* * * * *
                                        
                              Educational Meltdown
                                        
> My eyes have seen the glory 
>  of the burning of the school. 
>  We have tortured every teacher, 
>  we have broken every rule; 
>  we plan to hang the principal 
>  this very afternoon. 
> 
> The school is burning on. 
> 

A popular tune in school when I was a student, that now would get me arrested
if sung today at school. 

I didn't care for school as a kid (nor of college, but that's another story).
I knew that the U.S. educational system is bad (when plumbing [1] is more
prestigious than teaching, that's bad) but I had no idea that it is currently
in meltdown mode. 

Let's see, there's a 13 year old facing up to eight years for shooting a
spitwad [2] (link via Flutterby [3]). And there's the boy suspended for
writing an essay he was assigned [4] (link via Flutterby [5]). Then there's
the girl who was suspended for drawing a picture of a teacher with arrows
through his head [6] (link via Flutterby [7], and I shudder to think what
would have happened to Hoade with some of the pictures he's drawn). 

And least you think I'm cribbing all my links on this subject from Flutterby
[8] here are a few from Disenchanted [9]: one about underwear inspections
going too far [10] (yes I'm serious—underwear inspections at a public high
school) and graduates who can't attend graduation unless they're planning on
attending college [11] (or entering the millitary, or continuing on to a
trade school). 

Inbloodysane. 

[1] gopher://gopher.conman.org/0Phlog:2001/02/24.10
[2] http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/05/14/MN229630.DTL
[3] http://www.flutterby.com/archives/viewentry.cgi?id=5000
[4] http://www.theage.com.au/breaking/2002/05/13/FFXXOPD851D.html
[5] http://www.flutterby.com/archives/viewentry.cgi?id=4995
[6] http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/05/02/doodle.death.threat.ap/index.html
[7] http://www.flutterby.com/archives/viewentry.cgi?id=4943
[8] http://www.flutterby.com/
[9] http://www.disenchanted.com/dis/humanity/pantyline.html
[10] http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/3220906.htm
[11] http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-000032387may07.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dcalifornia

Email Sean Conner at sean@conman.org

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