Mentor Schools
OK, Let us begin by agreeing that all kids are shit-heads. That said, I think some of the leaders that are supposed to be running their institutions (read as much into that words as you'd like) of educational advance are much more moronic than them. And, NO, they are NOT smarter than a fucking fifth grader (what a dumb ass show that is). Anyway, here is the latest scenario, which has my blood boiling against the proverbial educational system. (Mind you I have worked within this system for over twenty years in one capacity or another, so I do have some "insider" type knowledge.) Each "system", whether it be a single independent charter or private school, or a monstrous conglomerate like LA or Cleveland, has to have rules by which to govern themselves. I have no problems with those general rules as a whole, BUT I do have a problem with how they are meted out on a daily basis. I have bitched about this before within my own building because some kids seem to get into trouble constantly while others, doing the exact same thing, are never even spoken to by the administrators. Interesting is it not?
Along with the system's rules, each building has to have their own rules, and so on down the line to each department, and each classroom, and each teacher. Just like a mini government, right? In theory, yes. In practice, yes as well because our government has gotten so large that it needs its own government just to get back on track. (I mean everyone in the government needs to vote for a few representatives to clean up the mess that has been inexorably growing since 1776.) But...., as usual, I digress.
I am having a huge problem right now with the Mentor Exempted Village School System (Mentor hasn't been classified a "village" for at least 20 years, which should tell you something.). My pseudo-nephew, we'll call him Cory, has gotten into trouble for the second time in his Junior High School career, both time for, "drugs." The reason for the quotes will become apparent shortly. Both times an outrageous, "system-wide," rule dictated the actions of the supposed principal in charge of the school, which we will call Ridge for shits and giggles.
The first time dealt with some over-the-counter No-Doz caffeine pills that the kids picked up on the way to school. (No questions asked by the store clerk, by the way.) Although, I admit it WAS incredibly stupid in the first place, I most certainly did not agree with punishment. Nor do I think many of you would if you knew how ridiculous it was. Someone told on Cory and his entourage, which, in turn, brought the wrath of the Great Mentor Exempted School System down upon the heads of a few 13 year-old boys. These are relatively good kids, too. They ain't the ones who will be shooting up a campus one day, or at least they weren't until you guys started picking on them for stupid shit like this. Anyway, they were given a 10 day suspension. In my day, 10 days of absence equalled an automatic failure of all classes for that particular quarter. 10 days for caffeine pills??? What the FUCK??? Most of the kids have more caffeine in their morning Jolt than they would get from those damned pills anyway. But, due to the asinine, "zero tolerance policy." These kids all failed some classes, if not all classes, for the particular quarter. These are kids not fucking hardened criminals you imbeciles.
The next incident just happened this past week. After watching one of the funniest movies I think was ever made, Up in Smoke with Cheech and Chong, the kids were making comments to one another while in school. Again, I know it was not what one would consider an intelligent thing to do, these are kids. They were not plotting to overthrow the government, though that is not really a bad idea, they were talking about a fucking movie for God's sake. Yes, it was a drug movie, from the seventies though. Yes, they were dumb enough to write notes about it in class. Yes, they wrote about drugs in those notes. BUT, they neither had those drugs on them nor had them stashed anywhere to get on the way home from school. They were writing as if they were the characters in a damned 1978 movie. Guess what the intelligentsia of Mentor decided to do. You are absolutely fucking right. They suspended the kids for another 10 fucking days. Now they are in 9th grade and bullshit like this counts. I am furious!!! These kids are losing credits toward graduation now.
Rules are there for the protection of everyone but saying that, "this falls under the zero tolerance policy," is absolutely fucking ludicrous. Zero tolerance for fucking what????? If there were a zero tolerance policy for what this actually was, stupidity, most of the administration would be out on their asses. This situation should not be allowed to go on. These kids should be re-instated and given a public apology. In fact, I think I am going to find a hungry attorney who might want to make a name for himself. This case could make a career because it shows the absolute inanity of such over-reaching rules.
Along with the system's rules, each building has to have their own rules, and so on down the line to each department, and each classroom, and each teacher. Just like a mini government, right? In theory, yes. In practice, yes as well because our government has gotten so large that it needs its own government just to get back on track. (I mean everyone in the government needs to vote for a few representatives to clean up the mess that has been inexorably growing since 1776.) But...., as usual, I digress.
I am having a huge problem right now with the Mentor Exempted Village School System (Mentor hasn't been classified a "village" for at least 20 years, which should tell you something.). My pseudo-nephew, we'll call him Cory, has gotten into trouble for the second time in his Junior High School career, both time for, "drugs." The reason for the quotes will become apparent shortly. Both times an outrageous, "system-wide," rule dictated the actions of the supposed principal in charge of the school, which we will call Ridge for shits and giggles.
The first time dealt with some over-the-counter No-Doz caffeine pills that the kids picked up on the way to school. (No questions asked by the store clerk, by the way.) Although, I admit it WAS incredibly stupid in the first place, I most certainly did not agree with punishment. Nor do I think many of you would if you knew how ridiculous it was. Someone told on Cory and his entourage, which, in turn, brought the wrath of the Great Mentor Exempted School System down upon the heads of a few 13 year-old boys. These are relatively good kids, too. They ain't the ones who will be shooting up a campus one day, or at least they weren't until you guys started picking on them for stupid shit like this. Anyway, they were given a 10 day suspension. In my day, 10 days of absence equalled an automatic failure of all classes for that particular quarter. 10 days for caffeine pills??? What the FUCK??? Most of the kids have more caffeine in their morning Jolt than they would get from those damned pills anyway. But, due to the asinine, "zero tolerance policy." These kids all failed some classes, if not all classes, for the particular quarter. These are kids not fucking hardened criminals you imbeciles.
The next incident just happened this past week. After watching one of the funniest movies I think was ever made, Up in Smoke with Cheech and Chong, the kids were making comments to one another while in school. Again, I know it was not what one would consider an intelligent thing to do, these are kids. They were not plotting to overthrow the government, though that is not really a bad idea, they were talking about a fucking movie for God's sake. Yes, it was a drug movie, from the seventies though. Yes, they were dumb enough to write notes about it in class. Yes, they wrote about drugs in those notes. BUT, they neither had those drugs on them nor had them stashed anywhere to get on the way home from school. They were writing as if they were the characters in a damned 1978 movie. Guess what the intelligentsia of Mentor decided to do. You are absolutely fucking right. They suspended the kids for another 10 fucking days. Now they are in 9th grade and bullshit like this counts. I am furious!!! These kids are losing credits toward graduation now.
Rules are there for the protection of everyone but saying that, "this falls under the zero tolerance policy," is absolutely fucking ludicrous. Zero tolerance for fucking what????? If there were a zero tolerance policy for what this actually was, stupidity, most of the administration would be out on their asses. This situation should not be allowed to go on. These kids should be re-instated and given a public apology. In fact, I think I am going to find a hungry attorney who might want to make a name for himself. This case could make a career because it shows the absolute inanity of such over-reaching rules.
posted by johnathan e at 2:10 PM
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