O/T...Assault with a deadly.....notebook?

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

The subject of spiral bindings came up in another forum and I posted the following there. I thought that this was really odd (but true) and indicative of a sort of disturbing trend:

 

I found out yesterday that my youngest stepson's school has banned spiral notebooks. Apparently the idea is that the wire can be used as a weapon. Yet they allow them to have sharpened pencils? That makes no sense to me whatsoever. I could easily kill a person with a pencil in a matter of seconds.....but instead somebody is going to take the time and effort to put their sharpened pencil away, get out a spiral notebook and remove the wire binding, find a couple of handles somewhere and fashion a garotte? Riiiigghht..... At the same time, they banned wearing sandals to school saying that they are "dangerous" because some clumsy kid tripped over her own feet and just happened to be wearing sandals. I guess underwear is next, due to the potential for wedgies?

[Strategery]

Man, this politically correctness crap is going to be the death of us all.

 

I pray...that one day....COMMON DAMN SENSE comes back in style.

 

What do you think the odds are? :D

 

Randy

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

The odds are not good, I'm afraid. When that same step-son was in the 2nd grade, we were called for an "emergency conference" with his teacher. The problem? He drew a picture of a comic book character on his notebook....one of these wicked looking dudes (I can't remember who the character was). Anyway, the teacher started out with "This is what he's drawing in class. I'm afraid that if you don't get him some counseling he's going to be the next Ted Bundy." I went nuts. By the time my wife got me calmed down, shut up, and out of that classroom, I'm pretty sure that teacher thought I was the incarnation of Satan. I went OFF on her. I told her that the next damned time she called me for a conference she had better have something to talk about, and until she got her Doctorate in Psychology, if she tried to Psychoanalyze him again I would go straight to the top of the school board and next time I saw her I'd buy a Slurpie from her.

 

 

[Dr. Ellwood]

The odds are not good, I'm afraid. When that same step-son was in the 2nd grade, we were called for an "emergency conference" with his teacher. The problem? He drew a picture of a comic book character on his notebook....one of these wicked looking dudes (I can't remember who the character was). Anyway, the teacher started out with "This is what he's drawing in class. I'm afraid that if you don't get him some counseling he's going to be the next Ted Bundy." I went nuts. By the time my wife got me calmed down, shut up, and out of that classroom, I'm pretty sure that teacher thought I was the incarnation of Satan. I went OFF on her. I told her that the next damned time she called me for a conference she had better have something to talk about, and until she got her Doctorate in Psychology, if she tried to Psychoanalyze him again I would go straight to the top of the school board and next time I saw her I'd buy a Slurpie from her.

 

 

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!! EXCELLENT YETI!!!! ROTFLMAOff

[blueross]

Man, this politically correctness crap is going to be the death of us all.

Randy

 

It's not PCness that's doing it. It's fear of litigation.

[UnderTheGroove]

Man, this politically correctness crap is going to be the death of us all.

Randy

 

It's not PCness that's doing it. It's fear of litigation.

 

Very true. I don't think it will go away any time soon either.

[Megiliel]

People are just stupid.

I'm surprised that girls can wear heels at all. When I was in eighth grade, some girl at another girl (she was middle school-aged too) tried to stab some other chick with her freakin' shoe!

What really kills me, though, is that they focus so much on potentially weapons that will more than likely never be used, but turn a blind eye to the kids that go around half-dressed. Ugh.

[Hardtail]

The odds are not good, I'm afraid. When that same step-son was in the 2nd grade, we were called for an "emergency conference" with his teacher. The problem? He drew a picture of a comic book character on his notebook....one of these wicked looking dudes (I can't remember who the character was). Anyway, the teacher started out with "This is what he's drawing in class. I'm afraid that if you don't get him some counseling he's going to be the next Ted Bundy." I went nuts. By the time my wife got me calmed down, shut up, and out of that classroom, I'm pretty sure that teacher thought I was the incarnation of Satan. I went OFF on her. I told her that the next damned time she called me for a conference she had better have something to talk about, and until she got her Doctorate in Psychology, if she tried to Psychoanalyze him again I would go straight to the top of the school board and next time I saw her I'd buy a Slurpie from her.

 

 

They tried to pull similar crap on my son.

 

However, my wife IS A psychologist. She shot the teachers down in a heartbeat.

 

I didn't even have to work up a attitude. I just sat back with my arms crossed and let my wife deal with it. LOL!

