An aspect of this so called toil occasions situations in which our professional leadership style results in noticeable levels of annoyance amongst our young charges. "Yes, you have to come to class if you want to pass," for example is a phrase that appears to be a natural irritant to adolescent ears.
Now, since students can often be very creative in the ways they chose to register their disapproval of policies academic, and since we live in a state where certain legislators are convinced that the professional and social environment of schools could be improved if only students were allowed to pack heat, we have to say that the recent decision by the Christina School Board may be the first slips down a slippery slope that leads to profession educational technicians having to consider that their assigned units are actually, you know, people or something.
A Delaware first-grader who was facing 45 days in an alternative school as punishment for taking his favorite camping utensil to school can return to class after the school board made a hasty change granting him a reprieve. Zachary Christie, 6, had faced 45 days in an alternative school for troublemakers after he took the utensil — a combination folding knife, fork and spoon — to school to eat lunch last month.He brought his own eating utensils? What? Is this kid too good for sporks or something?
Zachary Christie, 6, had faced 45 days in an alternative school for troublemakers after he took the utensil — a combination folding knife, fork and spoon — to school to eat lunch last month. "In his defense, it was lasagna day," said Debbie Christie, Zachary's mother. "You can't even make a mark on that stuff with a spork."
The punishment given to Zachary was one of several in recent years that have prompted national debate on whether schools have gone too far with zero-intelligence policies. "Our policies could be applied effectively if it weren't for the kids," said School board member John Mackenzie.
"When that common sense is missing, it sends a message of inconsistency to students, which actually creates a less safe environment," said Kenneth S. Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services.
Well, actually it just confirms a suspicion all kids have about adults: They're stupid and not to be trusted.
Not everyone believed the school district was out of line. Jill Kneisley, who runs the work programs at Josef Goebbels Elementary in Newark, said schools need to be vigilant about controlling students. "There's more to the school's side than just us being mean and not taking this child's interests into account, although that's the fun part of it," Kneisley said. "Policies are there to give us an excuse to bounce kids out rather than deal with them. It's right there in the mission statement. You can read it yourself."
The Young Miscreant
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