have fun in their jobs and grow the company profits while doing so.