Teachers have much on their plates trying to negotiate a classroom
full of personalities, lesson plans and overall politics, so a
disruptive student can really impact the educational environment. This
seemed to be the case for one mother’s son at the Barack Obama
Elementary School in Normandy, Mo.
Apparently, this child was no ordinary class clown; he was so
disruptive, according to school officials, that his mother was ordered
to attend classes alongside her fourth-grader.
Now what kind of Bebe’s kids, Damien-Omen, devil spawn have you
raised when your child cannot attend school without your presence? Can
one child be that off the chain?
My mother was a no-nonsense, single mom who was not having any drama
from her kids at school. Every year she had a special conference with
our new teachers. She would inform them that any disruptive behavior
should be met with swift disciplinary action and that she would then
continue that lesson at home. This is code for not only did the teacher
have permission to whoop our butts but that we could expect another
round when we got home.
I remember one incident where I was hanging with the wrong crowd, or
maybe I had overdosed on some Flintstone’s chewable vitamins, but
something made me temporarily forget who I was dealing with and get in
trouble at school. I remember my Mom had to take off from work and meet
the teacher. I swear the look on her face when she walked into the
classroom was petrifying. I thought about ending it all right there by
yelling “Yo Momma” to the click of classroom bullies and throwing myself
into their angry mitts.
All I can say is that the next morning, when I regained
consciousness, I returned to school, and although my motor skills had
been temporarily diminished, I was able to communicate a heartfelt
apology to my teacher by blinking twice for yes…lol.
But I digress; back to our present-day hooligan.
The boy’s mother, Veronica Williams, tried to comply with the
school’s demand, but after a few weeks she had to stop because she was
afraid she would lose her job. The school officials are playing
hardball; they suspended her son and stood firm that he could not return
without a parent or authorized adult.
Williams says she does not have a problem with her son at home.
“It’s frustrating. It’s stressful. It’s ridiculous,” she said during
an interview with The Inquisitr. “I done it for two weeks. They told me
for the simple fact if an adult don’t come sit with him he cannot come
to school. I was willing to do anything with the school. Whatever type
of help they were trying to give and I’m still trying to do it, but as
far as someone having to sit in school with him is ridiculous. I would
like for my son to be in school.”
There are a couple of things that are wrong with this picture. The
mother says her son does not act out at home, although the old-school
definition of home training is that you act like you have some sense
when you are away from home because you take the same sensibilities with
you.
The other issue is that expecting a working parent to attend school
every day seems a bit unreasonable. If the child is that crazy then
maybe he should be home schooled or placed in a special program.
Again my filters are different. I still have occasional ringing in my
ears from the time my mother came to the school for one day. If they
told her she would have to attend every day because I was out of
control, I think I would have had to go into protective custody…lol.
Is this a case of poor parenting, an over zealous administration or some uncomfortable place in between?