Student suspended for heroic action

Originally posted by Dominar
reply to post by Sankari

 

Well according to the source in the OP, he was suspended for the day

But the source in the OP is ideologically biased. The original source (National Post) does not say he was suspended. It says the bully was suspended.

Originally posted by rival
something's fishy about this. The story alludes that the hero boy was disciplined but the knife-wielding
bully received no punishment.

In fact there is no mention of the knife-wielder beyond the obvious encounter. Not sure I am buying
this story prima facia

Read the National Post story, not the tabloid beat-up in the OP.

ABSOLUTELY INDEED.

I hope there's some kind of consequence that sends that school system reeling.

I'd love to see the Scouts; PTA and a list of others march on the school for a week or two or until the School board capitulated big time and apologized publically to the student PLUS gave him a scholarship.

That unmitigated evil seems to increasingly lurk within absolute stupidity in case after case.

It's like the whole culture has jumped down Alice's rabbit hole as the shortest route to hell.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
reply to post by MuzzleBreak

 

. . .

I'd have gotten thrown out by enthusiastically congratulating my son on a damn fine job and encouraging him to do so again, if anything similar should ever happen ....right in front of school admin. I think I'd take great pride if my son saw that need and stepped in to take action, too. That's the mark of a fine boy growing to become a fine man some day. Not a wimp that would stand and watch a person stabbed when they could have stopped it.

Too many wimps in this world. I guess this shows part of the reason why.

edit on 4-6-2013 by Wrabbit2000 because: (no reason given)

reply to post by MuzzleBreak


I have told Teachers and Principles this, and will repeat it here.

School policy does NOT trump the law when it comes to a person defending themselves or coming to the aid of a 3rd party. While teachers and principles operate under "In Loco Parentis", it still does not trump state law.

These teachers and principles need to understand that any action taken against a person who was assaulted / defended a 3rd party could result in tampering with a victim / witness charge against the teacher / principle.

Something I wish the PA's would educate these schools on a lot more than they do now.

I strongly encourage people to get involved in their government and in these cases their local school boards. The zero tolerance policies these boards have adopted do more harm than good and lack any common sense.

we ‘don’t condone heroics in this school.’

Reminds of a scene from Brave New World:

The ancient Greeks worshipped men of action and sacrifice whom they called heroes. As civilization progressed the role of heroes became more and more irrelevant...

Now we know that heroism is really anti-social behaviour that was necessary in the old... imperfect world.

Because ummm... heroes change things, and we're not supposed to want anything to change. Heroes mean that one person can make a difference.

Umm, Miss Crowne, I don't see that in the book.

No, it's not in the book.

Are you saying that the text book is wrong?

Well, umm, what do you think?

How would I know? I don't know more than the world consensus text book and neither do you. You're just one person. Who do you think you are?

Nobody.

Originally posted by smyleegrl
reply to post by MuzzleBreak

 

With every one of these ASININE reports, I question my future in education more and more.

Simply unbelievable.

I don't mean to sidetrack from the OP, but I have a suggestion.

You're not the only one questioning the public school system. Many parents do but and they see no viable alternative, and it's mainly due to finances. As a parent I know that it costs me and the mother of our child money to send our child to a public school. You're in a position, along with the parents, to where you can do the number crunching. There's money for transportation costs, supplies, meals, extra-curricular activities and materials. Figure out, on average, how much it costs one parent to send their child to school each year.

Now, you know how much you get paid to do what you do, and you also know how much a parent spends on the public school system. Figure out how many students you would have to take on to make this profitable for you as well as a savings for the parents. We all know that when you "buy in bulk" you save money. If you can teach 15 kids a day and charge the parents an annual fee, broken up quarterly.........however you need to do it, to where you get paid well and they can save money on schooling, you're in business.

