Witch hunt at my kids school

[cphilip]

Seems last November one of the kids wrote a poem when he was mad at the ROTC instructor. It wasnt so bad but it did end with the sentance "I wish he would die". That probably is uncalled for but I am certain it was just written when he was mad... I read it today as it was called to my attention because my kid was called in because he commented on the Poetry site that he liked the poem. Several other kids also did. Now they all got pulled out of class and not only was this poem cited but all of Calebs poetry was also printed out and every single time he had commented on anyone elses poetry was also printed out. All of the kids had similar print outs where they had hunted down all of what they wrote and commented on. Calebs is not that bad. Well as a matter of fact there is nothing bad! I have read it before. Some of its dark and gloomy about his mothers suicide and such as that. And feeling alone. Things like that. Nothing bad. All emotion release kind of stuff. So was this Poem by this other kid. Seem now there is a Poetry witch hunt and about five of them are tagged and thier creative writing is being looked at as if its something sinister. Now I realize that Administrators are sensitive these days with Columbine and all thats sort of thing. But I just dont see anything like threats or anything in any of this Poetry. Its a site where each Poet writes and recieves feed back and such. I been all over it and have read most of my kids stuff before. Went back today and looked again. Nothing that should involve me having to go in and talk to the Vice Principal about. In fact I am glad he writes and has a release for things like that! I know this other kid and he is a great kid and never really any trouble. Always very involved in ROTC and a top notch student. All of these kids I am hearing of are. Its not the dark broody trouble making kids at all. Now one thing that interests me is why would someone point this old poem out to the ROTC Director now? And why would the Administration pull these kids out of classes with what was obviously a very prepared set of print outs like someone spent many an hour looking for something sinister and yet thats all they found? And yet they reacted this way by interupting their classes? I wish I could see what it is they were thinking here. And of course they are about to get some real tough questions from me about this. I am a bit concerned that they are FAR overreacting with little to work with. But we shall see. I have everything they have now. And as much as I generaly like to take authorities side I am very disapointed in them on this one. I mean its poetry for heavens sake! Its a way of releasing your emotions. Thier English teacher is a member of this site! She encourages them to use this method of expressing emotions and releasing them. And it was five months ago and all the other kids did was comment of the quality of the poem! And yet thier stuff is under a microscope too! I have to think someone in the school (another student) presented this to them in a different light in order to cause them trouble.


Ah well... I shall get to the bottom of it. But if we have no meeting of the mind I will pull my kid out of there or something. I am not going to stiffle his creativity nor allow them too. He needs it. He deserves to be able to write poetry if he wants to and no one take it seriously. It's his emotions and feelings and he has a right to them. Within reason. And so far I see absolutely nothing wrong with any of it.

the site is allpoetry.com and Calebs name there is Demosthenes. Search under the 18 and under or SC poets. Go read his stuff and see what you think...

Am I that out of line here guys and gals?

[Python14]

His stuff is good. Nothing I would worry about.

A few years back, I wrote a short story that to say the least was very dark. To me and my friends, it was tongue-in-cheek and most people who read it understood where I got the idea from(if anyone wants to know, it was a story based losely on Half-life and Quake). Regardless, when I turned it in, not much happened. However about a week later my teacher calls me to her office and asks me about it. I explain it and not much else happens. Then about 2 weeks after that, I get called to the guidence counselors office. Apparently the entire faculty was given a copy of the story and asked to "assess" it. None of them understood the background of the story or anything, so to them ofcourse it was wierd for them. Well, it took me most of my sophomore year to get things squared away with the guidance folks and to convince them I was infact NOT going to kill myself.

Moral of the story: It happens. But don't just sit down and let it happen. Give em hell phil!:D

[cphilip]

Well as for this other kids post I can maybe see a little bit of where they might have been coming from. But hardly can. But then all the other kids being pulled into the mess (my kid included) then all the hunting down everything they wrote and THEN calling them out of class and all... Seems from what they found its all a bit over dramatic to me. I seen all of it. There is nothing there! It should have ended with the one kid being talked to quitely by guidance first to see if there was any more too it.... then maybe I could see it. But they launched a whole mess over so little... and at no point tried to asess the situation up front until they did. And I suspect they have yet to go back and question the motives of the source... that might be very interesting. I suspect it would be. There is no reason to go overboard before you got all your facts is all I am saying.

