Everyone Line up!

We are the line up,
The line up crew.
Line up! Line up!

Everyone line up.
You know what to do.
Line up! Line up!

Put your hands at your sides.
Stand up straight.
Put a smile on your face.
You're doing great!

Line up, line up.
Line up, line up!

Ron Brown


My child attends a youth center, or what amounts to an after school care program. He attends for purely social reasons. Each day, we meet his publicly schooled friends, who have been escorted from school by a few members of the youth center staff to the front entrance of the center. The kids are told to line up outside the door. They must form a neat, straight, quiet, still line before they are granted entry into the building.

They are, naturally, totally jazzed about not being stuffed into their tiny classrooms, where they have spent the last six hours at a desk, not allowed to stand, bounce, jump, talk, laugh, play, or work on their own talents and interests. Now, faced with a few hours of fun before their parents pick them up, they are made to stand in line.

Often, we will arrive late enough that all the kids are inside and unburdening themselves of their backpacks, thereby missing out on the lining-up hoopla. Sometimes, we arrive in time to experience the ritual, as I think it is quite the educational experience (and dinner conversation piece) for my son.

Sometimes it takes a good five minutes before they are lined up good enough to go inside.

Am I the only one that sees something inherently wrong with this?

I never was struck by the absurdity of making kids line up until my youngest began attending the youth center. As I watched the kids being made to stand perfectly still, against their natures... it occurred to me that it's no wonder our society is a screwed up as it is. I mean, seriously, lining kids up like cattle, or robots?

How would you like it if, every morning, your boss made you line up outside the office while he (or, she) stood at the front of the line demanding compliance before you could go inside? Or, how about this one: you must beg for the opportunity during the workday to use the toilet. If one of your peers recently used it, your request will be denied because.. well.. we can't have everyone running off to the restroom! Or, how about: a coworker shows up late for work, and so you are all made to stay an hour after quitting time?

Sounds perfectly reasonable, yes?

Why do we treat kids as though they are less than us? They are smaller, and perhaps less developed emotionally and physically, but they are still just as human. It's ridiculous how we treat them, how we dominate them.. and sometimes, how we seem to derive some kind of twisted pleasure making them bend to our wills.

Just another of the reasons why I homeschool.