Fed up with push away from common sense

Like many boys, I got into trouble at school now and then; clowning around, not following the rules … the usual silly stuff. But it was serious when it involved getting into a scuffle. This was a guaranteed trip to the principal’s office. It meant asking one child what happened, asking the other, maybe talking to other kids who had seen it. Basically, an investigation.

After, punishment would be meted out according to who instigated the fight, who didn’t handle the problem as well as they could have, etc. The first and last time I ever got into trouble for fighting was eighth grade. I remember it well because after getting all the facts, Mr. Canton booted me from school for three days (the other boy was out the rest of the year). As we waited for my mother to come pick me up, Mr. Canton made sure I understood why I was getting punished; even though the other boy had been pushing for a fight, I didn’t have to give him one. I took the lesson to heart and learned a lot from it.

Flash forward to today. Schools love their new “zero tolerance” policies. I have been pleased to see that some school administrators will still take the time to find out what happened and discipline accordingly, because far too many are falling back on this silly “zero tolerance” rule. Why? Because it’s easier. No investigation, no effort, no work. You simply grab the two youths involved in the fight and kick ‘em out. Done.

That poses the question: what exactly does that accomplish? Here’s a little tip for some schools — bullies don’t care. If a bully thumps a kid around and gets kicked out of school for it, getting the victim kicked out too is just an added bonus. Additionally, I think it’s kind of sick that a young boy or girl can get kicked out of school for committing the vile crime of defending themselves. I guess the lesson is if attacked, curl up in a ball on the floor until the beating is over. Otherwise, you may be suspended. But it saves the school from having to take the time to find out what really happened. Got into a fight? Bang! You’re both suspended! Zero tolerance. My work here is done.

Along the same lines we have the “no guns” rule. Sounds logical enough until you see how it’s implemented;

• A boy is kicked out of school for celebrating Veteran’s Day by gluing little toy Army men onto his hat. Because some of the little soldier men are depicted holding a rifle — GASP! — boot the boy out of school!

• A little girl faces disciplinary measures after bringing a “Hello Kitty” bubble gun to school. Plastic, pink and looks more like a salad shooter than a firearm.

• Boy gets sent home after making his fingers into the shape of a gun while playing at recess.

• Boy is forced by a teacher to turn his Marines shirt inside-out at school because it depicts two crossed rifles on it.

• Lastly, my own personal example. When he was in first grade I received a call to go pick Austin up from school. He had forgotten a toy laser pistol from one of his Star Wars action figures in his pocket (about 1 inch long, teeny tiny little thing). The horribly offensive, miniscule Han Solo accessory was confiscated (thank goodness!) and I was brought into the principal’s office to seriously discuss this horrendous crime against humanity. I literally starting laughing when I realized he wasn’t joking.

So what really is my issue here? Am I griping about zero tolerance regarding fighting? The over-the-top anti-gun policy? Well, both. To be specific, I’m fed up with this big push to replace common sense and logic with rules, regulation and legislation. It seems that as a society, we’ve somehow got it into our heads that humans can no longer be trusted to think, be sensible, be logical and be fair. We’ve decided to take the hardship of thinking and decision making out of the equation and replace everything with a line in a book somewhere that says, “if this, then that …”

Who out there really thinks that is possible? Who are these people that think that can work? Because quite clearly, the results of such thinking are in and they are stupid. Just another contribution to the dumbing-down of America. No more problem-solving. No more critical thinking. Just a knee-jerk, standard, across-the-board reaction to every issue. Great, just what the country needs is more of that.

To my friends who work in various capacities within our schools, I understand your frustration. Many of you are at least as frustrated as I am over this issue. But your hands are tied because you have no choice but to follow policy. I can only pray that eventually common sense and reason will burn through the fog of ridiculous, endless, standardized responses currently seen in many schools across the country.

Ben Compton is a Palmer resident and publishes his column as “Compton’s Corner,” the same title used by his grandmother, Phyllis Compton, a longtime Frontiersman columnist.