[tony3]

A similar thing happened to me, I had a reference to suicide in a story I had to do for English class and I had to go to the couselor and a note was sent home to my parents about it....The counselor was convinced I was going to comit suicide, maybe I should watch how I use that next time, suicide is a very powerful word.

[RoadDawg]

So far I haven't seen anything terrible or anything that should be even looked deeply into. Writing is a good way to express. Hell it helped me get through High School and MY great depression of 2k1. If Caleb see's this he does a good job. I'm sure it's even better when read by the writer as they truely show the reading with their emotions.

EDIT: I will never forget how my then g/f felt/looked when I read my rather dark short story about being buried alive. Maybe that's why she left me. :)

[painTech]

im a poet, in creative writing class. its more of a, we supply you with paper pen and a rhyming dictionary now work fool, enviroment. i was hoping it would be i go write some poetry and work on it, but no, its a fast paced ride to nowhere. I got into it on my poety skills and we have done 1 poem. just 1. Thats the WHOLE reason im in there is because my poetry is awesome. I really don't think the school has anyright to persecute a kid for having "nice" thoughts. When I say nice i meanthings you want to read about, sing about, and vaguely breath about. not "I like chocolate couse its soft and fuzzy" Thats what they want form a kid. and it freaks em out when the sayotherwise. Whenever ifreewrite i write as morbid and dreaery as a I feel. It's just sick to see them confining ones creativity to just a small opening of crappy goodness that can't possibly be true writing.

[CodeMA]

well, speaking from the POV of Caleb there...

I have a lot of friends that write dark poetry...last year there were some issues... namely with our Wiccan/Neo Pagan guys/girls...most of which were my friends, ultimatly it reflected on me, and I wasnt accepted into the NHS here... though I had the service/grades etc...

in the end one girl got kicked out, two more sent to AEP... wasnt cool at all...

there was no reason too really in the end, they just dont like anyone diffrent, the schools very redneckish...if you will...

but ya, deffently stand tall, back your boy and his friends and go from there

[cphilip]

Well his stuff is certainly not Wiccan or anything. In fact some of it (lately more so than not) is Christian and his new experiences in that area. And some of its love and some of it deals with his mothers suicide and that loss (only one). You need to read it to get an idea of what I am saying.

[MayAMonkeyBeYourPinata]

It was a situation, that the school handled horribly.

They should have just talked to that one kid, just to assess, his well being. And left everyone else out of it, unless of course he had expressed some signs of depression.

But really, if they looked at the nature of most poetry, escpecially in teenagers.

They are just venting, and most of the feeling they express are not the ones they are feeling in every second of every day.

[Morally0Confused]

I wonder what would happen to the dark authors of today if they had to go through this in school. It seams to me they are telling the kids that this is wrong and very bad to write about. But at the same time i bet they read Edgar Allen Poe in english class :rolleyes: gotta love school systems

[cphilip]

OK.... I going to put up some copy and paste stuff so you can decide and it will be easier.

Here is the Poem the other kid wrote that started it all. this is not my kids poem its the one that started the investigation. Another of his ROTC buddies wrote this one.

I have so much anger inside
built up by a twisted old man
who nets a twisted web of lies
He's put me against my friends
one to many times
and now,
I hate this Full Bird
who once knew how to fly
because all his false words
which he gives me eye to eye
he wears his long sleeves
nonmilitary shoes and tie
if he could only encourage me
but,
the Full Bird's heart is dry
and now,
I'm just as cold as the Full Bird
wishing that he would die

[cphilip]

Now here is my kids comment on that poem. (there are other kids too that commented that got called in)

Hell yeah! I know what you mean, brother, I know what you mean. "Where's my powerpoints!?" Hehe... I stand beside you brother, we'll get through this year. For the empire!!! AWESOME write, bro, AWESOME write.

-Demosthenes

FYI: power points are something the ROTC instructor coined a phrase of dealing with instruction in ROTC. All these kids are Senior officer Cadets. Its an inside joke not a threat or anything.

[MayAMonkeyBeYourPinata]

That poem to me, has nothing at all to do with suicide.

He is just expressing how he is angry at being forced to conform, and that he has lost some of his self-identity, and independence.

