Recently, the Waterbury Board of Education made some revisions to the discipline policy for students.
Well, let's take a good look at the behavior of the adults, those expected to set the example for children, in the Education Department: lying, cheating, stealing, forgery and so on!
Some say we can't have disruptive children interfering with the education process, so let's just kick them out.
Why should we consider any mitigating factors in these incidents?
What message are we sending them in preparation for the real world?
These comments are almost laughable, because in the real world of the adults in Waterbury's Education Department, we show these children:
n You can do these things and still keep your job.
n Mitigating factors may be considered on an individual basis for the adults, but not for children.
n Do as I say and not as I do.
n It's not always what you know, but who you know, that really counts,
n And, you don't necessarily have to know how to do your job, you just need to know how to keep your job.
Also, as the adults, we can compel children to abide by the rules, even when we adults don't.
We, the adults, can disrupt the learning process, but students can't.
We, the adults, can blame parents for negative child behavior, but the children can't blame our parents for our negative behaviors.
The children can't cuss at us, but we can cuss at them.
Children have to have report cards, but we don't have to be evaluated.
And, we adults are going to expect accountability from the students and hold them to a higher standard, but how dare anyone put such demands on the adults.
What message are we sending these children in preparing them for the real world?
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