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

That must be spooky...living with a Psychologist. I can tell you that my wife would capitalize on that in a heartbeat. I would't be able to get away with a damned thing.

 

People like that teacher drive me nuts. A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing. If she was qualified to make a diagnosis like that, I wouldn't have had a problem with her....then again, if she was qualified to make that diagnosis, she wouldn't have ever said that....she would have known it was a crock.

[Hardtail]

That must be spooky...living with a Psychologist.

 

She's just like every other woman in the world, believe me. LOL!

[picker]

She's just like every other woman in the world, believe me. LOL!

 

...or, is that just what she wants you to think?

 

Hmmmm.....

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

Yeah...she might have a file on you.......

[Megiliel]

Yeah...she might have a file on you.......

Very true... how do you feel about that?

[fantasticsound]

Ok.. the spiral notebook issue is about as dumb as I've ever heard. Ridiculous.

 

The shoe issue is another matter entirely. Flip flops and other shoes that are all too often removed by their wearers leave their feet vulnerable to stepping on anything dropped in the school. No matter how they try, no school will have a spotless floor, free of dropped items, dirt, etc. that can cut or puncture their feet. In addition, anyone whose foot has been stepped on in even flimsy cloth sneakers (let alone leather) and has also had the unfortunate circumstance to have the same happen in open sandals or flip-flops knows just how little material is necessary to provide a lot of protection for your foot.

 

We all know the parents of an injured child would have a lawyer's number out before the kid left the nurse's office or emergency room if the child's foot was injured from stepping on something. It wouldn't matter what the sharp object was, whether the custodians neglected to properly clean up or if a student had just dropped the object a moment earlier. Either way the school would be held liable when the student could've easily protected himself/herself.

 

I, for one, am glad the Nashville Metro School Board went to a universal dress code similar to the one already in place at the Jewish day school my daughter attends. There's little or no distraction caused by what anyone else is wearing. I'm all for encouraging individuality but I also remember just how focused kids were on what clothes different people wore. And I know from Lilly's school that a uniform has absolutely NO bearing on the ability of kids to use their imagination where it really counts.. on their schoolwork and extra-curricular activities.

 

Still, I KNOW I wouldn't have understood this concept even were it explained to me when I was in school. It's funny and sad to hear the sound bites the local news aired from kids upset over the restrictions. Next the teachers will expect them to be quiet until called upon! Can you imagine that?!?

[fantasticsound]

The odds are not good, I'm afraid. When that same step-son was in the 2nd grade, we were called for an "emergency conference" with his teacher. The problem? He drew a picture of a comic book character on his notebook....one of these wicked looking dudes (I can't remember who the character was). Anyway, the teacher started out with "This is what he's drawing in class. I'm afraid that if you don't get him some counseling he's going to be the next Ted Bundy."...

 

 

I have mixed feelings about my daughter's teacher this year. Lil's was the first class to require two classrooms due to the number of incoming students. Her current teacher was the other 2nd grade teacher, last year. One of Lilly's friends is shy, but not stupid. The teacher decided that 3 of her students (only 9 or 10 in the class mind you) were in need of special education, including this girl. I don't know what the school counselor, whose background is in special ed. felt but they did want these students tested through the metro schools. The parents were not happy. In one case I don't blame them, in the other I just don't know the child well enough to say she was right or wrong. Either way, I've heard since I was a 5th grader about how the teacher's perception becomes reality if not tempered with oversight.

 

Lilly and her friend have always been put in separate classes as they distract one another too easily. I should've known we'd get this teacher as the other parents had expressed their disapproval last year.

 

The flipside, though, is that Lilly was tested for giftedness. She's very smart, creative and precocious. But that comes at a price. Truly gifted students often have socialization issues. What concerns me is that the teacher labels her as trouble rather than understand that, while she's intelligent, has real special needs too.

 

At least I know she's getting a lot of time with her teachers as opposed to my childhood in a "great" school system where classes had 20+ kids per class.

 

 

 

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

We all know the parents of an injured child would have a lawyer's number out before the kid left the nurse's office or emergency room if the child's foot was injured from stepping on something. It wouldn't matter what the sharp object was, whether the custodians neglected to properly clean up or if a student had just dropped the object a moment earlier. Either way the school would be held liable when the student could've easily protected himself/herself.

 

 

Herein lies the real problem. I think that more severe and frequently meted penalties for meritless and frivolous lawsuits would fix a big part of that.

 

I also think that you can go waaaaayyy overboard with this protecting people from themselves stuff....and I think we're there now.