[cphilip]

Here is a link to my kids poetry that also under "investigation". As well as any others that commented.

http://allpoetry.com/poets/Demosthenes

[cphilip]

Originally posted by MayAMonkeyBeYourPinata
That poem to me, has nothing at all to do with suicide.

He is just expressing how he is angry at being forced to conform, and that he has lost some of his self-identity, and independence.

You didnt follow the situation explanation well... reread and it will become clearer. I know I was kind of long winded and need some puntuations but its all there... your not following the entire situation correctly.

[1stdeadeye]

Some people need to seriously get a life. I think I would worry more about the kids sitting around their homes all day playing violent video games rather then kids who are actually *gasp* writing!:eek:

So tell your son to keep his chin up. Idiots have a way of latching on to a new crisis every few weeks, so this to shall pass!

I had no idea about his mother, so if this helps him to deal and cope, then tell the inquisitors to back the hell off or you will give them a bunkering they'll never forget!

[Bluestrike_2]

Words have multiple meanings. Those meanings are not always fully understood. IMHO, there is a little too much of a reaction for this.

[sneakyhacker420]

welcome to the modern schools

today my wood tech teacher explained to me how he was in the same boat as me when it came to passing classes, and sucking at acedemics, but he pointed out how they required 1 year of math, 1 year or english, and so on for basic academics back when he was in school... and the rest of the time you could focus on what you liked, metals, arts, woods, etc., so most anyone was able to pass, wether or not you hated your academic classes

but now-a-days, you have 4 years of math, 4 years of english, 3 years of science, and that overloaded crap, just so that the more academically-oriented people won't go brain dead in school

so basically now, we are forced to concentrate more on academics, having to repeat classes that we fail because we just dont feel motivated to them or w/e, and then the minor classes are now the non-academic ones, which is the complete opposite of what it was 20-30 years ago


but its basically the way the school system is now... too cautious of the few people who they think are superior than the others, just cause they got a certain letter printed out on their tests, rather than seeing a hand-made table that you just made, which would have passed with flying colors if it was considered an academic class

one again... based upon the ignorance of the american nation :o

[InfinatyBPS]

School faculty are idiots, they think they're helping you by trying to stop you from killing yourself, all they're doing is stressing out you and your family. I write tons of dark, depressing poems and stories, and if I were to get BS problems for it, I would bite someone's head off. Seriously, I would say, " I wrote it, because thats what I felt like writing, because thats what came to my head, if you don't like it, thats too god damn bad Are you gonna control my thoughts, my feelings, are you gonna make everything better for me? Didn't think so dumbass, so how about leave me alone and let me write whatever I feel like, in this beautiful country of mine that says I can, THE USA!!!" Seriously, the hindering of my creative expression pisses me off severely.

[-Carnifex-]

That's some scary stuff. Hopefully the school handles it appropriately and suspends or expels these kids (Maybe they can press criminal charges for the threats?). Very, very frightening that these kids feel this way.

[Emily]

Originally posted by -Carnifex-
That's some scary stuff. Hopefully the school handles it appropriately and suspends or expels these kids (Maybe they can press criminal charges for the threats?). Very, very frightening that these kids feel this way.

Suspends or Expels these kids??????? These kids didn't threaten anyone nor did they do anything wrong. All they did was write poems about how they feel. How many times have you said "i wish you'd die" or "i'll kill you"? Most people in this world have said something like that but NEVER means it to actually happen. And the school has not handled it properly thus far. They are targeting those that write not those that are actual a threat. The ones that people need to worry about are those that are too quiet. The ones that don't express their feels and concerns about things. At least these kids in question have a way of expressing their feels and are getting them out. They aren't keeping anger or any other emotion pinned up in side, letting it eat at them until they blow.

I know Caleb. I've spend enough time around him to know he is NO threat to anyone. He is one of the nicest teenagers to be around. He is thoughtful, considerate, respectful, caring, loving and an all around great guy. I also know that he is the type of person that if he believed that anyone was a threat to anyone else that he'd help that person and protect the others. Caleb and they other teens on his team are the only teens I enjoy being around and that's saying something casue I dont enjoy being around teens. Most of them get on my last nerve.

