School or Prison?

So this afternoon, Kepler had way too much energy and so we went for a walk. We live by a high school and Jr. High. As we were walking around the Jr. High and looking at the tractors (they were building a baseball field) I noticed that not just the field was fenced. As we got closer to the building part of the school, the whole thing was completely fenced in with barb wire on the top. The thought came to me; "are they trying to keep people out or in?" Then I thought, that is a good question? I can see both arguments in front of me and frankly do not really have an answer to it. But it is definitely something to think about.

I know for me Jr. High pretty much sucked. No way around it. I had to experience it, it is apart of growing up. But with that many hormones going on do we really need to feed the frenzy by caging them? I know its hormone central, but that makes me more uneasy to be caged. Then there is the argument that we need to keep "those who don't belong" out of our schools. Have staff in schools just gotten lazy? I mean my principal in Jr. High knew everyone by first name. No I was never sent to the principle's office, but he made it a priority to at least learn our name. We must have had 600 kids at that school, but he knew when there was a visitor, when someone didn't belong, he was observant. He had an asst. principal and teachers as well to help keep watch and looking back even though I thought it was so uncool for the teacher to know you, it was for my own protection. Now I don't think teachers even care in some area's anymore. And frankly with the lawsuits, and with the majority of the teenagers now have no desire to want to learn, who can blame them. For a teacher anymore, I think it becomes more of a job than a career.

There is definitely more to argue and more to defend, but for now there is a Jr. High fenced complete with barb wire...

Comments

Jessica said…
Welcome to the South, Spring! All of my schools growing up in Louisiana were completely fenced with barbed wire, and gates were kept locked most of the time. How to tell if it's a prison or a school, keeping kids in or people out? Just look at the direction of the barbed wire. It should be facing out to keep strangers off campus.
Emily Ann said…
I hope that for most being a teacher is not just a job, but a career. And honestly I do not think that most going into the field want to only be second-rate teachers, they want to change lives, to instill passion and love, and to make a difference. But doing so is hard, and it takes effort, sometimes it gets kicked out of teachers..... it takes a special type of person to be a teacher, to be able to withstand that challenge, and to remember their purposes to being a teacher

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