“Really?” A recruit named Mark asked. “You’re open all the time, all night?”
“That’s right. Students and faculty are welcome at the school anytime they feel the need or desire to be there,” Tabitha said.
“Aren’t you worried about vandalism or theft?” Mark asked.
“How many of you are planning to go home tomorrow and spray paint the walls of your home, or throw rocks through your windows?” Tabitha asked. “And how many of you are going to stick gum under your living room table, or stuff a roll of toilet paper down the toilet?”
Everyone around the circle shrugged and shifted in their seats.
“Of course you’re not going to do those things,” Tabitha said. “No right-minded person would destroy his or her home. But I’d be willing to bet that if I …show more content…
Public schools do that exact same thing to their students. The kids are told that they have to be in school from 7:30 am – 2:30 pm. If they come late, or leave early, they’re punished. If they don’t come at all, they’re told that truancy police will come arrest them and their parents. In the same breath, they’re told that at 2:30 pm they have to get lost. After 2:30, buildings are locked up tighter than a drum, and students are threatened with arrest for trespassing or loitering if they show up after school or on weekends and vacations. It’s no wonder some kids lash out, they 're facing threats of punishment for both being in school and not being in school. That’s antithetical to our mission at Beacon Academy. If you want to be a part of our community, you are welcome; if you don’t want to be there, don’t come. The mission of the school, and one of the primary tenants of The Movement, is grounded in the concept of free association. Of course, there are strings attached. If you choose to be a part of the community, you are …show more content…
“I finished my student teaching two years ago. For the past two years, I’ve been teaching at an inner city public school that has been labelled by the city and state as a failing school. I, personally, haven’t had much trouble with classroom management. The kids seem to like me, and I like them. But the majority of teachers in my school complains constantly about student behavior and motivation. They divorce themselves from the school’s awful student performance by blaming the students for not wanting to learn. They blame the school’s administration for not enforcing rules or disciplining students effectively, or they just throw the blame on the
“That’s right. Students and faculty are welcome at the school anytime they feel the need or desire to be there,” Tabitha said.
“Aren’t you worried about vandalism or theft?” Mark asked.
“How many of you are planning to go home tomorrow and spray paint the walls of your home, or throw rocks through your windows?” Tabitha asked. “And how many of you are going to stick gum under your living room table, or stuff a roll of toilet paper down the toilet?”
Everyone around the circle shrugged and shifted in their seats.
“Of course you’re not going to do those things,” Tabitha said. “No right-minded person would destroy his or her home. But I’d be willing to bet that if I …show more content…
Public schools do that exact same thing to their students. The kids are told that they have to be in school from 7:30 am – 2:30 pm. If they come late, or leave early, they’re punished. If they don’t come at all, they’re told that truancy police will come arrest them and their parents. In the same breath, they’re told that at 2:30 pm they have to get lost. After 2:30, buildings are locked up tighter than a drum, and students are threatened with arrest for trespassing or loitering if they show up after school or on weekends and vacations. It’s no wonder some kids lash out, they 're facing threats of punishment for both being in school and not being in school. That’s antithetical to our mission at Beacon Academy. If you want to be a part of our community, you are welcome; if you don’t want to be there, don’t come. The mission of the school, and one of the primary tenants of The Movement, is grounded in the concept of free association. Of course, there are strings attached. If you choose to be a part of the community, you are …show more content…
“I finished my student teaching two years ago. For the past two years, I’ve been teaching at an inner city public school that has been labelled by the city and state as a failing school. I, personally, haven’t had much trouble with classroom management. The kids seem to like me, and I like them. But the majority of teachers in my school complains constantly about student behavior and motivation. They divorce themselves from the school’s awful student performance by blaming the students for not wanting to learn. They blame the school’s administration for not enforcing rules or disciplining students effectively, or they just throw the blame on the