Bill's new book "Kids are Americans Too" a book all parents should read especially one that attends Pleasant Valley Middle School. Book is only a 50 minute read so most should find time to read it. It reads "Back again with a dialogue on rights that will have everybody talking, O'Reilly and his co-author Charles Flowers dole out the kind of blunt, cogent, commonsense commentary you count on them for."
I visted with the Pleasant Valley School principal in her office yesterday; no one else who has written about this waste of time and lack of commonsense had visited her as of yesterday afternoon. I can best sum up our conversation by quoting the from an article in yesterday's JS titled, "Four low scorers still at the bottom". The article quotes Tyng's principal as telling his students that if they want to talk to him this year, it has to be about education. There's a fifth grade girl that like to chat about her hair and her sister, but he won't allow it.
"I want them, when they see my face, (to) think of learning, learning, learning " Tim Ryon said.
Some people don't understand that schools were intended to be temples of learning for kids, not show places for their hairdo's, bare midriffs, tight tops, short skirts and superior attitudes. School authorities set rules to stop as much distraction in the classroom as possible and to create an atmosphere in which kids, teachers, counselors, parents and administration can all dialogue and learn.
I suggest every school district have a copy of O'Reilly's book to discuss in the classrooms or office with a few disruptive or planning to be disruptive parents and kids. Maybe a with some dialogue and some common sense reasoning, differences of opionion can be settled in the school and not by a sensation seeking media.
I stand by the school's decision. From small acts of disrespect to juvenile court and for many, prison, a place most people wan't to avoid.
I was surprised, but then I shouldn't be, the the JSEB excusing the kid and mom because "they bet some teachers tint their hair." That in itself, is a (hair)-brained statment. What has, let's say, a dark haired teacher, getting a little gray and tinting his or her hair back to it's original color have to do with a 12 year old kid using distractive colored hair stresses? Totally irrelevant. Especially after she was told that other colors were acceptable, her mother choose a different color. Why? Probably because she wamted to show that for reasons one can only speculate on, she choose to cause a problem. To a point it was effective, the good looking girl got her picture in the paper several times and the publicity distracted a lot of other kids, teachers and administrators from doing their jobs and learning.
Some succcess!
I recommend that all schools add at least more counselors. Schools today "ain't" what they used to be.
6 comments:
pfft. Yeah, right. Some girl's red hair is going to distract students from whatever VHS the teacher popped in. Face it--public schools are basically subsidized day care.
This is authority for authority's own sake. Some people just get pleasure out of power and control, out of telling people what to do.
This is a rule that wasn't written down anywhere. That makes it NOT a rule. This is a clear example of the kind of power-drunk petty bureaucracy you find in any public institution. It's completely contrary to conservative principles. It's authoritarian.
Bill O'Reilly is not a deep thinker, he's an entertainer. The old host of Inside Edition, and a total sleezeball.
What would John Stuart Mill say?
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1013043mackris1.html
For another point, very few white-collar corporate workplaces would have a problem with this hairstyle. In the ultimate meritocracy (the free market), nobody gives a damn about your hair color. Power trips are punished by less efficiency. Only a bureaucrat could get away with this kind of junk.
Also ask yourself if this would have happened in a predominantly black community (or in a school that actually cared about real learning). These administraors need to grow up and get some professionalism.
Surely you jest.
Nope. Total sleezeball. Check it out.
adamb,
I'ts obvious you never taught in a Peoria Public School or owned a private company. Visit Peoria County Courthouse and point out someone who does not look like a business person. You will not see any strange hairdo's. Those you will see on the scond floor lined up for juvenile court appearances.
I was employed or owned my own business and have been in government for 7 years. We have dress and appearance codes and they are not always totally spelled out.We try to hire people with common sense.
No matter what you think of O'Reilly; millions of people have a high regard for him and what he represents or he wouldn't appear nightly on TV. I suggest you read his book.
It actually took me 30 minutes but you since you are highly educated you should be able to raead it in 10.
And yes, the administrators are in charge at Pleasant Valley.
If appearing nightly on TV and having the high regard of millions is all it takes to gain your approval as a serious intellectual, that certainly helps explain some things. What makes you think FOX News is different from MTV? It's entertainment and he's an entertainer. That's not a book, it's merchandising.
Finally, if a kid's goal is to work at the Peoria County Courthouse, that's a pretty sad goal. Visit a Big 4 accounting firm or an investment bank in Chicago or Minneapolis. You'll see tattoos and nosestuds aplenty.
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