Hello Darkness, my old friend...Follow

It's once a year, not once a month.

And, Joph, I see what you're saying, but can't the protest in and of itself be a learning experience?

I spent several days throughout my high school career without talking. Of course, I was an anti-social recluse and only attended for two and a half years anyways.

The only major "Days" I can remember though were "Dress Backwards" and fuck all if I have any idea what *that* was about. come to think of it, probably was a gay thing.

If it was grade school, maybe I'd have something to say about it, but if it's high school kids who are forming opinions and learning to be activists as they grow within the confines of their society, I say the hell to it. Let 'em, just make sure they have to deal with any consequences. It's the same in RL, right? If I chain myself to a light post to nonviolently protest the destruction of a building, I still may face legal charges, jail time, etc. The right to protest doesn't mean you don't face the penalties of your actions.

You go kid, for taking a stand. Now take your punishment like a big boy. It's how the world works.

We had a "silence day" back when I was in high school, too.

It was for DUI awareness of some sort. Group of us had to dress all in black and sort of pretend we were dead. We even had our tombstones (made of cardboard) setup in the courtyard.

Teachers would have to refer to us in passed tense and everyone were supposed to sort of play along and ignore us.

Honestly, I felt like it was more "ZOMG MATRIX DAY" than anything, since we all wore shades.

In that case, I'd have to explain the concept of "sucking it up" to them.

As long as participation is voluntary and it doesn't directly interfere with learning, I don't really care what "official" protest is happening. Have the kids (voluntarily) wear a special shirt or sunglasses or sandals or hang banners or have a poetry reading at lunch. I don't care. I might even think it's a good idea. It's not until it creeps into the classroom and disturbs learning that I have a gripe.

I already griped about the Day of Silence. Erm -- way to restate what I said from Post #1!

I don't know details about your field trip to have an opinion.

Ok. this isn't the one I was thinking of, but it did have the same speaker. It's not Mecha though. Got that confused. Speaker was Delores Huerta of the UFW

linky



So apparently, it's a legitimate use of taxpayer school funding to bus K-12 students to political rallys?


You can take this with a grain of salt given the source, but here's another example of students here in the SouthWest being indoctrinated with politically one-sided information at public expense. In this case to a pro-illegal immigration rally by the same Delores Huerta.

I can't find the specific case I recall seeing (although it might be the same Tuscon one), where a female student basically complained that she was effectively "forced" to attend a speach given by the same woman as the key speaker at a school assembly. Students were encouraged to attend by their history and social studies teachers with explanations that getting to listen to Ms Huerta was some kind of great priviledge. So much so that while students could opt not to attend, their choice was to spend the period of time essentially in detention.


Note also that students were *not* suspended or punished in any way for leaving school for any "liberal" rally that I could find. Even when they weren't part of an official school function, complete with busing, no one punished students for leaving school. Those big immigration marches last year? Same deal. Students left in droves (cause they could really). Didn't see any suspensions or punishments from those, did we?


One sided enough for you? Care to find me an example where a public school provided busing to a pro-conservative/republican rally?

In my School, during Black History Month, we had a speaker come in for God knows what reason. I don't know what she wanted to speak about because only the black kids were let in. If you tried to get in and you weren't black, they wouldn't let you! Pretty wrong if I say.

So yeah, they all got two days off of school, but we didn't. :( Not sure if they had to go either.

I'm sort of glad that I don't live in America and have to go through half of the special days that you seem to go through, though.

I had someone call my Hotel and ask if they could get a discount since they were coming in for the PRIDE events in Boston.

Unfortunatly for that particular homosexual, the progress for gay rights in our state have yet to affect room rate reductions.

Unbeknownst to him, the room rates have actually gone up.

My "Intro to Education" class tells me that you're right, but I still going to glare at you for your pedantry.

That seems a bit counterproductive, overall. I suppose it's along the lines of pride, rather than education. Ergo, not school related anyway.

I'd have no problem with kids going to an event/debate that might actually be educational. Field trips have their place, and certainly serve to break up the monotony. But, yeah. Protesting for the sake of getting out of class is lame enough without the school sanctioning it.

As far as the "day of silence" is concerned, I'd imagine it's more of a relief than anything else.

Of course if I were a teacher in that school I'd save the most interesting and controversial discussions for the day of silence, just to drive the little ******* crazy.