Listen to the Children

My son had an interesting experience last week. He committed a "crime" of sorts. It was nothing horribly serious, but he ended up with three days of ISS (In School Suspension). They "punish" the children by forcing them to do work, keep completely quiet, and clean up the school grounds.

He loved it! He wanted to stay there for the rest of the year!! Why?!?!

Of course, he is sixteen, so you have to keep that in mind when you consider his opinions. However, he made some valid points.

It was quiet. Nobody bothered him. He didn't have to worry about and listen to other students talk and misbehave. Of course, he didn't have to respond to the teacher. He just had work to do and the quiet time to do it. I would imagine that he didn't have to think a lot. My understanding is that teachers generally have to give work the students can do without supervision. It is not possible to introduce very much new material.

Still, I have to wonder why he was so quick to feel more comfortable in that environment. What does it say about our schools? What does it say about our children? What does it say about my child?

I decided to call the principal and find out if it was possible for him to remain in ISS for the remainder of the school year. I was told that would not be possible and that many students made the same request. Now, what does that say about our schools?

It seems to me that if numerous requests were made, the administration would be interested in investigating why the requests were made and why ISS, which is supposed to be a punishment, was preferred over regular classes. But they are not interested. Perhaps that is part of the problem.

Truthfully, my son is a people person. He is gregarious and makes friends easily. He can not be classified as a loner or outcast. So his preference can't be dismissed as coming from someone who prefers being alone. Then what is it about the school environment that makes him want to be alone?

I realize that part of it is that while he may like socializing with the students, he doesn't like what goes on when he is in class. He prefers quiet to whatever is happening in class. The first way to solve this problem is for someone to care enough to learn why this is so.

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