Why would anyone want to be involved with high school education these days? Have you heard the latest controversy being fired up by FOXNews Nation? A Connecticut high school senior has been banned from attending prom by the head of school after he trespassed on school property at night and vandalized the school by taping up a giant "will you go to prom with me" message to his girlfriend on the side of the school – granted, there have been no reports that the message made from 12-inch cardboard letters did permanent damage. (
source) The student, James Tate, of Shelton High School, is being turned into a cult hero who did nothing wrong and just wanted to impress his girlfriend. Plenty of adults in the community are siding with the young man saying they're not sure the punishment fits the crime. (
source)
This scenario is text book when it comes to the inane and idiotic things students are doing today at school and the problems on which teachers and school administrator are having to waste time. When I was a school administrator, I used to ask students a simply question when they weren't sure if something they were going to do was wrong or not, – and honestly, kids and young adults are not always sure – "If you came and asked me for permission, what do you think I would say?" Did Tate ask himself this question? If he thought this was just fine, why not have gone in and asked for permission first. Could it be he didn't think his request would be approved? And why wouldn't the school have authorized a student to tape up giant letters with a private and personal message on the wall? Is it that difficult to figure it out? Supposedly, he is a very intelligent young man who will be attending Syracuse University in the fall. Really? He's so smart he cannot figure out why a school wouldn't want students trespassing at night, in the dark, taping up letters to the side of the building? Wow? It's hard to determine who's at fault in this case. Is the the student or the education he was given?
FOXNews, of course, is running a poll as to whether people thing the punishment of being banned from attending his senior prom fits the crime. Well, they should start by asking what are the fines and penalties in Connecticut for trespassing on and vandalism of public property? Because the head of school decided not to bring in the law and turn this into a criminal matter – James, by the way, is 18 years old and a legal adult who would have to face the full weight and attention of the law. Rather than have him arrested and charged, the head of school chose a different route probably thinking she was doing him a great favor. How did Mr. Tate respond? He and his family responded by allowing themselves to become crusaders for a very bad cause – allowing privileged miscreants to do whatever they please and think it's just fine. Rather, the head of school should have called the police and allow Mr. Tate to be on the front page of the news after being bailed out of jail by his well-to-do parents. That certainly would have been a better solution given the circumstances. It's stunning to see the reaction of people who actually write and work to justify this student's actions. "Oh, it was cute." "He was just trying to make an impression." How about buy an ad in the local paper? How about take her to a Red Sox game and have them flash the invite up on the scoreboard? How about any of 10,000 ways people have thought of that would have involved the committing of several crimes and all this controversy? Worse, rather than simply admitting you did something wrong, dangerous, and illegal, you ignite a national firestorm trying to justify what you did and prove that the school is too harsh for not turning you over red handed to the law and filing charges against you for criminal mischief, vandalism, and trespassing? Rather than being contrite and honest, the kinds of things that make schools, teachers, and administrators proud, you turn around and blame the school for your idiocy. Are these the kinds of young people who will be inheriting America in three generations? Is this the kind of kid who grows up to be the next governor of Connecticut? Sure, maybe in the giant, grand scheme of things, what James Tate did isn't the worst. He may not have done long-term damage. And, guess what, being banned from Prom is a lot less damaging to a student's psyche than graduation which a lot of schools use as the stick to keep high school seniors on the straight and narrow for the last two months of school. James Tate got off easy, and anyone who thinks differently has never worked in a modern public or independent high school. He should take his punishment like an adult and serve it with grace and dignity not by trying to raise a banner of injustice. He's lucky he lives in an age where parents and even administrators believe in the concept of good, old-fashioned fun. In the old days he would have simply been expelled – done and done.
UPDATE - 12 months ago
Follow - Up Posted on 18 May 2011
The principal has changed her mind and decided to allow the boy to attend his prom. Yippee! Now he's learned another bad thing, cry to the press, and you'll get your way even though you're the one in the wrong.
Secondly, a New Hampshire mother is all upset because her 13-year old daughter was suspended for 5 days for making a post on Facebook®. What did she write? Oh nothing, just something like she had hoped that Osama bin Laden would kill her math teacher. How harsh. A 5-day suspension for making a public, posted threat against your teacher. Wow. The mother's defense of her child rests on the idea that it's not the school's business, she posted the note from her home computer. How crazy is this mother. Were I the principal, not only would I have expelled the student for making threats against a teacher's life, I would have turned the matter over to the police. If I were the teacher, I would be filing a lawsuit against the parents and having a restraining order put out on the chilld. Sorry, what bubble does this woman live in that plenty of 13-year olds have come to school with guns and killed teachers and kids? It's time to wake up America.