[cphilip]

Actually if you read that last two lines carefully you will see that he does not say "he wishes him to die". He says HE feels like him (almost) waiting/wishing to die because he is so old and dried up and all. Thats what it says. Or something along those lines when you disect it down carefully. Set to rhyme so written crypticaly. Then you see the other kids (mine included) comment on the writing of it not the particular content of any of it. And in my kids case he refers to an inside joke about that particular teacher of him always using or asking them to prepare Power Point presentations for him to use and how they will perservere their Senior year as Senior Cadet officers. More or less encouraging each other to stay the course and stick together as a Corp.

Only if you glance over it and do not know the inside jokes could you conclude its any kind of threat. But if you read it carefully without emotion you clearly see it was not. And clearly reading it was not what they have done. Probably, in my estimation, because they were looking for something that is not there. And most likely they were presented it by someone that has an axe to grind that portrayed it that way to them and they failed to take the time to disect it and analyze it themselves and then compair it to what they know about the people involved. A new Vice Principal that does not know the kids is the one involved in that aspect of it.

So while I would have asked them about it. One at a time starting witht the Author. I would not have called them all into one room together and made them miss class to do it. I would have checked it out. But I would have done so low key starting with the author of the poem before I concluded I needed to look further. And I would have read the poem several times to make sure I didnt read it wrong the first time. It took me several carefull reads to pick up the subtle difference in the wording.

[shartley]

I can see it from all sides… but I will also point out that KIDS have caused this type of reaction. How many times AFTER some student shoots another student or teacher do we get “We should have seen this coming… see all the poems here?” Or how they had made comments to other students.

What do we pass off as simple anger, and what do we pass off as legitimate reasons to worry? Well… if it was 20 years ago the answer would have been simple, but now….. not so simple.

And I find nothing wrong with pulling in any kid supporting this poem and talking with them. As long as talking is the only thing done… unless it is found that there is indeed more to worry about.

But I agree that it should not have been done during class time, NOR should they have been in the same room. If you are going to do it, you need to question them separately. And it does not have to be done in a “Gestapo” manner, a simple list of questions and about 5 minutes of casual talking can determine if further actions need to be taken.

So no, I don’t think they “over reacted”, just that they didn’t react in the best way possible. They could have done the same type of thing but in a more controlled and “under the radar” way.

However, I think that if they did nothing and by chance the Instructor was assaulted or even killed, some of the people saying this was totally uncalled for would be the first in line to shout that something should have been done. In today’s environment I say it is always better to be on the side of caution…. But do it RIGHT. They could have accomplished the same thing without the drama.

[cphilip]

Yes... thats pretty much it in a nut shell Sam. I have not heard anything further from this from the School. I am not certain they want to pursue it any further now that they know some of the information and have had time to think about it. But from what I gather they reacted rather haphazardly yesterday. I certainly would have checked into it once it came to my attention. As I have stated already... but I think I would have first talked to the Resorce officer of the school who knows these kids very well. And then to maybe the Guidance office who should know these kids by now (they are all Seniors) and then read it several times and then interviewed the Author of the Poem.

However thats not what happened. It appears they went on an internet search for ALL thier poems... of which I find no other similar nor disturbing ones... and printed them all out and then called them all in at once. And even one of them was right in the middle of his Senior project presentation. My kid was in the middle of a class participation project where he had to leave his class partner unassisted and therefore cannot recover the information gained nor assist with the write up of the project as he was not their. Something you cannot duplicate nor make up.


Anyway there also seemed to be no one that knew the background of the kids taking that into condiseration in the whole process until it was presented in a group meeting. The Vice Principal seemed to be calling all the shots. And she is new to the School and the position as well. She does not know personalities or backgrounds. She worked in a vacuum so to speak. Probably a mistake on her part to not realize she should have called in people that knew them first. Resource Officer and Guidance would have been a good choice.


I have the assurances from the ROTC Director that "they" are not the ones conducting this investigation. I am not certain if that means they are not behind it (solidly in principal or directly in causing the initiation) or if they are saying to me that its out of our hands. I am not certain I understand what that means. It was something my Kid was told by the Director of ROTC to tell me. I do not have direct contact with him to that statement. And Caleb says he does not know what that ment. He was called in later and told to "Make sure I knew they were not the ones doing it". Thats all they said to him. That could have several meanings.

