The article doesn’t say exactly what happened the office beyond “defiant an disorderly” and refusing to leave the office. Reading between the lines to me that means he went ballistic and possibly became physically agressive. If that were the case 10 day suspension or arrest seem like the only reasonable options. If it was just verbal I agree that arrest or suspension seems a bit unreasonable.
Agreed.
Also, in case it wasn’t clear from my first tirade: the student was also a dumbass for responding as he did. Mayhap it was just my school experience, but I had teachers and adminstrators who believed that if they treated us like mature, responsible adults, we’d (mostly) act like mature, responsible adults. Conversely, if they treated us like children, we’d (mostly) act like children. It is the student’s responsibilty to behave like a mature, responsible adult even when he’s being treated as a child, and he apparently failed in that responsibilty, for which he is being rightly punished, but if the school had been willing to trust him, this wouldn’t have even been an issue.
I mean, honestly. How would you all react if the same thing had happened to you at your jobs?
Assholish kid? Check. Violation of the rules? Check. Punishment wildly outpacing the offence? Check.
Education system 2005. Zero tolerance everything. Zero tolerance is such a re-mother-fucking-diculous notion, it barely warrants an arguement. Establish NO mitigating circumstances, and pretty soon you’ve got pre-crime cops.
Pitiful. That kind of shit is the precise reason I will never have a kid.
Yeah, the kid was an ass, kids ARE asses, it’s what they do, and all the district can do is suspend or contemplate arrest?
Fuck 'em.
Sounds like they were more than willing to bend the rules for Kevin after they learned of the circumstances. Kevin should have gone to the principal and informed him of the situation beforehand rather than deciding on his own that he wsa justified in breaking the rules. He certainly shouldn’t have become beligerent and swore at the administration when they were willing to work with him.
What amazes me is the lack of empathy for the kid. Here we have a teenager (an emotional age to begin with) who’s probably very upset by the fact that his Mom is in Iraq. He flips out, and people expect him to have “behaved better”. My experience in school was a lot of teachers that had absolutely no power in society, and needed to lord over children to feel a sense of empowerment in their own lives. This is patently fucking ridiculous. Ten days suspension for this is ridiculous. I am tired of the public education power trip that goes on. In my experience, seeing what twits get into elected office, and what twits become school teachers, it’s not surprising at all that administration at school would be only one step from a lobotomized automaton that would have no idea how they should react to situations if it weren’t written down in careful guidelines.
It appalls me that kids are not allowed to be kids, we expect a much higher standard of behavior than we get from the average adult. In my opinion the teachers failed as adults in the situation more than the kid failed as a kid.
MAYBE detention was warranted, but I’d say a trip to the counselors office to talk about how he feels about his Mom being in Iraq once a week is more realistic.
Soldiers in Iraq call when they can, and they are very hard to reach. I don’t care if she called in the middle of class he should get a concession. Hell, a parent should be able to reach their kid ANY TIME THEY WANT TO. The parent child relationship is of more importance than the student teacher relationship.
Sounds like a stupid rule, and a teacher on a power trip. Lunch time should be his own time. We think kids should act more adult, but we don’t give them any leeway to make their own decisions, and then we wonder why adults act like children.
Erek
Let’s see, I’m a 17 year old kid, my only living parent is risking her life serving her country and I only get to speak to her once a month. During my precious phone call (which is taking place outside and on my lunch hour), the first one I have ever received while at school, a teacher tells me I need to hang up after I explain the situation, then forcibly hangs up on what could potentially be the last contact I have with my mother? Damn fucking right I’d swear.
All the school needed to do was say they needed to speak with the student about alternatives immediately following the call. Then they could have made their suggestions about using the school’s phone. I wouldn’t want to hear their bullshit after they wrenched the phone out of my hand either, especially while I could hear my ringing phone.
