C'mon....

This is getting tedious. I, deep down, thought that it was just MHS/HVS that was Neanderthal in its/their approach to education. I guess not, as I've posted.

You, no doubt, have read of the girl down South somewhere who was suspended for a "public display of affection." She was in the band at a competition; the band won some award; she was so excited, she hugged another band member in glee. SUSPENSION. According to the nitwit administrator, the rule was clear: NO PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION.

And, this was on the radio a few days back. An elementary class, somewhere around here, but not in Michigan, had a bully, a real jerk who the kids had had enough of. So, two of them decided not to talk to him, not to play with him, to have nothing to do with him. After all, it's a free country, right? Not so fast. The parents of the two kids were called in and the kids were threatened with suspension for, you guessed it, "bullying." Actually, the parents were told their kids were guilty of "conspiracy to bully." Yep, fourth or fifth grade kids. I suppose, now, that if some kid has a birthday party and doesn't invite everyone around, he's guilty of "conspiracy to bully."

And this one apparently is at a school in local Dearborn. The principal has mandated that all unturned in assignments be graded as "60%," not zeros. What a great concept! This will ensure that everyone gets good grades. Copy one assignment from the smart kid in class, don't bother with the next one and get a B, 80% average. Of course, the kids won't know anything, but they'll have good grades. And, after all, that's what parents are most concerned about--good grades, not knowledge or work habits, etc. What was it a couple of my colleagues in the math department always said about parents' desires from the public schools? "Give my kid a good grade, but don't make him work for it!"

A conscious effort is going to be needed to save education. But, first, people are going to have to admit education is sinking and sinking fast--and it's not just the schools "over there," but even their own!

More to follow.