|
Randy Cassingham's BlogHistorical Details and Author's Notes from This is True® - the First For-Profit E-mail Publication (and Still Going Strong). |
ZT: The Readers Argue
Four days after my editorial about the ridiculousness of ZT, two students at Columbine High School in Littleton (suburban Denver) -- just a half-hour from my house -- went on a shooting and bombing rampage at school. They kill 12 students and a teacher, and themselves.
Diane, somewhere in The South, wondered "If one of YOUR children (or nieces or nephews or grandchildren) were one of the many killed in the recent Colorado shooting, would you be such a cavalier critic of the Zero Tolerance 'trend'?"
Absolutely yes, though my position is not "cavalier" but well thought out, which is why one event, as bad as it was, doesn't change my mind.
First, remember that I live in Colorado. Second, hundreds of thousands of Americans have died in wars to protect our freedoms. I have no interest in trading them away for the false security these silly rules provide.
Subscribe for Free
Colorado is one of the leading states in "Zero Tolerance" -- about half of the stories on the "trend" I've run in True so far are in fact based in Colorado! Yet that sure didn't help the kids in Littleton, did it? As if I haven't said this enough already, such rules do little to solve the real problems of drugs and violence in the schools. It didn't work in Colorado, and it won't work elsewhere. Indeed, think of this: maybe there's a reason this shooting happened in Colorado. I can envision many scenarios that make such shootings more likely in "ZT" zones -- ZT may well be making things worse, not better, for school safety.
Lee, a reader in Texas, knows that such rules do get out of hand: "In Garland, Texas, about a year or so ago, a boy was suspended from school under a similar 'zero tolerance' policy -- for forming his hand in the shape of a pistol. The Gestapo, er uh, police said that he was 'engaging in terrorist activity.' This incident didn't make the papers, but it's no less ludicrous than your [recent] story." And the kid is going to be able to get a job as an adult with a police record that says that ...how? So he's going to suffer for life for a silly thing that children do; it's nothing but the criminalization of childhood.
"Zero Tolerance" means little more than "Zero Thought", and means "Zero Discretion" is given to the teachers and principals who we hired to educate our kids. And that's the last about this topic here ...until the next idiotic story appears in True. Unfortunately, I have little doubt that there will be another!
One columnist hit the nail on the head about the causes of Columbine; yet few have grasped it. Dan Savage's Fear the Geek is a must read for all parents, educators and politicians.
RSS
Most Recent Comments
"Zero Tolerance" rules are simply a shield behind which cowardly school boards and school adminis-traitors hide so they can avoid any exercise of thought or judgment. They do this because in our litigious society they fear that any judgment call they make that turns out to be wrong could expose them to the lawyers of vengeful parents.
Are they being cowardly? Of course, and worse yet by their example they are teaching cowardice to the children in their charge.
Are they wrong? Sadly, I can only pity them their cowardice, but I cannot fault their reasoning.
You see, when we pay the people whom we expect to civilize our children about as much as we pay those who collect our garbage then we can hardly expect them to risk anything like courageous actions in the performance of their jobs.
---
Good theory, except it's wrong. Remember, the story is talking about a principal. As I pointed out in my response to a comment on another post about education, "the National Association of Elementary School Principals puts the average salary for their members at $76,144 for the [2004-2005] school year (source). I would think it's far higher in upper grade levels and college levels. I certainly consider those to be professional wages, and I'm sure they've gone up in the three years since those surveys were completed." We are paying them to make those decisions. If they're not going to make them, then we need to lower their wages (and give the money to teachers, instead!) -rc
Posted by: Gordon Paterson, Richmond, VA, USA | March 29, 2008 9:57 AM
After reading the post "ZT: the readers argue" and "Beware the Geek," I decided to post a comment. I graduated in 1963, and don't remember anything in school that was a problem. The worst anyone did was one year when someone stole another school's mascot, and that was considered terrible. I raised two children who were 6-1/2 years apart, then raised a grandchild who is almost 21 now. I have watched all the changes and tried to protest stupidity, but was only answered with stupidity. With each child, I have seen less authority and respect in the schools, and fewer parents who teach values, or much of anything else to their children. Knowing my great grandchildren will be in school in a few years is frightening. Until both parents and school officials take some responsibility and teach respect and manners, nothing will help. Not ZT or fear or anything will change what is happening.
When I say manners and common sense died and nobody noticed, people look at me like I just went into some weird zone that they don't recognize. Kind of reminds me of the movie "Idiocracy." CPS and authorities who say all you have to do is talk to your children have helped destroy all discipline. I'm not advocating beatings or anything, just people who actually care enough to know where their children are, what they are doing, and have the guts to say no. That seems to be a foreign word today.
Posted by: Nancy in Pasadena Texas | March 30, 2008 9:03 PM
As the mother of a child who was bullied severely in school I totally agree with "Fear the Geek" - he graduated in 2006. I was also bullied and I graduated in 1978. It was not just the kids who bullied - his English teacher called him a liar when he came back from the bathroom on 9/11 to tell her what happened (janitor was watching the news). The teacher said he was lying and to sit down. When she found out during the next break it was true she did not apologize. He has a learning disability in English and she equated struggle with stupidity and troublemaker -- same teacher falsely accused him of causing a problem in Grade 9 and almost got him kicked out of school. School yard bullies grow up to be the tyrant / emotional / nasty bosses and co-workers.
Posted by: Sheila in Calgary, AB, Canada | April 1, 2008 7:27 PM