Art is the top student in my calculus class. Art transferred to this school in October from a very prestigious Catholic school in the area. I always wondered why, but never had the nerve to ask. I assumed it had something to do with tuition.
On Monday Art told us he was going to be the valedictorian of his Catholic High School. His bragging got on my nerves so I asked "Why did you transfer? Is Packemin HS a better school?" He looked at me calmly and said "I got expelled." I could not believe my ears. He then told us that he got expelled for egging a house.
Those Catholic schools rock! Here is the smartest kid in the school, a kid destined to attend a top notch college and the Catholic school kicked him out! The school didn't worry about how their statistics would go down. They didn't worry about Art's rights. He screwed up and they made him pay the price. They kicked him out to send him and everyone else a message. This kind of behavior would not be tolerated.
Too bad public schools cannot follow this example. I have a feeling our schools would be a lot better off if we could.
On Monday Art told us he was going to be the valedictorian of his Catholic High School. His bragging got on my nerves so I asked "Why did you transfer? Is Packemin HS a better school?" He looked at me calmly and said "I got expelled." I could not believe my ears. He then told us that he got expelled for egging a house.
Those Catholic schools rock! Here is the smartest kid in the school, a kid destined to attend a top notch college and the Catholic school kicked him out! The school didn't worry about how their statistics would go down. They didn't worry about Art's rights. He screwed up and they made him pay the price. They kicked him out to send him and everyone else a message. This kind of behavior would not be tolerated.
Too bad public schools cannot follow this example. I have a feeling our schools would be a lot better off if we could.
12 comments:
As an independent school teacher I agree that it can be helpful to dismiss students who screw up. However, where do the kids go who have been kicked out of everywhere? I'm not saying I have a good answer, but putting them on the streets is not really solving the problem.
Just my two cents.
Catholic schools do have a tendency to do that if you do something that could jeopardize their reputation. However, they do forget that kids are kids and that there are more constructive ways of developing consequences. I'm not saying I have the answers either. It's just that that situation reminds me of my time in Catholic school when the nuns would talk about Christian values and forgiveness and all that. It just makes me think how are they modeling the values they are promoting? And how are they helping that student? Maybe this just brought back some bad memories but it's just my two cents as well.
Many of my kids are heading off to Catholic high schools in the fall. I am forever lecturing them about how, if they screw up, they will be out on their behinds (actually, I say the same thing to those headed off to a certain elite public high school on the campus of a certain CUNY school). I've even gone as far as have past graduates talk to them about expectations after they leave the safe little cocoon we have developed for them.
It's all about having a discipline code and enforcing it. I've seen many an 8th grade screw up come back to visit who freely admits that it was the Catholic school that straightened him or her out. I say more power to them.
I agree, it's wonderful when schools have standards. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work this way. My husband taught in a Catholic high school for 3 years. A kid was caught smoking pot in the band room. Should have been expelled, right? Not when your step dad is a Higher Up with a local athletic team (semi pro) that has really nice weight room and other perks to offer. No, when your family has money and prestige to offer, then you get sent home for the day AND you get to run in the track meet the next day. You will probably have to attend some "rehab" sessions after school at the local drug/alcohol rehab center.
Consequences are still something severely lacking in the public school system.
My grandchildren go to a yeshiva in New Jersey. When a homework is not done they get a phone call. If a child is to be absent the parents must call the school. If a girl comes to school improperly dressed(it hardly ever happens--girls must wear skirts--)they are sent to the principals office and the parents are called and told to bring proper clothing to school so the young lady may go back to class. I believe that when G-d is added to the classroom it sure modifies the behavior of most young people. Also, I know of students who have been expelled from yeshivas and catholic schools.
Rita says, "I believe that when G-d is added to the classroom it sure modifies the behavior of most young people."
All I can say is that I would rather fear not be the motivator in my classroom.
Fear should not be a motivator, but kids need to know there are consequences for some actions.
I am all for consequences. It is a necessary part of growing up and learning, and one of the things our culture is often short on teaching kids. But I don't see that bringing God into a classroom does anything more than cause fear to be a motivator. With God, what are the consequences? You'll be punished or go to hell. Neither seems very constructive to me. I guess I am saying you can have rules, even very strict ones regarding dress or doing homework, and have consequences for not following the rules that have nothing to do with God.
Jimmy--I would agree with that.
Jimmy---What I meant by modification of behavior was not fear but respect.
Rita, I agree that respect is important, but I do not agree that it takes God in the classroom to produce that. And when God is involved, my experience has been that the respect was based on fear. I fully accept that your experience may be different, I am only sharing my opinion.
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