 

I really do wish that we would go to a school uniform, though. That would solve so many problems for me.........

[Big Red 67]

People are just stupid.

I'm surprised that girls can wear heels at all. When I was in eighth grade, some girl at another girl (she was middle school-aged too) tried to stab some other chick with her freakin' shoe!

What really kills me, though, is that they focus so much on potentially weapons that will more than likely never be used, but turn a blind eye to the kids that go around half-dressed. Ugh.

 

And the quote is,... "A person is smart, people are stupid."

[Megiliel]

True, true.

 

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

And the quote is,... "A person is smart, people are stupid."

 

"I love humanity, it's people I can't stand!"

 

-Charlie Brown.

 

In Australia and NZ kids wear school uniforms, and I think it's cool. That way, you don't have rich kids with their fancy clothes and poor kids in hand-me-downs.

 

Well, we still did. Some kids would obviously be wearing their older brothers' out-grown school clothes (you could tell by the holes) but on the whole, it put everyone at the same level.

 

When I first got here, I was waiting for a bus with a bunch of schoolkids that had got there first. The bus arrived and, because the kids were there first, I let them go on first. Only they didn't move. They were ike statues, but obviously waiting for something. And I didn't move, waiting for them. It was just like playing "statues" when I was a little kid.

 

The seconds passed and I said "Are you guys only allowed on school buses?" And a girl replied (like I was a total dork) "No, we're waiting for you to get on first!"

 

I'm definitely not used to that sort of thing.

[Rampdog]

Man, this politically correctness crap is going to be the death of us all.

Randy

 

It's not PCness that's doing it. It's fear of litigation.

A friend of mine in Oregon diciplined his daughter on Christmas Eve for something she had done... He was firm but didn't touch her... She called the police on him and said he physically hurt her and they hauled him off to jail.. (ON CHRISTMAS EVE!!!) He was released the next day with certain 'provisions'... Now his daughter basically owns him... It's a different world... Like most of you, when I was young I got a backhand across the mug or a good kick in the ass... You can't do that anymore... "It's the end of the world as we know it... and I don't feel fine"

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

Man, this politically correctness crap is going to be the death of us all.

Randy

 

It's not PCness that's doing it. It's fear of litigation.

A friend of mine in Oregon diciplined his daughter on Christmas Eve for something she had done... He was firm but didn't touch her... She called the police on him and said he physically hurt her and they hauled him off to jail.. (ON CHRISTMAS EVE!!!) He was released the next day with certain 'provisions'... Now his daughter basically owns him... It's a different world... Like most of you, when I was young I got a backhand across the mug or a good kick in the ass... You can't do that anymore... "It's the end of the world as we know it... and I don't feel fine"

 

My daughter threatened me once with calling the police. I found some pot in her bedroom. She was 14. I went ballistic. She rolled her eyes at me like teenage girls do, and I made it painful. She said she was going to call the police. I said "OK. I'll dial the number for you. They WILL come and pick me up and put me in jail. But there's 3 things that you have to think about. 1st, they are going to let me out....eventually. If you think I'm pissed now, wait until I get out of jail. I've got a lot of vacation...we can do this all you want. 2nd, I'm going to make it worth it before they get here. I'm going to beat you within an inch of your life. You'll NEED the drugs to ease the pain and your mama won't recognize you. 3rd. I'm going to have to tell them what started this whole thing and I'm going to give them your pot." Then I picked up the phone and started to dial and said "You have 5 seconds to make up your mind. You want to call them?" Needless to say, she changed her mind. I explained to her then that there were a couple of things that would not happen in my house, even if it resulted in fatalities for me to keep it from happening.

 

1. There would be NO drugs in my house. Ever. That will get you hurt.

 

2. NOBODY was going to come into my house and tell me how to run it...not even the police.

 

I never had any further problems with that. She is now 32 years old and she STILL talks about that day. She says that is the scaredest she has ever been, but it made her realize that if I would react like that, drugs must be a pretty serious thing.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

We had a bit of a kerfuffle with that over here in NZ.

 

What basically happened (in as many words) was that the law on assault said something about it being ok "for educational purposes", which meant that some parents that had used a horsewhip on their kids got away with it. Not good in a country with an astonishing level of domestic violence.

 

But the proposed bill (known as "the anti-smacking bill" in the press) would have made it illegal to smack your kids. Lots of parents would have become proper criminals overnight. And defining "a smack" is a real bugger, too. Huge uproar, 80% of the population against the bill, but due to political alliances, the govt. had to push it in parliament.