You have credentials from the state you live in to be a teacher. Private individuals home-school their own children all the time. You can't tell me this can't be done. What else do you need in order to this in your own own or out of a store front? More certifications? Possibly a grant to get the ball rolling? The parents get a teacher they can trust, you can cherry pick who you get to teach, you still have to use state approved curriculum, they save money and you make money. Everybody wins.

I could have easily PM'd you this, but I'm sure you're not the only teacher who's going to read this. One more thing, if the reputation you have in the town you live in is the same as your reputation here on ATS........you'll be golden. You'll have kids on a waiting list.

Have a good day.

How does pushing an attacker help someone who is in a head-lock with a knife held against them? Do we even know there was really a knife involved? No. The incident is still under investigation. Lots of knee-jerking going on here.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
reply to post by MuzzleBreak

 

Oh I am sure I'd have been thrown off the property of that school. I read the article and that's outrageous. He may well have saved the kid's life. So few have the guts to do what can make a difference then spend who knows how long afterward talking about what they coulda/woulda/shoulda done. This kid DID it and did it right, by the sound of it.

I'd have gotten thrown out by enthusiastically congratulating my son on a damn fine job and encouraging him to do so again, if anything similar should ever happen ....right in front of school admin. I think I'd take great pride if my son saw that need and stepped in to take action, too. That's the mark of a fine boy growing to become a fine man some day. Not a wimp that would stand and watch a person stabbed when they could have stopped it.

Too many wimps in this world. I guess this shows part of the reason why.

edit on 4-6-2013 by Wrabbit2000 because: (no reason given)

Yep hats off to that kid,but what if all that he accomplished was to anger the bully further resulting in him being stabbed?would you still be as quick to congratulate a kid for taking this course of action if he ended up dead?

I do agree with you that far too many people these days just walk away if they see someone in distress,but the last thing that I would do would be to encourage my kids to intervene where the primary protagonist is armed.

reply to post by nake13


I think there is a saying that well defines your question.

"A coward dies a thousand deaths, the brave die but once."

That's probably more than any child knows or needs to know for philosophies of life, but this boy obviously grasped the spirit without needing the words to go with it. I think a person can come up with countless reasons why doing nothing in the face of danger is the better course.....and then live a lifetime regretting what could have been stopped or mitigated, but wasn't.

I can't imagine watching another person killed or badly injured, knowing in my own heart that I could have stopped or helped, yet chose not to. That's just it though. I would imagine it...over and over. It's that kinda of thing, IMO. Fortunately, one this brave boy will never have to contend with. He's a hero in my book. He's too young to have done it for the wrong reasons too.

reply to post by Taupin Desciple


This is a good idea, except for one problem. Where I live and teach, we are a Title 1 school. This means most parents fall below the poverty line and their children get free breakfast and lunch at the school.

These parents couldn't afford the cost of a private school. They can't even buy their kids backpacks or school supplies...area churches donate a lot of this come school time. We have kids who are living with grandparents, living in cars, going week to week not knowing if their electricity will be working.

If you think of all the money required to teach a private school, including overhead, salary, and materials....I could never compete with the local system. There have been at least three private schools open in the last ten years...they all folded.

I do think it's a good idea, though. Maybe, as the economy improves, opportunities will open up.

This comes as no surprise to me.

When I was a student at my high school (Australia) I was unprovokedly punched in the face an older student and put into a headlock and side of my scalp cut with a ring leaving scarring. I defended my self by instinctively kicking the other student and scratching at his face which ripped out his lip ring in the process.

Despite CCTV proving I was just minding my own business and not even see the first punch coming, I was suspended due to breaching the schools "hands off" policy which prevents the ability to defend yourself from injury and forces you to become a victim.

reply to post by phantom150


That sounds like a good time to ask the Principle... 'So if I just kick your butt up and down the office, right now, you'll obediently stand there and take it without so much as a slap in defense?'. I mean, that is what they're ordering kids to do and not even subtle about it. It's literally the policy.

I grew up with the same policy in school. I didn't follow it either. I wasn't the 'most favored student' by any stretch to those in the front office.

