Today’s WSJ had an excellent op ed piece about walking to school. How do we change this? Darla
SEPTEMBER 7, 2010
Whatever Happened to Walking to School?
Those of us who remember using our own legs for transit now run the risk of sounding Abe Lincolnesque.
By LENORE SKENAZY
If you think the first week of September means kids skipping off to school, you might want to check your calendar—for the century. The way you got to school isn't the way they do.
Take the bus. Sure, about 40% of kids still ride the cheery yellow chugger, but in many towns it doesn't stop only at the bus stops anymore. It stops at each child's house.
Often, the kids aren't waiting outside to get on. They are waiting in their parents' cars—cars the parents drove from the garage to the sidewalk so their children would be climate-controlled and safe from the predators so prevalent on suburban driveways.
Those of us who remember using our own legs for transit now run the risk of sounding Abe Lincolnesque. Today, only about one in 10 kids walks to school, says Lauren Marchetti, director of the National Center for Safe Routes to School.
The shift is so profound that the language itself has changed. "Arrival" and "dismissal" have become "drop-off" and "pick-up" because an adult is almost always involved—even when it doesn't make sense....to continue reading the article, click here.
Here in Germany parents are discouraged from taking their children to school by car. When I first moved here, it felt like a culture shock... but many years on, I'm so glad I adapted to the local culture and brought up my kids to be responsible for their own journeys. Not just to and from school, but also to music lessons, sports training, visiting friends etc.
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