 

In the end, the bill was watered down to allow the police to act, if they really thought there was a possibility of harm to the kids. Which is basically where we all came in, as far as police powers go.

 

Good old New Zealand.

[Dr. Ellwood]

Man, this politically correctness crap is going to be the death of us all.

Randy

 

It's not PCness that's doing it. It's fear of litigation.

A friend of mine in Oregon diciplined his daughter on Christmas Eve for something she had done... He was firm but didn't touch her... She called the police on him and said he physically hurt her and they hauled him off to jail.. (ON CHRISTMAS EVE!!!) He was released the next day with certain 'provisions'... Now his daughter basically owns him... It's a different world... Like most of you, when I was young I got a backhand across the mug or a good kick in the ass... You can't do that anymore... "It's the end of the world as we know it... and I don't feel fine"

 

My daughter threatened me once with calling the police. I found some pot in her bedroom. She was 14. I went ballistic. She rolled her eyes at me like teenage girls do, and I made it painful. She said she was going to call the police. I said "OK. I'll dial the number for you. They WILL come and pick me up and put me in jail. But there's 3 things that you have to think about. 1st, they are going to let me out....eventually. If you think I'm pissed now, wait until I get out of jail. I've got a lot of vacation...we can do this all you want. 2nd, I'm going to make it worth it before they get here. I'm going to beat you within an inch of your life. You'll NEED the drugs to ease the pain and your mama won't recognize you. 3rd. I'm going to have to tell them what started this whole thing and I'm going to give them your pot." Then I picked up the phone and started to dial and said "You have 5 seconds to make up your mind. You want to call them?" Needless to say, she changed her mind. I explained to her then that there were a couple of things that would not happen in my house, even if it resulted in fatalities for me to keep it from happening.

 

1. There would be NO drugs in my house. Ever. That will get you hurt.

 

2. NOBODY was going to come into my house and tell me how to run it...not even the police.

 

I never had any further problems with that. She is now 32 years old and she STILL talks about that day. She says that is the scaredest she has ever been, but it made her realize that if I would react like that, drugs must be a pretty serious thing.

 

:thu:

[revolead]

The odds are not good, I'm afraid. When that same step-son was in the 2nd grade, we were called for an "emergency conference" with his teacher. The problem? He drew a picture of a comic book character on his notebook....one of these wicked looking dudes (I can't remember who the character was). Anyway, the teacher started out with "This is what he's drawing in class. I'm afraid that if you don't get him some counseling he's going to be the next Ted Bundy." I went nuts. By the time my wife got me calmed down, shut up, and out of that classroom, I'm pretty sure that teacher thought I was the incarnation of Satan. I went OFF on her. I told her that the next damned time she called me for a conference she had better have something to talk about, and until she got her Doctorate in Psychology, if she tried to Psychoanalyze him again I would go straight to the top of the school board and next time I saw her I'd buy a Slurpie from her.

 

 

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!! EXCELLENT YETI!!!! ROTFLMAOff

 

LMAO! I love it.

 

For the record of ridiculous stories about school: When I was a junior in high school, our cross country team got into huge trouble because the girls were running in god forbid, running clothes, aka a sports bra and small shorts. What happened was a girl who lived near the school was sent home early that day for coming to classes dressed like she was working the Las Vegas Strip. The principal sent her home (as though its the school's business how she presents herself to young men) as a result. Then, her mother saw the XC team running by and she flipped. She called the school, chewed out the principal, claiming that her daughter was being singled out and demanded the XC girls cover up. The principal, being a total p***y, then talked to our coach, who then told the girls they could no longer roam about with their mid-drift showing. For the next 6 weeks, until the school finally got the courage to stand up for itself, the girls had to run with shirts and pants on. It was uncomfortable and an inconvenience for them, and believe me, many of my male counterparts complained. :grin:

[Strategery]

Man....great posts!! hahhaha

 

Yeah, down here in the south...we parents RUN our house, not our kids.

Hey, if that statement doesn't apply to you...then so be it.

 

We're not overly stern, we're just the adults and we act accordingly.

WE're Fair...but Firm.

 

Kids need that.

They're not ready mentally or physically to tell we adults what to do.

 

My stepson also told me he was going to call the police once.

I said..good...let's go call them.

In the mean time....you can take your ass to your dad's and live with him.

I told him....in this house, your mom and I run the show.

This is NOT a democracy.

You don't pay the bills....you don't make the dicisions.

END OF STORY.