[cphilip]

Well all is well that ends well. Seems the inquisition is over. No one of the three in this group is in any trouble now other then perhaps some personal hard feelings

However this was preceeded by another group of two students it seems that wrote some hurtfull untrue allegations about another student on the same site. Totaly unrelated but the names were then included and this poem discovered and thats what brought these three in. Seems they eventually decided that Calebs involvment was so slight and periferal to the main reason they were looking into it that he was just let go. As well as the other two. However this unrelated two people are in deep doo doo. I do not know what they wrote but it was just happenstance they came across this poem by interlinking comments from one writing to another. Not the central issue at all it seems. However they were never told that. I just was.

So overall I feel they did a fairly good job of handling it in the end. Now that I know what went down pretty much. However I still feel if this was a seperate discovery those other two should not have even been in the same room. It should have been treated as seperate as thats exactly what it was. It was probably done for convienience.

But I have made peace with them over it and they all fine with the outcome too so we move on.

Be carefull what you write kids. It may be read differently than you really mean it. And be even more carefull what you say. Because people can twist that around a lot and you have even more difficulty disproving it. Think before you speak and write. It might come back to haunt you some day.

[cphilip]

Well I take that back. They have restricted him from using the internet at School. None at all. None. And yet none of his posts or poems was made during school time. Athough some of the other kids were done from school they all got the same thing. No internet. No matter what level of involvment. Presumably because some of it was done from School. But no matter if your wasn't that was the restriction metted out. And yet Calebs Econ class requires him to look up stock prices and research those. And manage his Stock account. So he is not allowed to do so today as they have placed a restriction on it.

So I still have some issues to deal with it seems.

[Sir_Brass]

cp, then maybe you can help him with that since he cannot have net access at school, then you can prepare the data for him to look at and use when he gets home.

I, as a writer, am very leery of this. It's not like the website was the school's domain and whatnot. ALSO, how did they find out the realworld identities of these kids?

I have accounts on fictionpress.com and fanfiction.net and though I give my first name there as well as some other info, I don't think I've given enough to where a simple looking over of my profile would tell them who I am (except someone from school could tell). heck, if I wanted to, no one would be able to tell who I was or where i was from or anything without having to do a tedious IP trace and whatnot.

OT: CP, I couldn't help but chuckle at your son's choice of pen names :). I take it he's read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card :).

[Slimm Jimm]

If he was absolved of any wrongdoing then he should not be restrained from internet. Also, assuming you signed the waiver thingy that he could use the internet and has not done anything wrong from the school, he should be able to use the internet. But his school is different than mine, so it may be a different policy. He should at least be able to look things up that are required for class.

I think that the schools have taken the whole Columbine thing way to far. I do want you guys to know that I am (very) biased against the current public school system. I do not appreciate being profiled as a potential school shooter based solely on the fact that some of my attributes fit into a handful of slots that self-proclaimed experts have dictated as being indicative of a school shooter. I do sympathize with what the shooters went through, but they made a very wrong choice in shooting a handful of schoolmates. But because of them, the hell i have gone through worsened until i was able to figure out how to make it better. My senior year has been my best High School year ever so far, but I worry how this black mark on my record will affect me as i try to get into other schools or training.

I honestly don't think your son's problem is that extreme, but it does deserve attention. I think children should be allowed to express their feelings as they wish, and that the school does not have a right to limit them because of what they say or do. Maybe the occasional chat with a counselor and/or vice principal, but I suspect that your son's school went overboard and should not limit your son in any way, shape or form, if it has been decided that he is of no more concern.

High School can be one of the toughest times so far encountered by youth, and I believe that any appropriate outlet for emotional energy should be encouraged, regardless of whether it is just pressure from peers, a suicide of a loved one, or just good ol' fashioned stress.

Just my thoughts.

EDIT: I hadn't read all the posts above when i put this in. CARNIFEX, I can only imagine the kind of paranoia Littleton lives in even 6 years after the shootings. Even 15+ years after the shooting here at Fergus High, one of the first school shootings ever, some of the teachers are still leary of comments that students make. Everything I have just written has to do with how the schools tend to react with knee jerks to fix problems. I want to emphasize, schools tend to not like controversy, so they try to closely monitor everything that is said on school grounds. I have several rants about the public school system, also several good things to say, and this is only a portion of them. I just have to say, do what you feel is right.

