TEACHERS SHOULD EXPEL POKEMON, SAYS EXPERT
MUNCIE, Ind. - Those blue-and-red Pokemon cards that have become an obsession for many elementary school students and are causing disruptions in some classrooms should be expelled, says a Ball State University expert.
"As a teacher, if something becomes a distraction in the classroom you must curtail it," said Lawrence Smith, an elementary education professor and former elementary school teacher. "Simply, it is the teacher's call to determine if something is getting in the way of children learning."
Pokemon started as a Nintendo Game Boy electronic game but quickly expanded to include board games, card games, toys, clothing, a children's television show and an upcoming feature movie.
The objective of the card game is to become a master trainer by collecting all 150 Pokemon characters. However, the card game has fallen by the wayside as many youngsters spend free time in school hallways, buses and playgrounds trading cards in an attempt to collect the rarest and most valuable ones.
Cards may be purchased for about $10 to $15 per game and a booster pack of 11 cards costs $3.50. Certain rare cards are estimated to cost upwards of $100.
Teachers should advise parents if children are obsessed with the cards or the trading has the potential to cause harm due to the value of possessing a certain Pokemon, Smith said.
"It is very helpful to talk to the parents because they usually have the same concerns," he said.
The Pokemon craze has led some school systems to totally ban the cards and other related merchandise from school grounds. Many school officials feel overwhelmed by the cards, which only recently became popular in the United States.
Smith believes Pokemon is another fad fascinating youngsters just as baseball cards, yo-yos, Slinkies, POGs, Beanie Babies and virtual pets have done in recent years.
"When I was a kid a long time ago I spent a lot of money buying those baseball cards that came with gum in the packages," he said. "I had too much gum and too many cards."
(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Smith at [email protected] or (765) 285-8564. For more stories visit the Ball State University News Center at www.bsu.edu/news on the World Wide Web.)
Marc Ransford
11/11/99
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