Comments on: Please Don’t Cheer the Graduates!

By: Andy

Andy — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 17:21:15 +0000

I think that it’s really unfair to deny the diplomas because of the noise in the audience. The students worked hard for it, and they should receive what they’ve earned. Behaviour of their relatives is really a secondary thing. I think it is mostly the administration fault that they failed to prevent such situation.

By: James Landrith

James Landrith — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 17:37:45 +0000

“Texas Truth” – the problem wasn’t the students making noise. The problem was related to noise in the audience. You know this.

How can you reasonably believe that one person should be punished for the act of another? Would you offer up your daughter to serve a jail term on your behalf?

How is this any different?

It is guilt transference and is not worthy of your “kudos”. For a teacher of supposedly “30 years” you ought to know better.

This was simply shameful on the part of the administration – picking on kids because they couldn’t find a reasonable way to accomodate the joy of the spectators. The kids go to school because it is mandated by the state they receive an education – this does not make them serfs with no right, nor does it render them subject to whatever unreasonable whims the local educrats decide to dream up in their power-drenched minds.

By: Woody

Woody — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 14:03:31 +0000

Maybe the nuts who implement “zero tolerance” need to read Al Gore’s book on common sense, which seems lacking in our public schools.

By: GM Roper

GM Roper — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 02:18:58 +0000

Celeste, I too saw that story and could’t believe that the administration of the school couldn’t figure out a better way to handle it than how they chose to do so. It seems that zero tolerance really means zero insight and too often, zero responsibity (“We are just following policy.”) If this was indeed race based then the administrators making the decision need to be fired, if not, then those playing a race card need to have their hand slapped vigorously.

Too, your comment “Once again, to solve one problem the govÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t creates another,” is spot on. But then, we conservatives could have told you that a long time ago.

By: Celeste Fremon

Celeste Fremon — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 18:34:13 +0000

I think they forbade it because they were worried about OTHER kinds of indoctrination. (Once again, to solve one problem the gov’t creates another.)

But, cool little story, Pokey. We like independent spirit where ever we find it, right?

By: Pokey

Pokey — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 17:09:52 +0000

Speaking of home-schoolers, in Germany where home schooling is banned because the government feels every child should be indoctrinated by the state, Melissa has escaped.

http://www.worldmag.com/articles/13034

By: Woody

Woody — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 14:27:06 +0000

A home-schooler won the national spelling bee, although you would never know that from the liberal press. I understand that his family can celebrate his accomplishments and not have some bureaucrat interfere.

By: Woody

Woody — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 03:43:04 +0000

Tell me how great public schools are again.

By: Celeste Fremon

Celeste Fremon — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 00:14:55 +0000

Richard, the parents all signed contracts. So, no it wasn’t a surprise. I suspect, half the parents just signed the thing without reading, because the kids brought it home and put it in front of them. You know how that goes.

But then the administrators evidently got together afterward and wrote down the names of the kids who had the loudest cheering sections, then withheld those kids’ diplomas. Naturally, families have said that other people not cited cheered just as loud (white families) and that the kids all picked on were kids of color. Who knows?

I just think it’s unbelievably stupid—particularly in this day and age when our real concern is kids graduating at all.

I don’t know if I ever got a diploma but to some people it’s very, very meaningful. Wasn’t to me.

In the greater scheme of things, this is not going to bring down the empire. But it qualified, for me, as the most irritating Stupid Adult Trick of the day.

By: richard locicero

richard locicero — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 22:50:57 +0000

Glad to hear Bill Clinton addressed the graduates of Galesberg College. That gave them a chance to see what a real President lookes like and not the empty suit masquerading as the Chief Magistrate today.