Obviously there is no square dancing in gym class like back in the "olden days". That seemed to keep us in line...LOL

Yes, I remember the times when, as a volunteer, I supervised the lunchroom and lunch recess at my kids' school. There were about 25 kids to each adult. It was hard to SEE and HEAR everything that went on between the kids. I am sure we missed a lot ! More volunteers would have helped. Some kids got away with stuff and others got caught when it was not their fault. Just remember that this article is not about expelling elementary kids and the reasons for the expulsions are not misbehavior on the playground!

One time, when my son was in 2nd or 3rd grade (9 yrs ago) some kid kicked the ball that he was playing with and it went on the school roof. My son pushed the kid down. We got called to school and the principal asked my son if he "intentionally" meant to hurt the little boy. He responded yes (of course, not knowing "any better") and got suspended! I thought this was a little overboard. It seems as though teachers don't want to deal with any of the normal things that kids do anymore. Kick them out of school for a few days, that will teach 'em....not. When I was growing up kids sat in the office all day or in a classroom corner and not allowed to go out for recess. This obviously is nothing compared to the drug situation, I was just responding to the last poster.

There also needs to be better supervision on the school grounds during recess. I won't name what school, but some kids are getting punished even if it is not their fault. If they are being bullied during recess and no one is watching, the adults/teachers who are supposed to be keeping an eye on the kids, usually did not see what happened and both parties involved get disciplined since both kids blame each other. Someone could go to the school grounds and snatch one of these kids without any adult/teacher even seeing it happen. Sad.

I'm all for compromise on many subjects but on this I won't be. Children who repeatedly can't/won't behave like respectable human beings don't belong in a traditional school setting. Keep in mind, I am mostly addressing thug behavior here, not students with significant disabilities. It's time for the adults to take charge: and this is not just a teacher issue. It is a community issue that has far reaching effects on everyone.

How about we blame the parents!! That seems to be the norm or even the teachers for not babysitting well enough!! These kids need to have consequences for their actions and if it means expulsion so be it. They need to learn to take responsiblity for their own mistakes. Then they will learn from them.

Actually, shouldn't it be blamed on GM?

Can we just blame this on the economy and move on?

sannio, I like your comments!

Weeding out the weak ones. No pun intended.

I was suspended once for fighting, but he really, really asked for it, and I really really warned him about it. The Vice Principal said "I really really don't care, you're suspended".