These informal stories, from four buildings in three districts and all in one state. All "just the facts".
The Facts of Building "L"
High School Boy A, last name of Spanish origin, sprayed baby oil in the hallways as a "Senior Prank". His consequences, handed down from the principal: he had to help the custodians clean up after school for two weeks. And-since the building had the district football field, building L hosted all three graduation ceremonies- he had to help set up and strike all three ceremonies. If he did not comply, he was told he would not be allowed to walk at graduation.
The Same Week- High School Boy B, last name not of Spanish origin, and enrolled in IB, came to school drunk with a cadre of classmates. His consequences, negotiated after his dad visited the school: He had to promise to attend alcohol awareness classes. No ISS, no suspension and no hard labor. He was not only allowed to walk at graduation, but as class president he was allowed to speak at graduation. In addition, he was allowed in the building for his IB exams. His in school consequence was that he had to write an apology note to teachers.
He had no real consequences in the building.
He was not threatened with not walking at graduation if he didn't take out the trash or help with the heavy lifting and sett up of risers and hauling large flower pots. He just wrote a vague, insincere letter stating he was "Sorry to disappoint my teachers".
Student A was working a job after school to help his family, from which he had to take time off to fulfill the consequences handed down to him. He did it because graduating from high school was important to his family, and his mother was ashamed that he had "messed up" by spraying baby oil in the hall. He worked his consequences off with determination and a sense that he "had it coming". He did not whine, or complain. He had the importance of education deeply instilled in him, and even though he knew his punishment was inequitable, he did his time quietly. Teachers, seeing his dedication, wrote emails and scheduled meetings with the principal and the district to address this inequity. They talked directly to the student about what was actually happening. They were impressed by his resolve and positive outlook. He didn't ask for anyone to do anything for him. Actions have consequences. His mom taught him that.
Student B was already accepted to several colleges, had received scholarships and did not need to work. He appeared confident walking the building after the incident, and worked hard at increasing his charm to make up for the bad feelings that he had created. His apology letter was thrown out by several teachers. Rumor had it he was whining about having to take alcohol awareness classes, and how the teachers were all being "rude" to him. He felt the punishment was too harsh for the crime, as his friends were "more drunk that I was".
Student A made a typical dumb teenage mistake by squirting baby oil on slippery tiles, but he broke no laws.
Student B made a teenage mistake and broke the law by being underage and drinking, and violated the contract in the student conduct handbook by stepping onto school property under the influence.
These were not equitable consequences.
The Response
To say the teachers were thrown into an angry assemblage of humans is an understatement. Educators had worked tirelessly to create equity and inclusiveness in their classrooms, only to have the entitled principal eviscerate their work back to an inequitable baseline so "angry assemblage" is a wordy understatement. They were pissed.
They contacted the district, the union, they even reached out to news agencies. Nobody. Cared.
Nobody cared until a lone, frustrated teacher wrote a blog about it, and that teacher became a target for an entitled principal who was incensed that a teacher would talk about what was going on in the building to people outside the building.
This IS Not OK.
And even six years ago, in a suburban school, it was allowed to happen.
Scene
In Another Building, Call It Building "A"
The building was in Turn Around. This means the state has put them on Double Secret Probation for a variety of issues, including but not limited to ,low graduation numbers.
The principal, who learned his skills from his previous principal, chose the following strategy: increase graduation numbers by falsifying the number of students completing credit recovery. Just pass them whether they passed or not.
First, said principal must get all admin on board. What happened in that meeting is between administrators but the result was "all admin was on board".
Many teachers openly opposed this fraudulent approach. In best "Mob" fashion, they were bullied into silence.
When it became clear that he could bully the staff, all afraid of losing their jobs/homes/retirement, he took it a step further. The principal threatened teachers who would not change current grades, allowing students who had never been to class to pass the class and graduate.
All teachers grieved in writing and in person, to the union and HR, to no avail. Finally, word came through the grapevine that someone on the outside had gotten wind and the principal was about to "go down" for his corrupt behavior. He quit just months ahead of the investigation.
