Those of a certain age might remember the days when high-school teachers kept order by shouting, throwing chalk, cutting kids down with sarcasm, handing out detentions and extra work and generally terrorizing the class. Ninety per cent of students never saw the principal's office. The teacher was scary enough to keep them in line.
No one wants to go back to that time, but clearly something must be done other than the current answer – making allowances for everyone and every type of behaviour – if we are to have safe schools. Perhaps the traditional last resort, expulsion, needs to be re-evaluated.
Educators are instructed to act in loco parentis, in the place of the parent. That is firm, but loving. As in any workplace, some managers are better than others. So there are talented, team-oriented principals and vice-principals and those who remain invisible, forever in meetings or their offices.
To be fair, dealing with violent and/or unstable individuals, who are smoking, swearing, dressing and acting in a sexual and inappropriate manner, dealing drugs, bullying, defacing and damaging property, fighting or stealing is no picnic.
It's especially no picnic when any action taken by a teacher or principal is readily criticized as harsh, ineffective, discriminatory or, at best, foolish. What usually happens is not much, unless the law has been clearly broken and the police can be called. Not a week goes by without police cruisers visiting my school, sometimes twice in one day. And according to a student survey done in my school last spring, more than 90 per cent of students feel safe and secure here. But we have surveillance cameras throughout, identity cards for all and a hall monitor/security guard patrolling the corridors.
Most people agree that students should not be allowed to speak disrespectfully, assault or intimidate staff and other students without consequences. Suspension removes a student for one or two days, maybe a week. That really isn't a punishment for kids who don't like or attend class much anyway.
Board guidelines allow students to hand in missed assignments and do missed tests at a later date, right up to the last day of school. So marks aren't affected. Parents are in a position to take action, but are not required to do so.
Most often nothing is done to stop the behaviour that led to the suspension, so nothing changes. Expulsion, which removes a student for a year, or maybe forever, is quite extreme and is now used only in cases of violence or weapons possession, the famous zero-tolerance policy.
Many people think that policy is wrong. Each student should be helped to reach his or her potential in all ways possible. However, without the judicious use of that ultimate punishment, the majority is held ransom by the dysfunctional few. That's asking too much of too many.
This is heresy but, just maybe, school is not the place for everyone. Certainly not for everyone at the same time. That's why adult education is so important. Some people are not mature enough, settled enough or reasonable enough for high school until they are well into their 20s. Some never are.
That doesn't mean they don't have talents and skills to offer society. It's just that school is not the best place for them to develop. Apprenticeship and co-op work programs would offer many of these young people a worthwhile alternative. We can't expect a high school with a few social workers and a part-time psychologist to solve all the serious problems faced by and created by the difficult and dangerous ones in their population.
If everyone is entitled to an education, let's nurture a vibrant, safe and healthy educational environment in Toronto schools and find another place for those who would destroy it.
Rhona Bennett is a former member of the Star's Community Editorial Board.
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