Opinion
Get up, stand up for your rights
kat leroy illustration
It is not a teacher’s responsibility to change and force opinions onto students. While some teachers strongly believe and know that you have to get an education to be successful, students will commonly disagree. Having confidence in dreams and knowing that one can accomplish them is all a person needs to be happy and successful with life. Students have noticed a big change in bad behavior consequences this year. After working a new code of conduct, staff members have taken the extra step to punish students, playing more of parental aspect in students’ lives than a mentor aspect.
For example, one tardy leaves students with a warning. Two tardies leave them with a detention. Skip that detention, and students are left in a cold room with a busted heater, serving a full day of in school suspension. It was never the norm to find a student in this position, but the new policy hasn’t done many favors for students.ISS has its perks such as getting homework done in a timely fashion or meeting a fellow troublemaker.
Impenitentness hits students hard in ISS, which isn’t a fun experience. Students should not be put through the misery of tough consequences for a mistake that was so little.
Staff members don’t seem to understand how old and wise most high school students are. A student doesn’t need their phone taken away if they pay the bill and they miss the curriculum. A student doesn’t need to spend a day in a cold room for missing part of their class. Students will suffer the consequences by themselves. It takes ones confidence and will power to go to class and get the work done efficiently, not a teachers demand and constant presence, whether that presence is visible or through voice.
The staff is only making life more stressful for students in what are supposed to be their “best years.” Teens will not have the same energy and aspirations that they have now, and won’t realize how fast it will dwindle away until they’re brainwashed into believing that the only route out of high school is college.
At home, many teens face family instability and personal problems. If a staff member over hears a student talking about an at home issue, it is not there right to step into a personal matter by contacting school officials. Leave that to the family and parents.
Musicians, entertainers and athletes all have common goals around the school and the world – to be famous. A person who disagrees with the values and views of another person is only showing selfishness, and lack of hope that one can pursue a dream.
Students have noticed a big change in bad behavior consequences this year. After working a new code of conduct, staff members have taken the extra step to punish students, playing more of parental aspect in students’ lives than a mentor aspect.