Under Deadman's Skin: Discovering the Meaning of Children's Violent Play
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Book Overview
The five-and six-year-olds in my class have invented a new game they call suicide. I have never seen a game I hate so much in which all the children involved are so happy. So begins Under Deadman's Skin , a deceptively simple-and compellingly readable-teachers' tale. Jane Katch, in the tradition of Vivian Paley and Jonathan Kozol, uses her student's own vocabulary and storytelling to set the scene- a class of five-and six-year-olds obsessed with what is to their teacher hatefully violent fantasy play. Katch asks, 'Can I make a place in school for understanding these fantasies, instead of shutting them out?' Over the course of the year she holds group discussions to determine what kind of play creates or calms turmoil; she illustrates (or rather the children illustrate) the phenomenon of very young children needing to make sense of exceptionally violent imagery; and she consults with older grade-school boys who remember what it was like to be obsessed by violence and tell Katch what she can do to help. Katch's classroom journey-one that leads her to rules and limits that keep children secure-is an enabling blueprint for any teacher or parent disturbed by violent children's play.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0807031291
ISBN13:9780807031292
Release Date:February 2002
Publisher:Beacon Press
Length:144 Pages
Weight:0.45 lbs.
Dimensions:0.3" x 4.9" x 8.3"
Related Subjects
Behavioral Sciences Children's Books Children's Studies Education Education & Reference Education Theory Educational Philosophy Health, Fitness & Dieting Health, Fitness & Dieting Parenting & Relationships Philosophy & Social Aspects Politics & Social Sciences Psychology & Counseling Science & Math Social Science Social Sciences Textbooks Violence in SocietyCustomer Reviews
3 ratings
Interesting insight
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
This book gives an interesting insight into the minds of children...especially boys. It is refreshing to read about a teacher who wants to understand her students so well. I appreciated the opportunity to think about violent play as a healthy way for children to express their feelings.
A wonderful, sane view of kids
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
We adults so often overreact to children's "violent" play, but as a teacher and sometime child advocate I see how much richer and more complicated their make-believe is than what we so easily pigeonhole as "violence." Vivian Gussin Paley makes clear what such fantasy means to children, and why we should understand and participate in it, in this wonderfully readable book!
a new slant on children and violence
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
This book takes a thoughtful look at how a group of kindergarten children act out in their play the violent thoughts and worries that they have. It is also about how their teacher struggles with the question of how best to help them deal with their violent play, which she finds quite upsetting. It is not preachy book, much less a quick fix on violence in America. But if you are a kindergarten teacher or a parent of kindergartener you will end up seeing your children's play in a whole new way.
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