An opinion piece in the paper about security in our public schools recently caught my eye.
Our local sheriff is of the opinion that a Police Presence is necessary in order to maintain school discipline and student - teacher safety in the classroom.
You see, in the area in which I reside, police officers handcuff kids, behind their backs, on school grounds and then transport them to a much-stricter form of detention for commiting crimes such as assault, weapons possession, and drug dealing on-campus.
Police intervention is also imposed when students "act out" by threatening their teachers and / or classmates or when they "flip out" with profanity-laced tirades aimed at anyone in a position of authority.
The sheriff makes the case that instances such as these are as common as students chewing gum in class, or passing each other notes.
I agree with the sheriff's thinking on this matter, but to a degree. A uniformed deputy or three, stationed on campus, might go a long way in disuading any would-be student criminal or mischief-maker from disrupting everybody else's life on campus.
If the academic climate is as poor, and the lack of discipline in our public schools is as bad, as the sheriff alleges, however, would the mere presence of uniformed law enforcement personnel on campus provide an adequate deterrent?
You'll have to excuse me, but I don't think so.
To really, really grab hold of this problem and then, as a consequence, resolve it requires a much more thoughtful and pragmatic approach than the one proposed by the sheriff.
Serious resolution calls for implementing serious methodology.
It is, therefore, incumbent upon me to fully recommend the following: let the School Board select the "Worst School in the County" and then hand it over to a certain Organization I've recently read about for a full academic year -- with no strings attached.
Of course, the Organization I have in-mind is SEAL Team Six.
What better unit could possibly instill discipline within students? Give them a sense of purpose, pursuit of excellence, love of country, respect for authority, bravery in the face of adversity, and complete dedication to the tasks at-hand?
Think about this one: can a group who figured out how to raid a certain "walled residence" in Abbotabad, by studying floor plans in-detail, instill upon some high school kids the importance of doing their "homework?"
Aren't these exactly the attributes that we expect our children to develop through their education in the first place, in order for them to lead full, successful and meaningful lives?
I trust you'll agree: who better to provide such instruction than the members of SEAL Team Six?
Here's how I'd set it all up:
The SEALS would be tasked with managing every element of the school's operations, from curriculum and cafeteria, to discipline and dress code.
The Whole Enchelada.
Kid fails to hand in Math homework? Hundred laps around the track carrying a non-operable M-14.
Skip class? How about a few hours sitting out there in the middle of the Football Field, rain or shine, inside a SEAL-built, chain-link Doggie Kennel?
Little Suzie gets caught "texting" her boy friend during History Class? Suzie & boy friend do 500 knuckle push-ups in gym -- each, that is, before they take their "Hundred" around the track and then spend rest of day in Doggie Kennel.
Then there is the trivial matter of the Bullies, the 'Hoods, and the Krips who think they own the Turf. If and when they start acting up, they'll discover that SEALs are quite capable of rendering new and unique meanings to the word "Intimidate."
Finally, anything grade less than B- in any subject area would be deemed to be unacceptable by the SEALS. Academic slackers would be "required" to spend as much time in tutorials / study halls as needed in order to get their grades up to the SEAL grade minimum.
The duration and intensity of this tutorial / study hall method, of course, would be left up to the SEALs. It's the end result we're all looking for.
Naturally, some admin types and a few teachers and parents will sceam Bloody Murder if this ever happened.
But I have a hunch they'll all come around after a full briefing on the Plan from members of SEAL Team Three, who I am led to understand are a group that makes the Hell's Angels look like Willy & Kate's Wedding Party.
So... what do you say?
Ready to infuse some real discipline and learning in our public schools?
No comments:
Post a Comment