A weapon? Really?

“Zero Tolerance” or zero common sense?

According to the School Safety & Security Alert, a  six-year-old Michigan boy was suspended for violating his school’s zero-tolerance weapons policy. His crime? He made the classic gun shape out of his index finger and thumb and pointed this  ”weapon” at classmates.

Really? Are you kidding me? Prove to me how fingers meet the definition of ”weapon,” and while you’re doing that, I’ll watch the two kids in the corner swordfighting with their pencils.

Oh, right, my bad. Pencils could never be weapons, not like the the hands holding them.  I’m sorry, I get so confused by illogical policy enforcement.

I’ll work harder to put my finger on it … but I’ll be sure to keep my thumb tucked neatly away.

Despite the typical cell phone ban at Wiregrass Ranch High School in Wesley Chapel, Fla., students continue to use their cell phones on campus and in class, where teachers who spot cell phone offenders can take them away for an entire day.

All teachers except for one, who is actually incorporating texting into her lesson plans.

Tired of competing with cell phones for her students’ attention, the 12^th grade science teacher has her students use their cell phones as polling devices to keep them actively engaged in class discussions, reports ABC Action News. She uses a polling program that is downloadable from polleverywhere.com, and is free for groups with less than 30 people – perfect for a high school classroom.  The teacher asks a question, the students text in their votes, and then the results are displayed via PowerPoint. How easy is that?

It might not be such a bad idea, considering that 43% of teens openly admit to texting during class anyway.

What about the 10% of students at Wiregrass Ranch who don’t have cells? No big deal – they just share with a friend.

With such a technology-oriented youth population, more and more teachers seem to be connecting with their students’ minds by “connecting” with technology. What do you think? Would you ever allow texting in your classroom for educational purposes?

For those enrolled in Michigan’s Little Lake Free School, new curriculum and new teaching methods are also on the menu. That is because at Little Lake, students make the rules.  Yep, that’s right – the students make the rules.  They also decide the curriculum and even mediate disputes between peers.  Now, this too-good-to-be-true dream for students is not completely self-directed.  Teachers and administrators still govern the school day and build the lesson plans.  Only this time, the students get to decide what they will learn.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Little Lake Free School is the newest of about 40 nontraditional schools that have opened throughout the country in the past four years. The intent of these schools is to reign in students whose parents say have become disinterested and demotivated by traditional classrooms. Schools like Little Lake give their children a new lease on life – now they love to learn.

And wouldn’t you?  As a student, I recall many bored moments and if left up to me, would not have participated in spelling, math, or even reading class. In fact, I probably would have become an expert on puppies and kittens.  But would that have been so wrong?  Not according to schools like Little Lake.  For these schools, that is the whole point.  I would have been fed activities and lessons that revolved around cute and cuddly creatures – and possibly been groomed to become a veterinarian.  But I wasn’t and didn’t.  And I don’t know that students should be left the option of what they are taught in school.  What do you think?  In a new age of learning, who should be calling the shots?

a) Larger class sizes with less teachers as a result of layoffs or

b) Prevent teacher layoffs and cut extra-curricular activities instead

A recent article in USA Today outlined this battle that many states, districts and schools are facing right now.  It got me thinking about my elementary school days and quite frankly I couldn’t tell you if there were 15 or 30 kids in my classes…so class size obviously didn’t make an impression on me at all.

You can find studies on either side of the class size battle.  Many states have taking the time to write legislation limiting class size.  But no matter what the studies say, today’s parents are sold on small class size positively impacting their child’s achievement.  Colleagues tell me it’s the first thing they blame when their child is under-performing.

But, parents and the community are also enraged when the music program gets cut or when you charge kids to be on the football team.  They question what you are doing with their tax money and federal money.

So, now it’s you turn to be the superintendent.  Can your local economy take even more unemployment if you choose to layoff teachers and staff?  Will the community understand that you must charge for or eliminate activities to pay the salaries necessary to keep class sizes small?

If you had to make this choice what would you do and why?

It’s important because with all the hoopla surrounding Obama’s Race To The Top challenge, there may be a lot of former teachers updating their resumes. You know the arguments.

On one side: “How can you hold me a accountable for what my kids learn when they won’t prepare for their classes or do their homework, their home lives are a mess, they get no support from their parents, they aren’t willing to learn, etc. It’s not in my control.”

On the other: “You are a teacher. You should be measured by how well you actually teach, what your students learn and how much you currently know about your subject matter.  Otherwise, you are not teaching, you are talking.”

We are in the business of making teachers more effective, so you would think we would agree with the latter. After all, we test teachers now!  But we aren’t quite ready to take all of the responsibility off the students

What’s your take? Should teachers be held accountable through their students’ learning or not?

