"It smelled good. They told me that's wrong."

The education blogosphere — better known to some as simply the "edusphere" — can be a prickly sort of place. Consider how a recent school news story was picked up, chewed and swallowed (or spit out, depending upon your point of view) by bloggers.

One: A School Makes News

Last week, as reported by 9News.com out of Denver, Co., an 8-year-old was suspended for sniffing a marker:

Eight-year-old Eathan Harris was originally suspended from Harris Park Elementary School for three days… Harris used a black Sharpie marker to color a small area on the sleeve of his sweatshirt. A teacher sent him to the principal when she noticed him smelling the marker and his clothing.

"It smelled good," Harris said. "They told me that's wrong."

Next, the boy's parents complained. Then an expert toxicologist provided an opinion ("non-toxic markers like Sharpies, while pungent-smelling, cannot be used to get high"). The principal reversed his decision, reducing the suspension to one day.

Two: Bloggers Lambaste Principal, Public Schools

One blogger, a husband and father of two, sums up public reaction with this mean-spirited tautology: "Kid uses sharpie. Kid likes smell. Kid gets suspended to send a message that drug use is bad. Principle is a dumb @$$."

Another blogger covers the issue in a one-sentence reference of the original news story. Readers respond with 52 comments, including these gems:

• "It took me about two minutes to find the principal's email address and send him an email with a link to the story and an explanation of what an idiot he is. I encourage everyone to do the same."
• "The reason that kids aren't learning is that they are being taught by people like this."

Three: Teachers Enter the Fray

The teachers how picked up this story had more varied responses. One blogger, Mike, who writes "Education in Texas," wonders if there is more to the story, "like the kid is a chronic behavior problem, or at the least, he had taken a Sharpie from the teacher's desk… if the fumes had been toxic… the school would be sued." And he has his own reply to parents and others who question the suspension: The Rule of 500:

I would say, "What do you think this school would be like if all 500 kids were taking Sharpies from the teachers' desks, coloring their clothing and then sniffing the fumes? How much learning do you think would go on? If we let your child get away with it we have to let every child do it."

Other teachers were less forgiving -- after all the "edusphere" is nothing if not home to dissenters and rabble-rousers. Teachers responded to this story as did other ornery bloggers. Consider the opening sentence of a related entry on Betsy's Page: "Here's another story in a long line of stupid school administrators." I could provide an extended quote, but that sentence pretty much sets the tone.

Four: Repeat Steps 1-3 at First Opportunity

As long as schools are making news and bloggers are blogging, I expect the “edusphere” to maintain this orbit.

 

Alienated Approach to Teaching?

For one school in Buffalo, New York, students have assigned seating in the cafeteria and face a daily threat of silent lunch. It’s the result of a new, borderline-militant approach to teaching. Reported in The New York Times, officials at Cheektowaga Central Middle School intend to instill responsibility among their students as part of a program known as “positive behavioral interventions and supports.”

“Students are required to keep to the right of the dotted yellow line down the middle of hallways,” writes New York Times reporter Winnie Hu. “They are assigned seats in the cafeteria and must wait for a teacher to call them up to get food. If enough students act up or even litter, they all risk a declaration of ‘silent lunch’ in the cafeteria.”

Students with low grades face even more penalties – unless they can demonstrate signs of weekly improvement, they’re barred from participating in all school activities, including athletic contests, clubs, dances, and plays.

A few teachers and parents are proponents of this style of disciplinary teaching, but so far there has been no overall improvement in classroom grades. Yes, it may motivate students to hand in their homework on time, or even work harder, but are they being motivated for the right reasons? Where is the zealousness for good teaching as a way to encourage student learning? Walking against a dotted line, having assigned seats during lunch time, being served lunch last on line because you forgot your student ID card – all of this is generating alienation within the school system. This presents a grave disservice to our students, creating a negative outlook on school.

For a completely counter-approach to this style, check out: http://www.nea.org/teachexperience/tsklk040621.html

--By Ranee Patel, NEA Today Intern