Yeah, I hear there’s a real problem with queer street gangs these days, tagging everything in sight with those damned rainbows.
ACLU sues Florida school for barring Pride gear
Administrators at Ponce de Leon High School stated that students’ wearing rainbow stickers could mean that they are members of an illegal organization.…
An unidentified student was suspended for five days for expressing her support for gay rights, the ACLU said. Students said a lesbian peer was harassed and tried to report the situation to administrators. She was instead greeted with censorship of supporting students writing “gay pride” on their arms and notebooks.
This story definitely goes in the “glad to be homeschooling” file, but it also gives me cause to wonder if the school administrator training process surgically removes all common sense. Or do they just prefer to recruit those who don’t have much of it in the first place?
Well, school administrators are folks how have higher level management skill, who’re either sufficiently committed to working in the schools that they’ll accept a salary lower than they’d get in private industry, or who couldn’t get a better paying job in private industry.
So yeah – lots of common-sense-less school administrators.
I’d file this under exactly why I’m glad my kids aren’t homeschooled. It is exposure to incidents such as this that forced me to educate myself about a great many things. It also helped me experience solidarity with people first hand.
Those kids got a harsh lesson that none of them are likely to forget and, with luck, with direct some to fight for what they perceive as right for the rest of their lives.
That’s fair, Chas.
Hope, I know there are some administrators who are truly committed to education. The best band director I ever had and one of the best English teachers I’ve ever known eventually went into administration. I feel that they were exceptions to all the rules. First, they were wonderful teachers who connected well with their students. Second, they eventually gave up their first love (teaching) to try to improve the overall system.
Most of the teachers and administrators I encountered in my own schooling and that of our kids were not good teachers, seldom had a good grasp of their subject, and didn’t care much for the students. Too many were on power trips. I know that my sister didn’t go into teaching for the profession, but for the hours, benefits and stability. She doesn’t even like kids much!
The age of reasoning is over. If you ban stickers the kids will just find something else