No-Zero Grading Policy Trend

I absolutely disagree with a no-zero grading policy for students!!!!!!!!

I imagine that the people who support this ridiculous policy also support the idea that every kid on a sports team deserves a trophy - NO THEY DON'T!

We're supposed to teach our children/students how to be successful upon completion of their secondary education, but we can't teach them that if we are constantly lowering our standards.

I believe that if a student does not meet the deadline, that student has demonstrated disregard for the deadline, therefore that student needs to understand that their are consequences for not getting work turned in on time.

What do we think will happen when that student becomes an employee somewhere and they don't meet deadlines set by their employer?  Employers speak in the language of money, if they miss out on making money because an employee missed a deadline, that employee has lost their job. 

This is what a no-zero grading policy will create, a culture of students who become employees, who feel that the rules don't apply to them.

Students who feel that the rules don't apply to them can easily become criminals who feel that the rules don't apply to them.  Is this what we want?! NO!!!!!

This may be what the prisons and jails want, but as an educator, this is not what I want to teach or be taught to my students.

We must teach our youth to be on time, to read everything, to ask questions, to meet deadlines, and to accept the consequences of their actions with dignity and understanding.

The no-zero grading policy will teach them the opposite.

Why Discriminate Against African-American Hairstyles?

The other day I was casually scrolling through Facebook when I saw an article about a high school, in the state of Kentucky, that discriminated against hair styles that are predominantly worn by African-American students.  Sigh......here we go with this issue again.

The Traditional school, as it is called in the school's title, explicitly stated that no "cornrolls", dreadlocks, large afros or braids would be allowed........apparently those types of hairstyles caused a distraction from learning.

Really? A distraction?  Who's distracted? Have complaints been made about a student's hairstyle?

I was really disappointed after reading the article.  What that school policy said to me was that any hairstyle worn by an African American is unacceptable, causes distractions and is not welcome in that Kentucky school. 

Isn't that sad?  Of all the so called "distractions" that take place on school campuses, on a daily basis, a person's hair is a major distraction.  That Kentucky school board is full of it and the board members who voted on this new school policy should be removed from their positions.  What are student's hairstyles distracting anyone from?  All the mandatory testing that goes on in our public schools? 

There are so many issues going on within our public schools such as:

• Students who can't read are being passed to the next grade and are often allowed to graduate.  
• Teachers salaries are being determined based off of the test scores of their students.
• Students aren't allowed to eat because they owe the school money or because they lost a textbook.
• Bullying 
• Inappropriate student/teacher relationships

Instead of trying to control how students look, try worrying about why he/she is getting ready to graduate when they can't even read.  Worry about why certain students don't have access to the internet, in order to complete homework assignments, when they leave school for the day.

There are so many other distractions that go on within our public schools, why are you focusing on hair?