Ten days suspension for swearing is ridiculous. The disrespectful and unreasonable party was the school. Did he threaten to kill the teacher?? Blow up the school? Then why the hell are they talking about ARRESTING him? Fuckwits.
My lawyer would serve my employer with his fancy new lawsuit.
Erek
I’m betting there’s more to this kid’s history as well. It’s probably not the first time he’s acted like an asshole. There’s usually a whole prior dynamic between these kids and teachers that we don’t see in the story.
I would have previously gone to my boss and explained the circumstances and why I should be exempted from the rule. What I certainly would not have done was launch into a profanity laden tirade when he told me to get off the phone.
Tries, they sat there while the phone rang a second time. They could have, I don’t know behaved like teachers and let him speak to his mother and create a plan for the next time. Instead they let him fume in impotent rage…hell I would’ve cursed them out and I was the fair haired child.
Good administrators are able to adjust the rules on the fiy, they’re able to see the big picture. One act of human kindness of benefit of the doubt, even if he cursed them; would have prevented this. Now they have a suspended student, who couldn’t afford to be suspended, an upset family and are in the news…all because someone couldn’t see the big picture and pick up the phone to verify that the kid wasn’t jerking 'em around.
Rules are great 99.9% of the time, but really good administrators are able to compensate for that 0.1% and that’s the percent that’ll either make you a hero or a goat.
From The Happiest Days of Our Lives:
Which is exactly why a parent should not be able to reach their kid any time they want to.
Think about it.
It should be pointed out that the school in question is in Columbus Georgia. It is within walking distance of Ft. Benning. I bet 90% of the students have parents serving in or who have served in Iraq/Afganistan. Should they all be allowed to take calls whenever they want? The school had a policy. A reasonable policy. This kid broke it, then got pissy about it and got suspended. End of story.
And no I am not anti- military. In fact I went to Jump School at Ft. Benning.
Yawn
Yes they should make an exception for EVERY student with a parent serving. It’s not like they’ll spend all day every day on the phone with their parent, because the parent has work to do themselves.
On second pondering of this, the teacher should have assault charges filed for trying to forcibly take the phone away.
Erek
Again Tries you see the kid’s upset, you as a teacher realize how difficult it is for his mom to reach him…as she’s in freaking Iraq. You pick up the phone, 1. to verify the kid’s not jerking you around and 2. to make sure he speaks to his mother.
And you should cover your mouth when you yawn, it’s rude not to.
Yeah, right. :rolleyes:
OK. It’s possible that this kid has a history of perfidity using cell phones, and the teacher assumed that the mom-in-Iraq story was phony. It’s also possible that the teacher cared more about exercising her power over the student than doing what was right or reasonable.
But, others are currently being lambasted for, if you’re going to assume the conclusion that contradicts the observed evidence (grabbing the phone out of his hand after hearing his statement is not the behavior of a reasonable teacher, or one willing to compromise), in favor of evidence that you’re ‘betting’ exists.
Tell me, what standard of evidence would be necessary for you to not assume that the kid was in the wrong?
Conversely, why do you disregard what actual information was presented?
Again, I’m not claiming that the kid didn’t act wrongly in swearing and refusing to leave the office. I am, however, claiming that there one unholy hell of a set of mitigating circumstances.
I ask again, to you specifically, Diogenes, how would you react had this happened to you at your job? Please pay special attention to the grabbing-the-phone-out-of-your-hand-after-you-said-who-it-was and the not-being-allowed-to-answer-it-after-your-mother-called-back factors.
Also, treis, I suggest you read more carefully. He was too frustrated to work something out because he was not allowed to answer the phone. Given this, why exactly should he have any reason to assume that anything would have been worked out?
mswas, that’s a good idea, but it would be better if the student spent his days in suspension learning about certain legal codes, and when he returned, bring a little notebook, and write down every niggling little offence, and then sue the school into the ground. They have chosen to live by blind adherance to the rules; let them fall by it.
But arresting the kid for swearing would have been okay?