Another Excerpt (emphasis mine):
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.... Yet abolishing recess to make time for standardized-test preperation seems cruel.

It may also be inhumane. The United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child is a non-negotiable international human rights treaty that has been ratified by all but two countries in the world. It lays out fifty-four articles proclaiming basic human rights that should be afforded to children globally, such as freedom of religion and protection from violence, abuse, and sexual exploitation. Article 31 of the convention, which was adopted in 1989 affirms, "1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and arts. 2. States Parties shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity." Even educationally rigorous countries like Japan and Taiwan authorize recess, sometimes multiple recesses, as part of their daily school schedule. Why would our own country be unconcerned by a recreation and leisure provision backed by the weight of an international human rights treaty? Because other than Somalia, the only other country that hasn't ratified the treaty is the United States.

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Does anyone else find it disturbing that we are the only country other than Somalia to have not ratified this treaty?
SOMALIA! A country that hasn't had an effective federal government since 1991. A country run by warlords, that has modern-day pirates siezing ships along the coastline. Probably the most anarchistic country in the world right now. What does that say about us?

Yah, Yah, I'm sure there's lots of great 'patriots' out there to tell me that we shouldn't enter binding international agreements blah, blah, blah. It's a human rights treaty. Not a binding military agreement which will draw us into foreign wars without our consent (wouldn't want to invade another country without the consent of the citizens of the US. Oh wait! we already did that....).

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