[cphilip]

No seriously I got no problem after its all said and done with the checking on it. I do think the Meeting they had should have been broken up in severities and incidents as well as the punishments. Seems they delt with them with rather a broad pen. So I will negotiate that with them


I cannot nor he cannot do it at home. Its something they do each day in class and do some group work in teams with. He will have to regain that access. I do not think they thought of it when they imposed it so broadly. And I suspect several of them will be relented now that we all have discussed it. It just was not taken care of today.


They connected several of the other students through a report/complaint by a student. An unrelated issue at the time. But one of the comments on that one was from this kid that wrote the Poem I copied up above... and then Calebs eventually was noticed only because he commented that one time on that other one...and when they looked at his Poetry they detected his Faith as he wrote several poems about that. And he is the only one that is in ROTC that follows that particular faith. AND the only one that his mother had comitted Suicide. Those three things together connected him. Although his involvment was only to comment the one time on the secondary poem. However none of them had anything to hide nor tried to even. Had they asked they would have been shown the poetry. Some of Calebs teachers in fact post there. And thats where these kids were encouraged to go and write poetry. Nothing new at all. Its just this other two kids posted one that made someone mad because it was personal and then from that the post about the Colonel was found and it was a bit edgy so....well it snowballed from there.


You can read his stuff if you like. And you will see where the nickname comes from. And your on the right track.

[TigerMan]

This is what angers me about schools today, they get all the kids who aren't bad or mischievous, yet they let all the kids who actually do stuff bad get off the hook. Instead of tracking down kids who want to express themselves through poetry, why don't they track down kids who use and sell drugs? Why don't they track down kids who pick on or harass other students? I mean, sure he could've had a better choice of words, but in the end he wrote it on his free time and for his own cause (not for school I'm assuming). He didn't turn it in nor did he go and flaunt it all over the place like sending it to the teacher. What's next, the administrators going to go track down the kids who go to www.ratemyteacher.com and give them bad critiques? The adminstrators there need to get in check and realize not everybody thinks within the box. There are kids who're expressive, and they choose to express them through words not drugs or alcohol. The problem with adminstrators today is they think automatically that words will turn to action. One of my teachers said it best to us in that in the real world, you're innocent until proven guilty. For students in school, your guilty until proven innocent. I hope everything works out for your son.

[Nick O time]

yeah when i was in 5th grade me and a whole gruop of kids had to go to our school's guidance councelor. we were taking apart pens and stuff and putting them backwards so they would shoot out the internals. we made our erasers into army men and glued the pens to them. we had a whole group of kids doing this and then this one kid who we didnt like tried to hang out with us like every day and do the same thing. we just kept on ignoring him and stuff. one day the kid gets all mad at us and starts yelling at us and throwing a fit then he tells our guidance teacher that we were making bombs and going to blow up the school or sumtin.:rolleyes: well we all had to go up to the guidance councelor and she took all of our pens and erasers and stuff away from us and we had to bring notes home and get them signed and stuff. it was so pathetic and we were in 5th grade not like we know how to make a bomb using only pens and erasers to blow up the school. schools now days are just so stupid.

[-Carnifex-]

I was kidding, just incase any of you thought I was serious..

[Automaggin2]

Thats so ridiculous. When I was in 6th grade, people were passing around the Anarchist cookbook on floppies. The shcool WENT CRAZY. They called in about 20 students, including me. How did I get into the mess? I dunno. Supposedly a teacher saw me with a floppy disk (which was used to computer class). So the admins called me down adn questioned me, called in the local BOMB SQUAD and detectives. I was interrogated for an hour or 2. I kept telling them I had nothing to do with it, but they kept saying "Were not stupid son, we will find out what role you played in it". They called up my parents, they had to leave work and come to my school. They searched my locker, tore apart my locker, and found a broken floppy disk. Then it got worse, they were talking about getting it sent over to a lab to get investigated and to retrieve the files off it.

It was SOOOOOOO bad. My dad flipped out on the principle of the school after they learned i had nothing to do with it. The principle lied to my dad saying they saw disks that had my name on it and my screen name (they got my screen name through another kid). I hate admins.

[Target Practice]

First off, Sam, I read several of your son's poems. I especially enjoyed "A New Man", "Fill This Void", and "Turning Me Around". Kudos to him!