The law (currently a proposed bill in the senate) would eliminate the use of two phrases from all federal law: mental retardation and mentally retarded individual. Instead references would be changed to intellectual disability and individual with an intellectual disability, respectively.

The bill is named after Rosa Marcellino, an intellectually-disabled person herself whose family has helped to pass similar legislation.

As Mikulski explained, Rosa’s Law would benefit all children “who are labeled, stigmatized, and bear a burden the rest of their lives because of the language we use in the law books.”

The bill has already achieved 42 bipartisan co-sponsors in the Senate.

I can’t imagine there are readers out there who would vote against this bill, but I want to invite opinions on both sides.  Post your thoughts below.

According to the timesnews.net, the new elementary dress code reads, “In grades 3, 4 and 5, short shorts, halter tops, midriff-baring shirts and strapless dresses/tops or spaghetti straps are not allowed. Leggings must be worn under another garment which meets dress code requirements.”

Isn’t it sad that even Hannah Montana’s squeaky-clean image couldn’t prevent her from being lumped in with halter tops? Shame, really.  After all, who else do little girls have to look up to nowadays. Well, let’s see who’s been in the news recently: Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, the ladies of Jersey Shore … uhm… nevermind.

The “Hannah Montana wardrobe effect,” raised eyebrows because the leggings are tight and somewhat revealing.

And  it wasn’t just the elementary school that amended its policy. The middle and high schools added these statements: “Garments worn over leggings must still meet dress code requirements. Leggings are acceptable only when worn under another garment which meets dress code requirements.” This dress code requires that shorts, skirts, and jumpers worn under leggings “must fall no more than a dollar bill’s width above the knee.”

I remember when the rule was: “when you put your arms by your side and extend your fingers, you have to be touching nothing but fabric.”

Is the school doing the right thing or have they crossed into the realm of Big (fashion) Brother? Should they be permitted to so strictly dictate what kids can wear? What do you think?

 According to AOLnews.com, Middleton High School assistant principal, Lauren Shreve Tilo was just arrested for texting inappropriate photos to a 14-year old boy. The two met while gaming over the Internet, a shared interest that led to what was initially an innocent friendship … until Tilo couldn’t resist taking her top off.

 That’s right, folks! She stripped down, wiggled her way into a “sexual pose,” and texted the image to a child whose age she knew before pressing send. Naturally, the teen told school officials of the message, who subsequently made their own call – to the authorities.  

These stories are appearing with frightening frequency. Are educator ethics increasingly moving in the wrong direction or are we just seeing more news coverage of an age-old problem? Why do you think so many teachers and administrators behave this way?  Let us know below.

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Hall also allegedly had a six-month sexual relationship with one of her 17-year-old students, which, by the way, is illegal. But that’s not what stopped her.  In fact, the only reason authorities found out about the tryst, was that Hall may have made good on a threat to fail her A-student lover, if he failed to impregnate her. His tainted grade report led him to call school officials.  

Hall, who has since quit her job and admitted to a consensual relationship (or as she wrote: “consenual”), could lose her teaching certificate, and may face legal charges.

Sounds like a slam dunk case, right? Well, maybe. Hall does have her supporters: her mom (“My daughter didn’t have any inappropriate relationship with no under-aged student”), and dad (“How can seven years of teaching and a reputation be destroyed because of the word of one knucklehead?”).

Well Mr. and Mrs. Hall, we are the first to defend and support teachers, but you may have missed the part where your daughter admitting to breaking the law.

The perpetrator (that’s what I’m calling her now) has only yet received a slap on the wrist (she didn’t get her “Teacher of the Year” ring – ya think?!). The school didn’t even terminate her after learning of the illegal, not to mention grossly unethical, behavior. She quit on her own.

So what should the school have done? After all, the relationship was consensual, right? Anyone want to argue that she should be excused?

Principal Mike Madison:  “The intent of our field trip was not to segregate or exclude students as has been reported, but rather to address the societal issues, roadblocks and challenges that our African American children will face as they pursue a successful academic education here in our community.”

Superintendent Todd Roberts: “I don’t think the goal was to exclude.”  (of course that wasn’t the goal)

Not everyone agrees.  “It’s illegal for them to run a black-only or white-only event,” said one white parent who has two grandsons at the school. “Why wouldn’t my grandsons be inspired to do better in school after hearing a cool presentation on being a scientist?” (that is likely to be true too)

Interestingly, the students who took part in the field trip were actually part of a group called the African American Lunch Bunch: a group of students identified to be struggling academically and the trip was meant to stimulate their minds and excite their love of learning.

So…. what is this: a simple issue of providing a role model for struggling students to aspire to or a black vs. white issue of preferential treatment and segregation?

Was it right or wrong? Post your comments and make the call