accountability

Curmudgeon has a lovely article about personal responsibility today which ties to the vent I have been having with myself since about noon today.

I went to write up a senior for behavior which has been inappropriate according to the school rules since said senior was a freshman. Kid knows better - and I know this because I was kid's teacher that year as well. But I can't write up the behavior for discipline until I talk with the parents, so they can talk with the kid and get the behavior to change.

Excuse me?

1) The student knows the behavior is such that punishment is the appropriate response but chose to do it anyway.
2) None of the phone numbers in the system work.
3) The rules haven't changed in three years - nor has the student's behavior.

So, kid keeps acting out and administration can self righteously say that they cannot do anything because I have done MY part and talked with the parents.

So, it is more appropriate that next year (God willing) when the kid has graduated and is employed and does the same bone=headed inappropriate things and loses his job?

I was told today by a student (he should be a senior, I think he is a sophomore) that I am unprofessional (he had a booboo and wanted to see the nurse - I wanted him to finish a test) and that I did not do a good job teaching the subject to him because he could not do the ARITHMETIC on the test today.

He has done little work, none of it right for the past 2 weeks.

He told me earlier: "you asked for work. You didn't say it had to be correct."

I see failure in his future. I see failure in a lot of futures.