The part I highlighted surprises me. It's almost if the premise is that the policy's application is going to teach children to be dishonest or push them into concealing their mistakes/misdeeds. But there's another path, the path where you admit a mistake, expose an error, and accept the consequences.
Is this second scenario so far out of the realm of possibility - to expect ethical behavior - that we should default into thinking kids either too corrupt or incapable of understanding the larger picture? Are we raising natural-born miscreants? There's another way to look at it: here's a chance to instill and promote those good character traits we'd like to see in our young - honesty and responsibility.
Mindlessly and helplessly enforcing unwavering and harsh punishments instills honesty and responsibility? Where is the responsibility then on the principal or other school officials? That's right -- they have none in these cases. Where are the adults stepping up and taking responsibility for deciding what's an appropriate punishment and what is not?
Where are the teachers' unions stepping up and decrying such draconian policies as unworkable and thoughtless?
Where are the parents stepping up and saying that these policies have been tried and have failed utterly in teaching children good character traits?
Does everyone think that children learn from the unwavering and harsh rule of law or all of the adults who stand around denying any responsibility at all?
In this instance, the six year old child did more and accepted more responsibility than the sorry excuses for adults ever did.
And yes, the authority figures are being reasonable.
Laughable. They all stood around claiming absolutely no responsibility except following an unethical rule that fails to do its primary purpose.
Here's another teachable moment - the rule of law as embodied in even the highest relevant authority being beholden to the policy in play. The idea of strict interpretation having a value beyond the relatively small perceived injustices.
This value has also been wonderfully instilled in adults with mandatory minimum sentences and harsher and harsher prison terms. Yup, crime has gone down because of the rainbow filled wonder of the unyielding, undifferentiating, unfair and unjust laws.
The concept of stating a policy and sticking to it, rather than rule by way of exceptions and dodging consequences. Mercy has an application in the extent of the punishment, not in the arbitrary dismissal of policies in place.
Interesting you seem to project that the six year old child would have no punishment under a system where discretion is key in deciding any act of wrongdoing.
At what age is it appropriate to teach children that "It's not fair" is a relative statement and there is a larger context?
It's not fair and not just to try and treat every situation as if they are equally wrong. Bringing a real gun to school is apparently just as bad -- according to the rules here -- as a toy. What larger context do you believe is being missed here according to these rules?
It's severe I'll agree. These kinds of policies always are. That's the whole point.
Earlier you said that it was
too harsh. Here you're saying now you're okay with it being too harsh.
Even being born and raised here in America, I fail to comprehend how people mindlessly parrot harsher punishments as a panacea to crime when it very obviously does not promote that which it supposedly is enacted to. Even six year olds are indoctrinated into meekly accepting such utter tripe as unjust rule of law and that circumstances matter not a whit.
No matter that we have strong evidence from England that drawn-and-quartering and other grim public deaths such as mass hanging of anyone (INCLUDING CHILDREN) who were caught stealing a loaves of bread did nothing to curb crime. We continue to rush headlong into passing off any culpability or RESPONSIBILITY for our actions and fall back on inhumane punishments thinking it will solve all our crime problems. We've build a solid fortress of laws which are specifically aimed at negating any responsibility and culpability for adults, in fact. Rhetorically speaking, we are all overjoyed at killing them all and letting god sort them out.
Tell me -- what lessons are being
truly taught to our children and all of society?
I love this country and as true a patriotic American as you can find but I still gotta say that we're seriously ******* up in this country sometimes.
