Zero Tolerance
I have now had my first run in with a school zero tolerance policy. My youngest daughter, who cheesentoast can tell you is an incredibly tender hearted child, has been suspended from school for 5 days. Her offense was to draw a picture of herself shooting another child and, on the back of said picture, conducting a survey as to whether or not said child took a bath.
My first reaction on hearing of this was to wonder what this child had done to my daughter to provoke her to such action because I know my daughter and know she would not have done such a thing unprovoked. The school could not tell me. They apparently questioned the two children together as to what had happened. The very thought of being in trouble is enough to make my daughter break down in tears so, unsurprisingly, they got nothing out of her and thus suspended her and let the other child go.
Of course, they did not tell her that she was suspended, they just told her to wait in the office. So in I come to pick her up and, knowing my daughter, I expect her to be a blubbering mess because she got in enough trouble that I had to be called in. I was somewhat surprised to find her relatively happy and chipper. I shrugged inwardly wondering if perhaps she was finally getting over some of her oversensitivity and led her out of the office. Once outside she asked me why I was there and what was going on so I informed her that she had been suspended from school. Whereupon she broke down in tears and began apologizing profusely - the reaction I had expected when I came to get her.
It turns out that the other child has been picking on my daughter throughout the school year and threatening to beat her up. The school, by the way, has a zero tolerance policy on bullying for all the good it apparently is doing. My daughter has been quietly putting up with this and trying to, in turn, be nice to the offending child. Today, upon the goading of other classmates, she 'snapped', drew a nasty picture, and conducted a survey on the hygiene of the offending child - all done with the prodding of her classmates. All in all a pretty reserved reaction I think.
I am currently waiting for the principal to get back in the office so that I can have a little chat with her. I am personally of the opinion that if you, as a school official, think my child has done wrong then you spank her little butt and send her back to class. You don't give her a vacation.
Oh yes, only one classmate voted 'yes' on whether or not the offending child actually took a bath.
My first reaction on hearing of this was to wonder what this child had done to my daughter to provoke her to such action because I know my daughter and know she would not have done such a thing unprovoked. The school could not tell me. They apparently questioned the two children together as to what had happened. The very thought of being in trouble is enough to make my daughter break down in tears so, unsurprisingly, they got nothing out of her and thus suspended her and let the other child go.
Of course, they did not tell her that she was suspended, they just told her to wait in the office. So in I come to pick her up and, knowing my daughter, I expect her to be a blubbering mess because she got in enough trouble that I had to be called in. I was somewhat surprised to find her relatively happy and chipper. I shrugged inwardly wondering if perhaps she was finally getting over some of her oversensitivity and led her out of the office. Once outside she asked me why I was there and what was going on so I informed her that she had been suspended from school. Whereupon she broke down in tears and began apologizing profusely - the reaction I had expected when I came to get her.
It turns out that the other child has been picking on my daughter throughout the school year and threatening to beat her up. The school, by the way, has a zero tolerance policy on bullying for all the good it apparently is doing. My daughter has been quietly putting up with this and trying to, in turn, be nice to the offending child. Today, upon the goading of other classmates, she 'snapped', drew a nasty picture, and conducted a survey on the hygiene of the offending child - all done with the prodding of her classmates. All in all a pretty reserved reaction I think.
I am currently waiting for the principal to get back in the office so that I can have a little chat with her. I am personally of the opinion that if you, as a school official, think my child has done wrong then you spank her little butt and send her back to class. You don't give her a vacation.
Oh yes, only one classmate voted 'yes' on whether or not the offending child actually took a bath.