Comments about ‘Letter: Fixing tardiness’

I don't like the speed limit on some streets in Salt Lake, will you defend my speeding up and down the street in protest of the law that I feel is wrong?

I don't think that the banks are fair by not allowing me to withdraw money from other people's accounts. Are you ok if I just go and rob a bank?

Yes those are extreme examples, but that is what you are asking for. You want to absolve the students from the consequences of their actions. What does that teach the kids about the importance of rules for society?

It is an additional way to get money out of the kids parents. The kids don't have the money. It amounts to an additional tax on the parents. One would say: "Make sure your kids get to school on time." Common sense makes you remember that teenagers often don't always do everything they are supposed to, its the nature of their age.
Stop this silly rule, its amounts to an unfair fee brought upon by children payable by parents.

First of all, Valentine Gorlinski, is going into health care or law or business right now.

Nearly 50 percent of all teachers leave the profession within the first 4 years. Pay wasn't even the #1 reason. But the lack of control, large class sizes, the ridiculous standards and ineffective that NCLB has put on them, the red tape, etc.

If you were to attend Valentine's classroom today, she wouldn't be doing any experiments. She would be preparing you for some standardized test forced on her either by the Federal Government (for her district and state to receive federal dollars) or a state test so that she won't be fired.

Repubs have crippled our nation in their attempts to base all judgments on "standardized tests." The result has been boring classes, students not learning about the subject, but how to test, and teachers wanting to leave the profession. Utah is still considering "Merit Pay" based on tests. Hence, why teachers are obviously going to focus on testing rather than actual learning.

What repubs have done to public education has been disastrous.

This letter represents left wing excusim at its worst. As RedShirt said, this is nothing more than an attempt to blame unacceptable, improper behavior on someone else.

Maverick is completely wrong. It is left wing ideas that are ruining the schools. The left preaches that no student should have to feel bad, so no student should be criticized or punished for bad behavior. As a result, the schools are full of undisciplined hooligans like those who walked out of class.

Students have a duty to attend school and be on time. If they refuse, they must be swiftly and severely punished. We cannot have schools become training grounds for lawlessness and anarchy.

Did you notice in the story how much tardies have dropped since the school implemented this policy? Have you been in a classroom recently? It is a different world than when you (or I) was in school. Teachers are not respected and parents do not support them in many cases. So kids come into the classroom when they finish with the more important business with friends in the halls. Doesn't matter if you are already in the middle of a lesson plan. Doesn't matter if you disrupt those who made an effort to be on time and be prepared. This policy got the attention of the kids and it is working. And guess what- the kids have a choice! They can be on time! By being on time, there are no fines. This policy teaches the kids and also maybe the parents that actions have consequences. Another important lesson is that once you choose the actions- you don't get to choose the consequences. Hey guess what else is like that? LIFE! So all those kids that walk out should figure out a way to be on time- that way they can avoid paying a fine. Simple solution!

I question the legality of imposing financial fines on students.

Fines are OK; parents can take them out of their childrens' allowances, or take away a privilege until children act responsibly.

How about expulsions? Expel students for good after a certain number of tardies and for third time truancies. Education is paid for by taxpayers; it should not be an option for students at public schools to show up late, or not at all, or to make little effort in these 100% taxpayer funded schools.

Lock the doors after the bell rings so that no one can enter the classroom. Let the tardy students visit with the principal or be marked down as "absent" (sluffing).

There are reasons why students are late and the principals who can evaluate whether the excuse is reasonable or not.

Teachers don't have to put up with disruptions. Let the principal handle unruly behavior. Suspend kids if they don't take school seriously. There's no reason to put up with nonsense in the classroom or in the school. Kids have the OPPORTUNITY to become educated. It is a privilege and it must be treated as a privilege.

Failing to enforce rules teaches kids that rules mean nothing. When a principal abdicates his/her responsibility to teach kids to respect teachers, the principal has failed. When a teacher allows improper behavior to continue, the teacher is teaching the kids to behave improperly.

Those kids are in for a very rude awakening when they graduate and then get fired because they think rules only apply to others.

In today's age where parents and kids don't care about education, we should allow kids to drop out of school at age 16. Let those kids who want to learn and who have parents who value education keep their kids in school at that point.

Yes this will further the divide between the "haves" and the "have nots", but the "have nots" will only have themselves to blame.

Also, yes I realize that this is callous and uncaring, but as one of parents who would ensure that their kids finished Highschool, I can honestly say that I will do everything I can to make it possible for my kids to have the same or better career opportunities than what I have enjoyed.

These students have an alternative to paying an "unfair" fine--sitting their butts down in detention. Doesn't cost anything.

RedShirt - How are kids to care about education when they live in one of the lowest per-student public education funding.

Also when I was their age, I was Late and would sometimes ditch and head out to the beach with my friends. Most of our teachers enabled us at times by marking us on time.

The problem we face are schools creating this "zero-tolerance" everything. I know that if schools and teachers cared about getting involved in the students interests and making education worth it, they wouldn't be having this problem. But we still have a public education program from over 100 years ago, trying to teach kids who have more technical knowledge than most adults.