Learning While Black [Kid starts a fight at school. Kid's dad, angry his son got punished, sues.]

http://www.time.com/time/education/article/0,8599,238611,00.html ^ | June 5, 2002 | Jodie Morse

[summer]

No problem. And, I appreciate your thoughtful comments. I am also willing to say that while my gut feeling tells me I am right, I could be wrong here -- but, I don't think I am, only because whatever excuses this kid and his dad have would have been included in this TIME magazine article. And, so far, they are batting ZERO with me. Thanks again for your posts. :)

[Imal]

Racist has been lumped in to mean prejudice, bigot, narrow minded, hate filled, for the PC. These words have different meanings. The racism argument/definition is Bullsht!

I agree. I think I used the term too loosely. The kid's father, by his actions, comes across more like an opportunist or whining idiot than a racist, per se.

"Playing the race card" can, I suppose, be done by someone who is not necessarily a racist, but using race as a weapon puts a person damn close, in my opinion. Here, I confess to some emotionalism which affected the tenor of my response, but it is, after all, a response to some spectacularly thin "reasoning".

Imal

[Pablo64]

You're right. I was venting a little bit there. I am not really in favor of frivolous lawsuits or the like. The courts are already too bogged down. I just think that sometimes it seems like the only thing that the libs and such understand is when you turn their own tactics back on them. It's amazing how quick they are to cry "foul!" and back down when you do. In some ways it provides a little amusement and a certain degree of satisfaction. Too bad this is such a rampant problem. I am fully aware of how young the kids are when they learn those magic words "my parents will sue you", or even worse, the ones they use against their own parents, "I'm calling social services".

Yet another reason I'm thankful we homeschool.

[summer]

Believe me, I am all for effective homeschooling! :)

[summer]

I don't know if you saw this article, but I thought you might find it of interest. :)

[Xenalyte]

Racial profiling, my aerobicized warrior @$$. Sheesh.

And even now, when it comes out that I no longer teach, people actually still have to ask why not.

[summer]

Thanks for your post here, Xenalyte. I hope someday more people wake up to the kind of problems forcing people out of teaching. In my book, this kid, his dad and their lawsuit would count as three of the problems now forcing some other teacher to think about leaving.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

>The rules of suspension, and what student misconduct qualifies as leading to suspension, are rules designed without input from teachers.

From teachers who are willing to work under them, that is. Other actual and potential teachers vote against them with their feet . . . which is part of what makes government run schools tend to be a "disgrace to the Nation."

It is time to fix the problems or [by] privatiz[ing] the whole system.

That will introduce competition for teachers and students based on the working conditions (a.k.a. "learning environment") which each school's administration delivers. I would expect reduction in pressure for higher salary, I would expect longer school years--but also happier teachers and students, and better education. And "poor Russel" to either either shape up or meet real life at an early age.

The home schooling parental tutoring movement is a straw in the wind; under the bureaucratic pressures inherent in government, "public" schools have tended to decline. Simultaneously the Internet is fabulously well suited to the mutual support of tutoring parents. Parents who are college grads are IMHO eminently entitled to wonder what magic enables the education major to support their child's learning better under the handicaps we're discussing than can the parents themselves.

And when your child comes home with 5 stitches, and his assailant's parents mount a political campaign against the school for trying to prevent a recurrance . . .

[summer]

Teachers have much less power than you imagine.

[Mamzelle]

Why aren't the parents of the beat-up kid suing this punk and his punk father?

[summer]

Great question, and I hope they do.

[WashingtonCollegeofLaw]

as someone who is going to be a lawyer, albeit international law, I take offense to those who place the worlds problems at the feet of the lawyers. Like any other profession, law is relegated by supply and demand. If you want fewer lawyers, quit doing stupid things. Try using common sense to solve problems, not law suits. Seems pretty easy to me.

[paul51]

Someone needs to punch out his father

[summer]

That was my initial reaction too: Someone give this kid's father an injury requiring stitches -- like his son gave a clasmate -- and then everything is evened out; and forget this court nonsense, and we'll call it a day. End of story. I was so angry when I read this article. Just furious.

[WashingtonCollegeofLaw]

on a quasi-related note, i was reading somewhere about how some blacks are up in arms about the racial composition of the armed forces, citing there are too many blacks. This really struck me as odd. Im white, and i know for a fact that if i couldnt get a job, i would join the army. the armed forces will train you in a field (mechanics, whatnot), teach you responsiblity and discipline, pay you a decent wage while at the same time paying for your food and shelter, and if you enlist, something like 6 or 9 companies including caterpillar will hire you upon the completion of your service. I get sick at the whole "have to stay in the ghetto" mentality. I went to a pretty good college and there were blacks there who were constantly complaiing about how noone can escape the inner city. The army is always looking for people, and if i lived in the ghetto, id sign up tomorrow. But on the other hand, why work when you can complain about racism whenever somethign doesnt go your way. At least this kid has the desire to make somthing of himself, as unlikely as it is.

[hosepipe]

How many wasted words do black democrats engender...?
answer:...read on...

[chasio649]

excellent post hahaha