Tuesday, October 03, 2006

I love stories like this, LXXI

How should a public school discourage tardiness? By making the parents serve detention right along with the kids, that's how!
NEW YORK – A public school in New York City is blaming parents for the tardiness of their children and is making the moms and dads serve detention.

Under the new rule at the Manhattan School for Children, parents who do not drop off their children by 8:25 a.m. have to pick up late slips from the principal's office and go to the auditorium to serve 20 minutes of detention with them.

Better than tardiness sensitivity training or friendly-yet-concerned notes on brightly colored paper, says I!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wonder how they're enforcing this rule.

Personally, I'm really sick and tired of school systems -- teach the kids that are there, fail those that aren't, and just stop all that stupid control rules.

Anonymous said...

I too wonder how they are enforcing this rule. If I were a parent, a teacher or school administrator would be hard pressed to get me to serve detention.

Steve Erbach said...

Susan,

Knowing the degree to which compliance is inculcated into the little darlings -- and has been for a long time -- I'd guess that the parents are products of that compliance-preparedness training, too; thus they recognize the absolute voice of authority from their own days at school and meekly schlep into office with their kids.

I can't imagine that the schools would threaten to withhold the little darlings from parental custody unless the parents toe the line and serve detention, too, don't you think? Much as it would be tempting to bivouac tardy children in the school gym overnight, I suppose parents couldn't bear to be separated from their little cherubs for even a moment more than necessary.

Steve Erbach
The Town Crank

Steve Erbach said...

Jessica,

Maybe it's a fun and educational experience for the whole family! This is how real life works!

Steve Erbach
The Town Crank

Anonymous said...

Hmm...

I would not have minded this myself as a kid. My mother is late for everything, and if I had the bad fortune to depend on her for a ride to school, I was guaranteed to be late. I found it mortifying, and would often sit at home for 10 minutes, ready and waiting for her to get out of the house. I was too close to the school for the bus, but walking and a bicycle were the main modes of transportation except...younger siblings needed to be herded to school with me if I walked. My sister was actually worse than my mother, groan. I finally had a fit and was able to leave sister with mother and let them both be late, yea! Until I nearly got frostbite on the way to school one bitterly cold morning. After another blowup about being late, a more punctual neighbor gave me rides when it was cold.