I had a mixed bag of experiences with my school administrators over the years: principals, deans, and counselors, not much of it good. It tainted my views on school administrators and bureaucrats, which explains my utter disdain for many of the stupid decisions they make these days.
Many of them never took students seriously or listened to what we told them. If you were in their offices, it’s because you were in trouble. Even if you went voluntarily.
Guilty before you even sat down. Forget extenuating circumstances, you were In Trouble, regardless of what you did.
Whenever I was in trouble — which I admit was a lot — if I tried to explain myself, the principal/dean/assistant dean in question refused to listen, and punished me instead
Yes, sometimes I caused mischief, and I did deserve the punishment I got those times.
But I was frequently targeted by our local bullies, and if I tried to defend myself, I’d get into trouble for fighting.
To be clear, I didn’t know how to fight, so I never actually fought back. But by virtue of getting my ass kicked, I was engaged in the fight, so we both got in trouble.
The bully didn’t care because it boosted his reputation. But I got punished because I tried to keep him from hitting me.
When I questioned the fairness of this, the administrators stuck their heads where the sun didn’t shine. One of them even said, "Well, it takes two to tango."
At least that’s what I think he said; his voice was pretty muffled.
In other words, I got the same punishment as the guy who beat me up for kicks. They punished the victim and the perpetrator equally. Like going to jail because someone stole your car.
Sorry, kid, maybe if you hadn’t hit his fists with your stomach.
No wonder I don’t respect school administrators.
My opinions were reconfirmed last week, after Oxford Hills High School in Maine suspended 19 students for standing up to a bully.
According to a story on WGME, Portland, Maine’s CBS affiliate, the Oxford Hills 19 were standing up for another student with autism, and spoke to the bully without resorting to violence. They circled around while another student called him or her out, but they didn’t beat the kid up, and they didn’t make threats.
"They kept their hands off; they used their words," said Veronika McKenny, whose son attends Oxford Hills, but was not one of the Oxford Hills 19.
Principal Paul Bickford said in a letter to parents, "This action created an intimidating and threatening environment," but that the bullying incident was "nothing but a rumor."
Not to be outdone, Heather Manchester, Oxford Hills superintendent, sent her own letter to say the Oxford Hills 19 were suspended for coming together as "a disruptive and potentially dangerous group." She also said the incident of bullying was a rumor.
According to WGME, school officials investigated whether the bully "kicked at another student with autism who was showing a snowball to his friends," but they didn't find any evidence of actual bullying.
Bickford contradicted Manchester’s letter and said, "There was no intended violence, bullying, or actual physical harm involving the bus line interaction." In other words, it wasn’t actually bullying; it only looked like bullying.
Except if you believe there was no intended violence or actual physical harm by the bully, then why don’t you believe the same about the Oxford Hills 19? They didn’t intend violence, they didn’t bully, and they didn’t actually harm the kid, did they?
If anything, they were doing what school administrators were impotent to do: Stop a kid Veronika McKinney called "a bully who has been known to injure people who cannot defend themselves."
This reminds me of an old joke where a kid had gotten into a rock fight with other kids. His mother said, "If those kids were throwing rocks at you, then you should have told me."
"What good would that do?" the kid said. "You couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn."
School officials said the students should have reported the alleged incident at the school, rather than taking matters into their own hands.
You mean the incident you dismissed as a rumor with "no intended violence, bullying, or actual physical harm." You were clearly incapable of dealing with it, so the students did what you couldn’t.
In other words, what good would that do? You couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn.
The administrators also said they would try to build more trust with the students as a way to prevent a similar situation from happening again.
School administrators have been saying this since I was in school in the '70s and '80s (and way before), and nothing has changed in all that time. You’re as effective as a politician after a mass shooting. At least they offer thoughts and prayers.
I hope the "alleged bully" was also suspended, for being part of a "disruptive and potentially dangerous group."
After all, it takes 20 to tango.
My new humor novel, Mackinac Island Nation, is finished and available from 4 Horsemen Publications. You can get the ebook and print versions here.