6th grade is NOT PRISON!!! or is it?

You know how kids will exaggerate sometimes. They will come home and tell you the craziest stories about teachers and how evil they are. I have listened to a few whoppers in my time but occasionally there is some truth to the whole thing.
My son got two days of detention for coughing in school.
Yep...coughing.
I couldn't understand why he would get detention for coughing so I asked him if he'd been obnoxious about it or had been goofy with it, etc...
He assured me that, no, he was just coughing. And let me tell you, he's been coughing all week and staying up half the night with it.)
So I asked him to tell me EXACTLY what happened and he did....
That's when he told me that his entire sixth grade class was on lock-down (which is now called 'zoning' because lock-down is a prison term isn't it?)
He said they were all in lunch and he began to cough. He placed his mouth inside his shirt and covered it with his hand (to keep from coughing on anyone who was eating) and then a group of boys began to cough along with him. They smiled at him and he smiled back but then began to cough again.
Yes...he did smile, but hell...he'd been coughing in class all week. Surely to God a woman with a college degree would be able to remember that.
But no...he was given two days of detention and the real kicker is this...no one else got detention.
WTF???
What about all those other boys who started to cough ON FUCKING PURPOSE to be little smart asses???

So...I kept my son home from school this morning to give him several doses of cough syrup before bringing him to school. I would hate for him to get more detention because he was coughing.

Apparently the coughing was an issue because when they are on lock-down, they are not allowed to speak or make noise of any kind from 8:30 in the morning until 3:40 in the afternoon.

Should I invest in a striped prison suit for my son?



Furthermore, the students are required to remain in their home base classrooms ALL DAY and given homework in all classes,(without instruction from the other teachers), that is graded and counts toward their final grades.
They normally change classes. But on lock-down days they are not allowed to move.

I have an issue with that. Especially because they were on lock-down because there was too much talking and laughing from the students the day before.

Ummmm....too much talking....

What about their goddamn school work? WHAT ABOUT THEIR INSTRUCTION??? ISN'T THAT WHY THEY ARE AT SCHOOL? TO LEARN???

If they are stuck in one classroom all day what are they supposed to do if they don't know how to do their english homework and their home base teacher is their science teacher?
Oh wait...I forgot. They're not ALLOWED TO SPEAK!!! SO HOW THE HELL ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR HOMEWORK?!?!?

I called the Board of Education this morning to inquire about these lock-down methods. I'm curious to see what they will say about it. And in fact, if I do not receive a call back from them before ten o'clock, I will call the superintendent's office.

I understand the need for discipline, but it seems to me that this type of hard ass discipline does nothing but fester a hatred for school and for the teachers.
I don't see anything positive coming out of this.
Now if there were issues of bullying and fighting, or drug use and swearing at teachers and abuse, and it was widespread though out the classes, I could see a lock-down method being used as a way of closely monitoring the students.
But for talking and laughing too much?
What form of discipline would they use for more extreme offenses?
It makes no sense to me.

Don't get me wrong. I have a great deal of respect for teachers. I have worked in the schools for years and volunteered my time to help teachers.
They are underpaid, overworked and held responsible for everything from a child's failing grade to a child losing something valuable. The crap that teachers have to put up with, is incredible.
So this post is not a teacher bashing.

Of course because I have worked so closely with teachers, I have seen that it is possible to discipline students without using bullying, intimidation and humiliation.
Yet,I have witnessed all three of these tactics being used by certain teachers.
One of the teachers in question is the same teacher in charge of this lock-down.

Perhaps she believes she is doing the kids a favor by keeping them in line or it is the only method of discipline she knows?
Regardless...the principal and vice-principal allow it.

I think it's detrimental to the students, who are still kids after all, and I think that individuals should be dealt with on an individual basis.

So...will I go down to the school today and raise hell about my son's detention?
No...
I don't agree with it but because he admitted to smiling after the other boys began to cough, I have no solid argument. I can actually understand why the teacher would think that my son was coughing to mock her.
What I will do, is bring my son down there to take his lumps, so to speak, and explain to him that by smiling, it appeared to the teacher that he was doing it on purpose to mock her and undermine her authority.

I think I've vented enough for now. I'm curious to see if anyone will call me back from the Board of Education and explain the lock-down method of discipline. Past experience tells me that if someone doesn't want to deal with it, I'll end up getting an answer in a week or two,(if I'm persistent).

I won't be a bitch about it either. I try not to conduct myself like that when I have a complaint. I mean, differences of opinion are common in this life. We need to try to deal with them in a graceful manner. It would do nothing for my self-respect if I behaved like an ass just because I was pissed.

And with all of my ranting complete...THIS is my mood for the day...



It's pretty accurate except my boobies are bigger and my hair is blonde...The axe is a great little touch for my overall mood though, don't you think?