The Impact
That principal of building A left town, and became a principal in Texas. His mentor, the principal who had taught him to cheat, became superintendent of a large school district in the same state. This is the general district approach to these administrative indiscretions: move the perpetrator up to a district job and pay them more. The bullying AP also stayed in education, and less than ten years later emerged as the Principial of Building L. He changed districts and left building A off of his resume.
Parents (Buckle Up)
It has become almost a sport to bash education. For a minute during Covid teachers were hailed as infallible, and universally accepted as underpaid "heroes". By September of 2021, when the Tik Tok challenge hit our buildings and students ripped apart bathrooms---we were vilified as inept at managing classroom behavior.
I'm going to publicly say that if your kid comes to school and rips the sink out of the restroom, that is a parenting problem that has become an education problem. That is not an education problem See the difference?
Students do not study at home, even when given a free Chromebook.
Students arrive at school hungry and dysregulated, so teachers provide free breakfast, free lunch, social workers, kind teachers and counselors. All who do this do so without thanks, without recognition and many times, with their own money (snacks and additional food that we keep for kids in their classrooms).
Building A
Students fail classes because they do not have instilled in them at home the value of education. So building resources are wasted chasing them around the building as they try to hide in various locations, vape in the bathrooms, sneak into the theatre, break into the art studios. Teachers are the assholes for telling them to get to class. "You don't gotta be mean about it," is the common response to "Go to class". A second favorite response is "That's racist". This sounds very much like respect has not been taught at home. Neither has listening to teachers, respecting adults or taking responsibility for their own actions. If they would just go to class and respectfully receive what there is to learn, they could learn the correct definition of "racism".
Building L
Students have been taught at home that their privilege precludes the judgment of a teacher's grade. If they do not like their grade, they invoke the wrath of their parent. Teachers who do not acquiesce will be pressured by admin or sports coaches, whichever the parent contacted. Teachers develop PTSD and commonly flinch when forced to deal with this issue, which should NOT be an issue. The grade is the grade, you earned the grade. Scene. That's just core classes, I have too much PTSD to approach Performing Arts. This behavior was taught at home.
A Middle School Interlude
Building N, in the same district as Building A.
Five teachers quit between August and December in building N in the fall of 2024.
Students argue with teachers and support staff when it's time to go to class. They will openly run away and hide to avoid going to class. They expect the teacher to alter the content when they get "bored", and protest when given a "0" for an assignment they did not turn in. When emotions are too much for them to handle, they will flip a table in the classroom and stand, defiant against any adult who suggests that their behavior is inappropriate.
Students openly and alternately scream or ignore teachers and support staff when confronted with their behaviors. It's pretty impressive to watch a seventh grader stare directly at an adult and refuse to speak, or move, or blink, or in any way acknowledge that someone is speaking to them. This happens regularly when students are asked to surrender their phones, which they know are not allowed in class and they have been asked to put the phone in the phone cubby at the front of the classroom every class period since school began in August. It is not October and they are still trying to hide or sneak in the phone, and then play statue because they know teachers cannot reach out and take the phone from them. It's like begging the chihuahua to spit out the stuffed animal that they've liberated and will not return to their human.
A student stole the building keys from a teacher. This student was known to admin and has never really attended any classes, and even though CPS are involved, nothing has moved forward yet. So the building is in a holding pattern waiting for someone to take responsibility for this feral child. When the student was caught on camera with the keys and admin called home, the parent said it was impossible, admin was lying. Admin had to call the local police, show them the video, and have them conference call the parent, who remained defiant until the police said "Bring back the keys or we press charges."
This is not an "education is failing" problem. Teaching content under these conditions is impossible and the kids aren't being held accountable at home or school due to parent interference. So. Come walk in our shoes and language arts to a feral wolverine, and then tell us it's our fault the wolverine can't stop screaming and biting long enough to learn how to spell.
End Part 1
