30 August 2012

Stop Out-of-School Suspension!

Kids can't learn unless they are in the building with a certificated teacher (tm), so when they misbehave, we should use "restorative" justice and give the kiddies counsellors so they can talk about their feeeeeelings on school time instead of staying home and getting lectured/punished by Mom.

Really!

Joanne Jacobs blogged about this recently.  Of course the teachers' union is noted in the story as wanting more power to punish unruly children during school hours.  Somehow being able to lock kids into closets and paddle them in 21 states isn't enough. Shh.  We're not going to talk about any of that stuff when we discuss school discipline. 

So what should be done?  Hmmm.  The comments were rife with really great ideas from teachers, like giving the children detention and Saturday school.  Like I'm really going to drive my kid to detention on a Saturday morning, and what are you going to do about it.  Um, I wouldn't suggest going there if you want good community relations.

One suggested an entire team - including a psychologist - watch a kid and note all of his errant behaviours.  Then they'll determine whether his problem is "academic, lack of basic skills, home problems, etc."  I wonder what this person would suggest the team do if they think there is a "home problem" going on.  How would you like an entire team to evaluate your home life based on a classroom evaluation?

"Kids love freedom," another wrote. "If you want to punish someone, you must destroy what they love."
 

4 comments:

  1. YES!
    And kids love air...so let's take that away, too!

    Our school budgets are out of control as it is, we are cutting necessary teacher positions left and right in many districts...that would be BRILLIANT to have a team to observe and diagnose those who need discipline. And making it on Saturday?? Even better. Overtime pay for the TEAM and punish the family by making them bring the 'ol troublemaker in and then come back and pick them up.

    Does NASA know about these brilliant peeps?

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  2. Yes, let's destroy them... errr, what they love.

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  3. Kids are born curious until you suck the joy out of learning with force-fed facts, insipid books, mindboggling testing, standardized thinking, early is better, more is better, shallow, mindless teaching.

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  4. Actually, my daughter's last school did not every use out of school suspension and it was wonderful. Okay, it was really a psychiatric day treatment program with a "homebound" teacher to allow them to keep up with their graduation requirements.

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Non-troll comments always welcome! :)

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