Today was an eye-opening day for me at my son's baseball camp. What started as a simple drop-off turned into an amazing conversation with a group of 9 and 10-year-old kids, opening my eyes to the incredible contrast between public and private schools' approaches to bullying and discipline.
As I sat with my son, waiting for the coaches to arrive, I was pleasantly surprised when a few campers invited me to join them at their table. What ensued was a candid discussion about school life, particularly focusing on bullying and the responses of their respective schools.
The things these kids shared with me were disturbing. Kids from public schools shared troubling accounts of bullying and even being inappropriately touched by other students. They had reported these incidents to their parents, who then went to school authorities, only to see little to no consequences for the perpetrators.
One of the kids at our table was shocked by this. He attends private school and said if anything like that ever happened at his school, those kids would be expelled immediately. No questions asked, no second changes. Expelled. Period.
But why such a drastic difference? I can tell you why. Money! It all lies in the financial dynamics of education. Private schools, unlike their public counterparts, operate on a tuition-based model. Expelling a student doesn't equate to lost revenue since the tuition is already paid upfront. However, for public schools, every expelled or suspended student represents a loss in funding, as state allocations are tied to student attendance.
This financial incentive, or rather disincentive, in public education removes any chance for accountability. While private schools swiftly enforce consequences, disciplinary action in public schools often takes a back seat due to financial implications.
So, where do we go from here? Perhaps it's time to level the playing field. If public schools adopted a similar no-tolerance stance and implemented swift consequences like expulsion for serious offenses, it could serve as a powerful deterrent. But there's the catch. To truly hold students, and by extension, their parents accountable, we need to hit them where it hurts: their wallets!
Imagine if parents received a bill for the remainder of the school year if their child was expelled due to egregious behavior. Suddenly, there's a heavy consequence not just for the student, but for their parents. How much do you want to bet that parents would begin holding their children accountable and establishing clear ground rules for what will and will not be tolerated?
The aim isn't punishment, but rather to create a safe and supportive space where every student can succeed. If some students are disrupting this environment, they should be removed!
Nothing says "wake-up call" like a dose of real-life consequences. Maybe then students and parents will remember that little thing called responsibility and the value of respect and kindness in our schools.
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