It Is Happening

I hate to paraphrase FDR, but I shall anyway. Here goes: "Yesterday, Sept 26, 2008 - a date which will live in infamy - my school was suddenly and deliberately taken over by the students." Yes folks you are reading correctly, it has hit the fan.

The students know that there are absolutely zero consequences to fighting, disrespecting a teacher, throwing chairs, leaving the classroom. Its like the French Revolution which I have been reading about this past week. No one wants to take responsibility for what his going on except a few select few and for those it is being met by resistance at every step. Instead of correcting the behavior, the problem is passed along to someone else to deal with. And it is a person who should not deal with it or someone who is incapable of dealing with it. Louis XIV had ample opportunity not to have the Reign of Terror ignite. There is ample opportunity as well at my school to prevent it.

Why are we told, "the students should not have to feel fear of getting in trouble" if they misbehave? Will this totally fuck up their lives? Children want discipline, they want limits. Now I am not advocating every student should be getting in trouble for misdeeds, but there are ways to cajole students, to co-opt them to your way of thinking. Unfortunately the higher ups, and I need to replace one AP I had previously discussed because now this AP sees the lunacy happening but Numb Nuts is still a problem, wish to hide their heads in the sand and hope the problems will go away. Where is does the "Children First" philosophy fit in? Don't the students who are there to learn and who behave have a right to an education without fear of disruption??? Does it take a serious injury for someone to see the light?