What did this kid mean by telling this joke?

[Alan_Smithee]

@pabstist

So here’s what landed me in court as a witness-

Ex boyfriend walks up to ex girlfriend and says “Oh you’re so pretty, you’re so popular, everybody loves you, nobody likes me, I’m such a loser”. The entire class was laughing because it was totally ridiculous.

I didn’t report it. Two months later I get a court summons as a witness in a domestic abuse case. And a lecture from administration about reporting “these types of things”.

It’s really just easier to fill out a form and let the higher ups decide what’s a threat and what’s a bad joke. Like I said, cover my ass, and hopefully not have to go to court again over something stupid that we all laughed about.

Ok, maybe that’s the reality. The administrator is a jackass. The law may also have been an ass (not without precedent) or maybe your presence in the courtroom actually helped someone. Either way, there is no reason for you to have reported it. But the administration wants everything reported, so now you report everything. It’s what you have to do, and I don’t fault you for it.

But don’t EVER forget that it’s stupid. Don’t ever start to think it’s normal. And don’t ever, ever forget that when you cover your ass some kid might have to pay for it.

@cuauhtemoc

Suppose later on, another teacher heard a different kid telling a joke like this, and he got in big trouble for it. Documentation that stuff like this gets said sometimes, with innocent intentions, might help the kid’s case, maybe remind people to keep their heads. So I don’t think pabstist was so wrong for saying something about this non-incident.

In my experience, it is far more likely that any administrator dumb or scared enough to care about this sort of thing at all is going to see a previous report, even one without sequel, to be a sign that the problem is an epidemic and needs to be treated even more seriously. The only thing that will make an administrator keep their head is for someone with experience to say, “I hear that joke at least once a day. It doesn’t mean anything.” If the administrator has to personally read and file every report received AND isn’t underworked and in need of something to feel important about, it might work.

[Eonwe]

@Alan_Smithee

But don’t EVER forget that it’s stupid. Don’t ever start to think it’s normal. And don’t ever, ever forget that when you cover your ass some kid might have to pay for it.
In my experience, it is far more likely that any administrator dumb or scared enough to care about this sort of thing at all is going to see a previous report, even one without sequel, to be a sign that the problem is an epidemic and needs to be treated even more seriously. The only thing that will make an administrator keep their head is for someone with experience to say, “I hear that joke at least once a day. It doesn’t mean anything.” If the administrator has to personally read and file every report received AND isn’t underworked and in need of something to feel important about, it might work.

Chill out a bit. Keep in mind that it’s not only administration, but also parents, school boards, and just about anyone. In the modern world we have decided to hold teachers accountable for everything, and that means that a teacher has to consider everything as it relates to his/her continued employment.

Of course some of it is stupid. Of course some kid might have to “pay.” But, I’ll tell you what, if I had to choose between my career and a kid getting reprimanded for an ‘innocent’ joke, I’d pick the latter every time.

[Alan_Smithee]

Almost ALL of it is stupid, and too many people’s lives have been ruined by stupid no-tolerance policies. (Cites available upon request.) On the global scale of injustices, these may be less a blip, but that doesn’t excuse acquiescence. When I see people being bullied at my workplace, I speak up. I choose my battles and I don’t expect everyone to choose the same hill as I to die upon. “I wish I could do something, but I can’t,” IS an acceptable response to injustice. “I’m just following orders, it’s not my responsibility” is NOT, even when the injustice is minor.