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| Back row middle left - Kindergarten graduation, what a relief! |
© 2015 Michael Swickard, Ph.D. This last week has been the start of
another public school year. I remember well my very first day in public school.
Quickly I was put in the corner for misbehavior. I thought I was sent to school
because they needed help running the joint. Not so.
They were alarmed that I said,
"Hey!" often to get their attention. "Wait your turn,
Michael," I was told. Within minutes I found that liquid doesn't flow up a
rope. The people at school didn't want help. Shuckins. The Ayatollah
Kindergarten decided drastic measures were needed. She called my parents.
They were relaxing at home and were
chagrined that they needed to come discipline me. I was glad to see them. I
explained that the place needed help running and that was what I was doing. I
noticed my parents were trying not to smile. They tried "The Kindergarten
knows better than you" but I wasn't having it.
Weekends were better since I didn't
have to deal with short-tempered school teachers. The worse part of it was I
was in an experiment where kids had to go to Kindergarten two years. It was a two
tough years of me putting up with those Michael-aversive people.
They thought the purpose of kindergarten
was to give them a job and to reign in boisterous boys. Every morning of those two
years my teachers took their bossy pills and thought I should do what they
commanded. I thought them wrong and we fought to a draw.
Then there were those public school years
afterwards. Along the way school leaders decided my brains were in the seat of
my pants and to get my attention they should give me swats. I do have to say I
never got an educational swat after high school.
It seems to me that the public
schools spent untold hours swatting me and it had no real effect upon me ever.
I always vowed to make no sign that they had hit me. So I refused to be intimidated
by the swat paddle which upset the sadistic teachers.
Mostly what they were able to do was
cause me to view school as a gang of thugs beating up small children. While the
swats have stopped in today's public schools, the thuggish behavior continues
with teachers being intentional mean to small children. It is considered rigor
but we know what evil lurks in some hearts.
I did get swatted the last week of
public school a few days before graduation. Two friends and I were making noise
in the hallway as we left the school. A teacher came out of her room to quiet
us. We blew raspberries and the assistant principal grabbed us. He said,
"Three swats or you do not walk at graduation."
I got four swats instead of three because
I said rudely to the poor man, "Knock yourself out Clyde, I don't care
what you do because in a couple days I'm outta here." Then I laughed at
him again but he had administered ten swats and was sweating profusely. He was
all stroked out and had to sit down. We laughed.
We made lots of racket leaving the
school and everyone ignored me. Fast forward eight years and I was teaching at
Albuquerque High School when some graduating seniors were making lots of noise
in the hallway. I stepped out and said, "Hey, glad you are still around. I
enjoyed all of you this year. Wherever you go I will always be your
friend."
One of the noisy kids started to
smart off to me but several others hushed him and the group walked over and
shook my hand and just said, "Thanks." And I have seen some of those
kids over the years. We always smile when we see each other. I never believed
in being a jerk to the students. Even if it got me fired I would never swat a
student. Not ever.
Too many adults in the public
schools carry big sticks and speak with loud voices. They judge and push the
students while students count the hours until they leave school forever. We
adults could do better if we were better human beings.
Email: drswickard@comcast.net
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