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Monday, December 5, 2005
Punishment: Play Video Games at Home
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Out-of-school suspension is a curious thing. A kid acts up, does one Really Bad Thing or a series of pretty bad things, and is sent home for up to 10 days. (More than that and the student is entitled to a due process hearing under Georgia law.)
Is this really punishment? DeKalb County Superintendent Crawford Lewis says no: “When we suspend a child, we’re playing right into his hands,” he once told a group of reporters.
I thought about this Sunday when I read my colleague Heather Vogell’s fascinating story about New Orleans evacuee Shane Spencer. He says he was suspended from Mays High School for three days because he arrived late to math class. Atlanta officials say there was another reason, but they wouldn’t specify. Still, Shane spent three days at home, even though he was already behind in his classes from the Katrina chaos.
For teachers and students subjected to constant interruption from class cut-ups, out-of-school suspension must be appealing.
But is out-of-school suspension a worthwhile punishment? When should it be used? Should students be allowed to make up the work they miss? Should teachers be required to provide them with lecture notes etc.?
Another curious tidbit from Heather’s story: A diorama as a high school literature project?
