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None Dare Call It Treason
Well, no one but me anyway. My school, and schools all over the country, are commititng an act of Treason. Over the past several days, I've been growing increasinly nervous about it. Now that I've been assured by our lawyer that there's nothing I can do about it, I'm free to talk about it.
A growing trend in the educational field is that of the school ID. We had them at WHS, not that they were very useful. We had them at WPI, and they were very useful, but were pretty much all convenience, no hassle. Well, we have them at RHS too, and they're pretty much all hassle, no convenience. First off, they don't *do* anything. You can't swipe them for food in vending machines, you can't open locks with them (well, not any better than a credit card), you can't trade them out for keys. As a matter of fact, you can't forget your ID or else you get sent down to Guidance and get a big sticker put on your shirt as a "temporary" ID. All IDs must be worn and visible at all times, on a lanyard around your neck. In short, they're not ID cards. They're animal control collars.
I loathe the idea of wearing one. As a matter of fact, I dread it. The mere thought of bumping into members of the administration nearly sends me into panic attacks out of the fear that they'll make me wear one. And here's where we get to the Treason part. You see, Americans are supposed to loathe wearing animal control collars. Americans are supposed to oppose this exact sort of policy in Government Agencies around the World. But no, most of the faculty agrees that they're a good thing because they help identify the students. They help control the students. In short, they aid in violating the students' First Amendment rights - and condition them (and the teachers) to not expect to have any in the future.
We're contributing to the corruption of our Country and expressly violating the purpose of Public Education. The day will come when they tell me to wear it or get fired. I dread that day.
A growing trend in the educational field is that of the school ID. We had them at WHS, not that they were very useful. We had them at WPI, and they were very useful, but were pretty much all convenience, no hassle. Well, we have them at RHS too, and they're pretty much all hassle, no convenience. First off, they don't *do* anything. You can't swipe them for food in vending machines, you can't open locks with them (well, not any better than a credit card), you can't trade them out for keys. As a matter of fact, you can't forget your ID or else you get sent down to Guidance and get a big sticker put on your shirt as a "temporary" ID. All IDs must be worn and visible at all times, on a lanyard around your neck. In short, they're not ID cards. They're animal control collars.
I loathe the idea of wearing one. As a matter of fact, I dread it. The mere thought of bumping into members of the administration nearly sends me into panic attacks out of the fear that they'll make me wear one. And here's where we get to the Treason part. You see, Americans are supposed to loathe wearing animal control collars. Americans are supposed to oppose this exact sort of policy in Government Agencies around the World. But no, most of the faculty agrees that they're a good thing because they help identify the students. They help control the students. In short, they aid in violating the students' First Amendment rights - and condition them (and the teachers) to not expect to have any in the future.
We're contributing to the corruption of our Country and expressly violating the purpose of Public Education. The day will come when they tell me to wear it or get fired. I dread that day.
no subject
Because the carpeting dampens the Evil Sense of Forebodingtm from the sound of my boots coming down the hall, it heartens me to learn that some people here have begun to feel a similar sort of dread from the jingling noise that all the crap on my badge-holder makes.
no subject
It seems to me that highschool "government" classes are simply there to mock the students - they have to learn how their government works, what their rights are, and they're supposed to care... but they're damned if they do care, because there's nothing they can do until they turn 18. My personal pet peeve was that I had no say in the district school budget (voted on every year by the public) until after I was done with public-funded school. Literally, the only thing that changed was that I got a year older, which pushed me out of highschool and into college - "Oh, now that you're in college, and no longer even live in the area during the school year, now you can vote on how money is spent for the schools."
I'd say it's also a good sign of how under-funded the schools really are that they need to implement a mandatory ID system so they can know whether or not you're a student. As if a teenager who didn't belong there would try to sneak in.
rereading your entry at Josh's prodding.
They do. With guns, usually, sometimes knives.
While the ID badges make it easier to identify who belongs and who does not, they also make it easier to identify who you're there to assault.
no subject
There are so many kids in schools these day that not all of them are known to the staff ...it will help ID them if something goes wrong. And yes as a matter of fact there are kids out there that will randomly enter a school they belong in and cause trouble, I've seen it.
So a little extra security makes parents feel their kids are safer. Would it make sense if said ID cards also acted as door keys or were usefull in buying lunch? hell yes. But having at least a half hearted attempt at security is better than doing nothing in this day and age.
re: a half-hearted attempt at security
No Thankyou.
no subject
This stance is not dissimilar to that of the neo-Marxists who maintain that public schools exist primarily to reinforce the current social class structure.
I think both of these positions are challengeable on the basis that the schools are not nearly tha well organized - but that does not preclude the results being in concert with those aims even if there is a lack of consciousness involved.
Holy Crap!
I've been very selective of who I've spoken to about this at work - accusing all your coworkers of betraying both their country and their job's stated purpose is not a wise career move, but the few I have spoken to can see what I mean.
Re: Holy Crap!
Once I posted in yours, though...
Yes, selectivity in ears is called for in any number of circumstances. OTOH, finding any to take you seriously enough to even be angry with you would be a feat. Mostly, they will write you off as a fruitcake. (how seasonal of them!)
Anitra is right about citizenship below the age of 18. I commend to folks Susan B. Anthony's speech about voting rights for women: http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/anthony.htm
And, simply put, the only reason the education system of today 'works' (which is to say, has not been forcibally stopped) is that the adolescents have not figured out that mass action by a significant number of them will (would) turn things upside down. It is only when the kids demand it that meaningful education reform will happen.
So, ID badges and lower grades for failure to jump through hoops the right way and whatever other bugbears there are out there are fixtures until and unless somebody awakens the big sleeping dog that is our student body.
Check out Amazing Grace and Chuck, starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Gregory Peck, and Alex English.
Re: Holy Crap!
Re: Amazing Grace and Chuck