Another Graduation Season is drawing to a close.
Another lot of students is finding out that their achievements, their attendance, their grades, and their test successes don't matter.
Students are being refused their diplomas on a regular basis, for a ridiculous array of reasons.
And people wonder why there are so many dropouts? They wonder why the 'children' can't finish anything?
Let's take a look at the news stories from the last few weeks.
One young lady didn't get to graduate because she put a feather on her tassel.
Another was banned from the ceremony because she could not be at an after school practice -- she was needed at home, some tedious excuse about a younger sister and a working parent.
Others have had their diplomas withheld because parents didn't pay the school fees, because of unreturned books, because there were charged lunches not paid up.
Universities and colleges have for years been withholding degrees because of unpaid tuition.
Then private schools got in on the act. What a great way to punish deserving children for their parents' failures! Why didn't someone think of that before?
Schools have a right to make rules for their ceremonies. The young lady with the feather -- she should abide by the dress code for the ceremony, or be absent from it. Her feather was a symbol or statement of her heritage -- nothing wrong with that, except that it wasn't allowed, and she knew it wasn't allowed. This was not the time and place for such symbolism.
She should have been omitted from the ceremony for her noncompliance. If she somehow insisted on being in the Grand Parade of Graduates, when it came time to call her name, her name could have been skipped. She could get her diploma in the mail next month.
But to not get her diploma at all? After she had met any and all other qualifications for receiving it? What is right about that?
The 'graduate' who didn't come to rehearsal because she had home duties? She, and others like her, should be congratulated and encouraged. Yes, there are others like her. They have jobs, and sometimes other schools to attend, as well as family commitments.
These students are our greatest successes. They are working, they are learning, they are part of a team (family, classmate, work crew, whatever.) They make commitments and they are committed.
So why are they being punished? How hard is it to schedule a rehearsal during regular school hours? Even then, some work program and post secondary students may not be able to attend.
Maybe that's why. If they can't attend because of something done through the school, the school doesn't have the power to refuse/deny. The only way to get away with punitive action is to make it the student's fault.
As for financial matters, why punish the student for the parental failures? Does anyone in Academia really think that a non-paying parent is going to be impacted by the loss of a diploma? Is it going to affect the ability of the parent to attend a good college or get a higher paying job? Or any job at all?
The universities and colleges that have followed -- or perhaps started -- this policy should consider that they are more likely to get paid by someone who gets a JOB with their DEGREE. They are much less likely to be paid by someone who cannot find employment because of their UNFINISHED DEGREE.
Lower classmen who have seen their siblings, cousins, and friends treated in this manner have no respect for the process. It doesn't mean you are a good student. It doesn't mean you learned anything. It doesn't even mean you passed the meaningless tests.
It means that "They" will find some way to prevent you from getting what is yours, so why bother? Why try?
Drop out now before "they" can steal your victory.
Drop out now, before they punish you for having real life outside their walls.
"No Child Left Behind" was the motto for teaching to the test, for a generation or so of grading schools and rating teachers for things other than true education.
What it has evolved into, these days, is "No Child Left Behind" except those who can't pay and who can think.
Is there really anything new about that?
Another lot of students is finding out that their achievements, their attendance, their grades, and their test successes don't matter.
Students are being refused their diplomas on a regular basis, for a ridiculous array of reasons.
And people wonder why there are so many dropouts? They wonder why the 'children' can't finish anything?
Let's take a look at the news stories from the last few weeks.
One young lady didn't get to graduate because she put a feather on her tassel.
Another was banned from the ceremony because she could not be at an after school practice -- she was needed at home, some tedious excuse about a younger sister and a working parent.
Others have had their diplomas withheld because parents didn't pay the school fees, because of unreturned books, because there were charged lunches not paid up.
Universities and colleges have for years been withholding degrees because of unpaid tuition.
Then private schools got in on the act. What a great way to punish deserving children for their parents' failures! Why didn't someone think of that before?
Schools have a right to make rules for their ceremonies. The young lady with the feather -- she should abide by the dress code for the ceremony, or be absent from it. Her feather was a symbol or statement of her heritage -- nothing wrong with that, except that it wasn't allowed, and she knew it wasn't allowed. This was not the time and place for such symbolism.
She should have been omitted from the ceremony for her noncompliance. If she somehow insisted on being in the Grand Parade of Graduates, when it came time to call her name, her name could have been skipped. She could get her diploma in the mail next month.
But to not get her diploma at all? After she had met any and all other qualifications for receiving it? What is right about that?
The 'graduate' who didn't come to rehearsal because she had home duties? She, and others like her, should be congratulated and encouraged. Yes, there are others like her. They have jobs, and sometimes other schools to attend, as well as family commitments.
These students are our greatest successes. They are working, they are learning, they are part of a team (family, classmate, work crew, whatever.) They make commitments and they are committed.
So why are they being punished? How hard is it to schedule a rehearsal during regular school hours? Even then, some work program and post secondary students may not be able to attend.
Maybe that's why. If they can't attend because of something done through the school, the school doesn't have the power to refuse/deny. The only way to get away with punitive action is to make it the student's fault.
As for financial matters, why punish the student for the parental failures? Does anyone in Academia really think that a non-paying parent is going to be impacted by the loss of a diploma? Is it going to affect the ability of the parent to attend a good college or get a higher paying job? Or any job at all?
The universities and colleges that have followed -- or perhaps started -- this policy should consider that they are more likely to get paid by someone who gets a JOB with their DEGREE. They are much less likely to be paid by someone who cannot find employment because of their UNFINISHED DEGREE.
Lower classmen who have seen their siblings, cousins, and friends treated in this manner have no respect for the process. It doesn't mean you are a good student. It doesn't mean you learned anything. It doesn't even mean you passed the meaningless tests.
It means that "They" will find some way to prevent you from getting what is yours, so why bother? Why try?
Drop out now before "they" can steal your victory.
Drop out now, before they punish you for having real life outside their walls.
"No Child Left Behind" was the motto for teaching to the test, for a generation or so of grading schools and rating teachers for things other than true education.
What it has evolved into, these days, is "No Child Left Behind" except those who can't pay and who can think.
Is there really anything new about that?