 

Uhhhh...that was the end of that crap.

Hey, he came to respect it and myself.

We got along great after that because he knew I would always be there for him.

 

Yeah, PC'ness is happening because we are LETTING it happen.

After all...what CAN'T be used as a weapon?

Do we ban EVERYTHING?

 

IT's just utter nonsense.

 

YETI.... +1 infinity. Great posts!!

 

Randy

[Hardtail]

Man, this politically correctness crap is going to be the death of us all.

Randy

 

It's not PCness that's doing it. It's fear of litigation.

A friend of mine in Oregon diciplined his daughter on Christmas Eve for something she had done... He was firm but didn't touch her... She called the police on him and said he physically hurt her and they hauled him off to jail.. (ON CHRISTMAS EVE!!!) He was released the next day with certain 'provisions'... Now his daughter basically owns him... It's a different world... Like most of you, when I was young I got a backhand across the mug or a good kick in the ass... You can't do that anymore... "It's the end of the world as we know it... and I don't feel fine"

 

My daughter threatened me once with calling the police. I found some pot in her bedroom. She was 14. I went ballistic. She rolled her eyes at me like teenage girls do, and I made it painful. She said she was going to call the police. I said "OK. I'll dial the number for you. They WILL come and pick me up and put me in jail. But there's 3 things that you have to think about. 1st, they are going to let me out....eventually. If you think I'm pissed now, wait until I get out of jail. I've got a lot of vacation...we can do this all you want. 2nd, I'm going to make it worth it before they get here. I'm going to beat you within an inch of your life. You'll NEED the drugs to ease the pain and your mama won't recognize you. 3rd. I'm going to have to tell them what started this whole thing and I'm going to give them your pot." Then I picked up the phone and started to dial and said "You have 5 seconds to make up your mind. You want to call them?" Needless to say, she changed her mind. I explained to her then that there were a couple of things that would not happen in my house, even if it resulted in fatalities for me to keep it from happening.

 

1. There would be NO drugs in my house. Ever. That will get you hurt.

 

2. NOBODY was going to come into my house and tell me how to run it...not even the police.

 

I never had any further problems with that. She is now 32 years old and she STILL talks about that day. She says that is the scaredest she has ever been, but it made her realize that if I would react like that, drugs must be a pretty serious thing.

 

Hell yeah!!!

 

My kid doesn't run my house. He never will!

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

My stepson was complaining a while back because I am making him keep a GPS tracking device in his car. First it was an invasion of his privacy....that got shot down quickly. He just didn't realize that there is no constitutional provisions for a right to privacy for teenagers in their parents' house. Then it "wasn't fair" because his arguments wouldn't get the rule repealed and it wasn't right that I could "invade his privacy "and didn't trust him. Here's what I told him:

 

"First, I do trust you. But I'm not stupid. I was your age once, believe it or not. Trust has nothing to do with it. I have a responsibility to MAKE SURE. If I didn't trust you, you wouldn't drive at all. Second, my decisions are not final because they are always right...they are always right because they are final."

[Dr. Ellwood]

Yep Yeti, I used to tell both my boys that they lived in a dictorship and I was the dictator and they had to work hard to dig their way out to freedom by getting good grades and becomming good citizens! I said hay you know it works, look even your stupid old dad did it LOL!!!....

[Hardtail]

You and I think alike Yeti.

 

It's not my job to be my child's best buddy. It's to provide him with an environment to learn to be his own man.... and sometimes those lessons are HARD!

 

I won't be around forever.

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

Yeah, you can be buddies with them AFTER they are grown and standing on their own two feet. Until then it is my responsibility to make sure they learn to do the right things and learn the values they will need to be successful.

 

I am, as Lee said, a benevolent dictator. I don't run a democracy. I am tough, but I'm as fair as I can be.

 

I am now raising a second set of (step) kids. I made some mistakes with my own kids the first time around....I won't make those mistakes again.

 

All that having been said, I still have to strike a balance. I can't have them so afraid of me that they won't come to me when they need to. I want them to try to handle their own problems, but to be able to recognize when they need help and guidance. I spend time with them. I go to ball games and watch the oldest play, and I take the youngest one hunting and fishing (they have diametrically opposed interests). I strive to be the rock. I NEVER break a promise because I want them to consider their word as their bond. Kids learn much more by example than by words. I know this to be a fact. They do listen to what you tell them, but you can very easily undo that by your actions. Before I do or say anything, I think about the message it will send them and what they will really learn from it.