Re: What are we teaching?
Bill Lawrence (bill.lawrence@ANSYS.COM)
Wed, 6 May 1998 15:53:07 -0400
Monica,
I have a question, if I may...
Did the Scout in question present the knife to a teacher or other
responsible adult and state that he had brought the knife by accident,
was sorry, and wanted that adult to keep it until school was out (or
something to that effect), or did someone actually see the Scout
handling the knife in school? These seem to me to be very different
circumstances. In the former case, I can't imagine why he would be
suspended. In the latter, he probably should have been suspended.
Bill Lawrence
Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 150, Gibsonia, PA
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Monica Dennis [SMTP:rif00275@RIDE.RI.NET]
> Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 1998 8:16 PM
> To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L
> Subject: Re: What are we teaching?
>
> I am also an educator and I have to say that some of what was done to
> these
> children makes sense.
>
> I teach at an alternative middle school for at-risk youth and we, as a
> staff, discuss every discipline issue before exacting any discipline.
> A
> couple of years ago we had a student who was a Boy Scout bring his
> knife to
> school accidentally. We decided as a group to suspend him for three
> days
> and let me explain why. There are those students whose parents do not
> take
> an active roll in their children's lives who, if we did *not* suspend
> this
> child, would think that it was ok to bring a knife to school.
>
> Whether you like it or not, sometimes we have to punish a student when
> it
> goes against our better judgement (because it is a *good* kid), but
> the
> fact is we have to be fair in our rules and their consequences.
>
> Isn't that what scouting is teaching kids, to be fair? Would we want
> them
> to be excluded from the rules because he only broke it a little? What
> are
> we teaching them if we say that it is ok to break the rules , but just
> a
> little. Kids don't understand that and we should never give the
> impression
> that it is ok.
>
> Sorry to ramble, but just my $.02
>
> YIS,
> Monica Dennis
> CubMaster Pack 13, Bristol, RI
> >>Well I've taken it about as long as I can on this thread of "What
> are we
> >>teaching...". In numerous replies the reference has been made to
> what are
> >>we teaching kids "in school". In most of these replies it has been
> >>insinuated that teachers are solely responsible for educating youth
> and not
> >>just in academic areas, and therefore teachers are responsible for
> the
> >>mistakes that youth make. As a professional educator I take offense
> to
> >>this!
> >>
> >>
> >
> >Tim,
> >
> >Yes you are correct that we are responsible for the children we raise
> >and education is just one part of the picture, but the issue is
> >exactly what are we teaching the kids in school when we hear that:
> >
> >a) A kid in Conn is suspended because he left his Cub Scout pocket
> >knife in his pants at school.
> >
> >b) A girl out west was charged with distributing a controlled
> >substance, for lending another girl who was an asthmatic her inhaler
> >on the bus.
> >
> >c) Kids are expected to leave their RESCUE inhaler in the school
> >office and come get it when they need it.
> >
> >d) A girl is expelled for telling the teacher her mother gave her the
> >wrong lunch and it had a knife in it.
> >
> >
> >These ridiculous experiences happened at school. Those things didn't
> >happen at home, not at church, but in a class room. What should the
> >kid have done, hid the knife and get caught. Should the girl have let
> >the other girl die, (yes you can die from a severe asthma attack.)
> >It's no wonder that people ask the question what are we teaching
> these
> >kids at school. When you teach a kid that when he makes an innocent
> >mistake at school and tells the truth he will end up in juvenile
> hall,
> >the schools involved should be called to task. To my way of thinking
> >this is the wrong message to send to a kid.
> >
> >
Terry Howerton Sakima Group, Inc. SCOUTER Magazine Kansas City |