Originally posted by smyleegrl
reply to post by MuzzleBreak

 

With every one of these ASININE reports, I question my future in education more and more.

Simply unbelievable.

Why? You don't have to teach in the US.

Other countries don't operate like this. You could move to a beautiful island like Caledonia in Oceania.

reply to post by MuzzleBreak


Give that kid a medal.

And I'm reminded of this quote.

Doesn't matter what the press says. Doesn't matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn't matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right. This nation was founded on one principle above all else: the requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world — "No, you move."

You did good kid. you did good.

Originally posted by Miracula

Originally posted by smyleegrl
reply to post by MuzzleBreak

 

With every one of these ASININE reports, I question my future in education more and more.

Simply unbelievable.

Why? You don't have to teach in the US.

Other countries don't operate like this. You could move to a beautiful island like Caledonia in Oceania.

If it were only that simple.

My husband taught for two years in Honduras and loved it. He says the entire school climate is completely different. We'd make almost the same money, but in Honduran currency we'd be making the equivalent of doctors. Plus they actually respect teachers there.

My only problem, besides leaving behind my family...they have BIG spiders there. I've seen the pics.

In all truthfulness, I want to be part of the solution here. I want to help fix things. I'm just not sure that's a realistic goal anymore.

Originally posted by smyleegrl
We'd make almost the same money, but in Honduran currency we'd be making the equivalent of doctors. Plus they actually respect teachers there.

See, there you go. And the more white people I meet the more I am convinced that Asians, African Americans, and Indians, Latinos have as much worth and are as kind IF NOT MORE so than whites.

reply to post by MuzzleBreak


my parents would have laughed at the school, then used the time off of school to take me out to celebrate. because they would think that was awesome. when i got in a fight at school, they would ask if i started it? which the answer would be a no.... then they would ask if i finished it... and the answer would usually be a yes.

Originally posted by iunlimited491
The article states that he only served the rest of the day in (In-School-Suspension.) - But be that as it may, what I find even more outrageous, is the response that the mother received when she was informed of the situation:

“They phoned me and said, ‘Briar was involved in an incident today.’ That he decided to ‘play hero’ and jump in.”

“I asked: ‘In the time it would have taken him to go get a teacher, could that kid’s throat have been slit?’ She said yes, but that’s beside the point. That we ‘don’t condone heroics in this school.’”

I hope whoever contacted and spoke with the mother gets hit by a train.
_____

The kid honestly shouldn't have been punished what-so-ever. And the staff of that school clearly needs to 'get a clue.' It's a good thing they didn't suspend him outside of school, for multiple days. This is the type of bull-s*** headlines are made of.


( But ISS? - I can't even count how many times i've been there. ) Lol.

That part really got me when I read it and all I could think is "hope someone takes that person in a head-lock and whips out a knife, when someone tries to intervene just say 'no, no, they don't tolerate heroics here, tell them lady' "

Originally posted by smyleegrl
reply to post by MuzzleBreak

 

With every one of these ASININE reports, I question my future in education more and more.

Simply unbelievable.

The whole idea of sending our kids off to public schools, started in the 20th century, was to simply break the parental authority over the child in place of civic authority. The result is a system in which children are shuffled like cows through a system in which the teachers are awarded if the kids can regurgitate inane facts on a fill in scan tron. This is a useless form of education for youth. I don't have a solution a this time.

reply to post by LastStarfighter


Not sure there is a simple solution.

The current switch to the Common Core curriculum is a positive first step. It places a lot more emphasis on critical thinking, students must explain their reasoning, etc.

My hope is we will eventually move away from standardized multiple choice tests and begin to utilize performance assessments. In other words, give the student a real life problem and have them justify their answer. These are much harder to standardize, though, so I won't hold my breath.

did they find the knife? did anyone see the knife? the student supposedly heard a noise that sounded like a knife flicking? sounds fishy to me.