Philosophy Now Forum

A suburban Washington, D.C. family has retained legal counsel after their six-year-old son was suspended from school for making a gun gesture with his thumb and forefinger, pointing at another student and saying “pow.”

that might happen anywhere... crazy people are all over the world. Suspending a kid for silly kids play like that is outrageous, but it has nothing to do with public education, and more to do with nuts adults.

The Voice of Time wrote:that might happen anywhere... crazy people are all over the world. Suspending a kid for silly kids play like that is outrageous, but it has nothing to do with public education, and more to do with nuts adults.

I beg to differ. Public schools can do all sorts of outrageous things with impunity. If these things happened in a school selling its services to the general public, that school would soon be out of business because the free market is ruthless, my friend, and doesn't tolerate that kind of crap!

bob is right

private schools are well known for having no stupid and pointless rules for their students to follow

Kayla wrote:bob is right

private schools are well known for having no stupid and pointless rules for their students to follow

I attended Catholic schools operated by Jesuits and Notre Dame sisters.

The dress code included a prohibition on wearing hats in class.

However, we had one female student who wore old clothes and big floppy hats. She was a true eccentric individualist. She looked like Annie Hall. She was also a lot of fun. To enforce the rule against her would have harmed her.

One day she was home sick. I remember someone asking the sister why the student was allowed to wear a hat in class contrary to the rule. If I recall accurately, the sister talked about clothing being important in expressing one's individuality. (NB: Sisters then wore the full habit. They did not express their individuality in their clothing.)

I was fortunate. My teachers and the priests were well-educated. They knew that the administration of rules sometimes required the making of an exception. I don't remember any such silly incidents as the one that Bob mentions here..

Many of today's teachers have been trained, but not educated. The best students don't go into public education; they get MBA's, enter private business, and make a lot of money.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Srq5eVV9f5U/T ... Pyxurz.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Hall ... _influence

Kayla wrote:bob is right

private schools are well known for having no stupid and pointless rules for their students to follow

I presume this is sarcasm, but it would've helped if you said it is. Not everybody here lives in the US.

i miss the old days, but not entirely, but sometimes, i sure do miss the old days