-=> Quoting Damon A. Getsman to All on 05-05-16  07:02 <=-   
      
   Continuing.... :)   
      
    DAG> Yesterday, though, when I got back from work, I heard a pretty   
    DAG> disturbing tale of my son being accused of 'sexually harassing' some   
    DAG> of the girls in his class.  Now this little bit is really taking the   
    DAG> cake, because I'm 95% sure that my son has problems talking to girls   
    DAG> about most things, and he's hyper aware of his actions when he's around   
    DAG> them.  It turns out that him and some of his friends were discussing   
    DAG> male genitalia and semen for some reason, and it sounds like that was   
    DAG> the primary cause that they got in trouble.    
      
   Hmmm... and perhaps the boys didn't even realize that the girls were   
   overhearing their discussion... or that others might also be in   
   earshot...    
      
    DAG> Now while I can understand that perhaps the topic wasn't appropriate   
    DAG> for a school environment (though I personally don't believe that   
    DAG> myself-- it's a school, kids are learning, and kids will talk), I   
    DAG> don't think that telling a kid that it's a legal offense that could   
    DAG> get them thrown into juvenile hall is the best way to deal with   
    DAG> something like that.    
      
   No... agreed with you there...  Telling a kid instead that one should be   
   careful what one says in public areas would be more useful and better   
   training for adult life....     
      
    DAG> It got even worse when I checked my   
    DAG> voicemail last night and ended up finding out that one of the other   
    DAG> parents had been around when it actually happened, and _she_ was   
    DAG> calling me because she saw the instructor/supervisor there deal with   
    DAG> things in an inappropriate manner, not the kids.   
      
   Worse situation, to be sure.... better for your son, though... at least   
   from your side of things...    
      
    DAG> Now this isn't the first time that I've had to deal with crap from   
    DAG> this school.  I think that the truth of the matter here is that there   
    DAG> are true aspects all around, and improper dealings with things all   
    DAG> around, as well.  The difference being, of course, that the adults in   
    DAG> the situation that are dealing with things inappropriately are serving   
    DAG> as role models, and need to learn to keep their emotions under control   
    DAG> when dealing with children that are supposed to be looking up to them.    
      
   Absolutely.  Perhaps another reason to be looking for a better living   
   situation, so that a different school might be a possibility...?     
      
    DAG> I think that my son has fallen in with some bad apples, and at the same   
    DAG> time he's going through such a rough and stressful few years that he's   
    DAG> almost certainly acting out some on his own.  I've certainly seen bits   
    DAG> of it here, as our domestic situation has failed to improve in any way.   
    DAG> Unfortunately work only makes dealing with this crap harder. So now   
    DAG> I have the decision about how far involved I'm going to get with all of   
    DAG> this again.  Even if my son _is_ guilty of all of this stuff, I don't   
    DAG> think that it was handled appropriately.  I've had to go and head off a   
    DAG> bunch of this junk before, last year, when the lunch staff was   
    DAG> harassing him in front of a bunch of other kids because of a paperwork   
    DAG> error that had his free lunches tallying up money due incorrectly.    
      
   There's a certain amount of going to bat for the kid that a parent just   
   has to do... not so much to shield him from legitimate consequences, but   
   more to protect him from uncalled-for harassments and unjustified   
   punishments...    
      
    DAG> Ugh.  I really just don't want to have to deal with this crap, but   
    DAG> alas, I cannot let my little man deal with all of this without   
    DAG> properly finding out what's going on here.   
      
   You sound to me to be a concerned and caring parent...  Normally, I'll   
   add, this sort of thing is a mother's job... dealing with the schools,   
   protecting while not pampering the child, sorting out the messes... Once   
   in a great while, you'll find both parents working together doing it (I   
   was fortunate that Richard was willing and able to help when needed,   
   dealing with school things and our kid)...  and sometimes, a single dad   
   has to do it all... you have my respect and support there...  :)   
      
    DAG> Gah.  I've got more that I was   
    DAG> going to write but I'm frustrated enough already from having to think   
    DAG> about this so much for now.  I'll probably be writing more on this as   
    DAG> it develops.  There's actually some other issues that I need to write   
    DAG> about, too.  Not this early in the morning, though.  ;)   
      
   Hopefully things are sorting out some now...  But do feel free to keep   
   writing about it, and to keep us up on the developments...  Maybe some   
   of the dads will jump in with some help, too... I know there are a   
   number of y'all lurking.... ;)   
      
   ttyl          neb   
      
   ... Everyone is ignorant. It just depends on the subject.   
      
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