I have a notion that I believe in very much: Tragedy makes for great art. Look at Shakespeare. Anyone who has read Romeo and Juliet will attest to that. For a less trite example, take King Lear. Now whoever says that the final scene, with the ever-faithfull Kent following his King into death isn't the saddest (and heroic) thing they have ever read, is full of crap. ;)

School administrators (henceforth refered to as "The Man") cannot regulate these kids' poems unless there is serious need. Clearly, The Man has not demonstrated this. I assume that they will find all of the kids to be in perfect mental health. I am going to go out on a limb here, and say that every one of us has had those types of feelings toward somebody at least once in our lives. Even The Man has them.

You know what they say..."Those who cannot Teach, go into Administration."

[cphilip]

My name is not Sam.... It's Phil....

[shartley]

Originally posted by cphilip
My name is not Sam.... It's Phil....
:D

Saved me a lot of searching to see what poems MY son was writing. ;)

[cphilip]

Actually.... maybe you should check!!! :D

[shartley]

Originally posted by cphilip
Actually.... maybe you should check!!! :D :eek:

[71 LS6]

Phil, glad to hear things worked out. I had a similar situation yesterday. I went to an ortho appt. and came back 6th period with some food. My math teacher saw me and expressed her concern that I haven't done my homework in a long time. I apologized, and agreed to start doing it again, no big deal. So I went to the cafeteria to eat my food, and 10 minutes later she's back, asking if I have a few minutes. I follow her out into the hall, and the head principal is waiting for me. Around the corner, my counselor joins up with us. My math teacher left, but I had to go to the counseling office with the principal and the counselor. They told me the teacher had come to them, concerned that I dont do my work and that I seem tired a lot (my calc class has to go to school an extra half hour early for AP review, we're all tired). They then went on to explain that my pupils hadbeen dilated when I came in half an hour ago. I laughed, and told them I wasn't on drugs, just a bit of senioritis and I'm tired from stress (Dad's goin through some health issues, getting better though). The principal left, and the counselor suggested I call my doctor for depression. I laughed so hard I almost fell off my chair. She thought I was clinically depressed, so now if I don't do my homework in all my classes, they'll send me to therapy or counseling.

It's funny, because they thought all of this when:
-I don't wear black, ever
-I don't have any piercings or jewelry
-I still have a 3.7gpa without doing homework for a month
-I didnt break any rules
-I didnt take any drugs
-I didnt fall asleep in class
-I never disprespected a teacher

We'll see where this goes, I might try to have some fun with it.

[cphilip]

...at least they are concerned about you. However wrong they might be its good to know they notice and are concerned right?

[Slimm Jimm]

I have clinical depression, ADD, and everything you listed except my GPA matches yours, 71 LS6. At least your school is trying to be proactive. The school here tested me in 3rd grade for ADD, and claimed it was habitual. They didn't take another look at me until I was going to fail my 8th grade year. My parents took me to a Neurologist in another town. Who diagnosed me as ADD in less than 15 minutes. This is where most of my fury towards school comes from.

It's good to know that at least some schools are trying to actually encourage kids to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner. Unfortunatly, a drug culture is deeply imbedded here, either meth or weed and alchohol. Not just here, but other surrounding smaller communities think that it is O.K. to have a Kegger(sp?) after a big game. Another example of this culture is bills introduced into my classes legislative simulation, such as lowering the legal age of drinking to 18, legalizing marujana(sp?), reducing penalties for dealing, that kind of crap.

On another note, thank you cphilip for starting this thread, it's been nice to read that other people in general have had to fight with their schools at one point or another.

[71 LS6]

I agree that it's nice to know the school cares enough to watch out for that kind of stuff, and I actually thanked them for it. But sometimes, my school goes way too far on nothing and it gets very amusing. Anyhow, I'll be back to a 4.0 in a week, I do it every quarter, just not sure why the school decided to care at the end of my 15th quarter in high school. Now I'm just scared that if I skip an assignment they'll haul me back in to talk about drugs and depression. It's depressing.

I just don't like it when the school is suspicious of me for nothing. They talked to me earlier this year because they thought I was drunk in school, and said next time they suspect anything they'd drug test me. Now they suspect again, but they won't test me. It's like I can't get the opportunity to prove I'm fine, they just like to have something to fuss about.

[painTech]

schoold could be better. a lot better. easily.

[f3rr3+]

thats rediculous, schools are becoming more more sensitive and most of the time they dont look at the whole picture... i mean i could understand if your son had other issues but from what you say he has nothing of the sort