School Days 1957 vs 2007
Scenario
: Jack goes quail hunting before school, pulls into school parking lot with shotgun in gun rack.1957 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
2007 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.
Scenario
: Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school.1957 -
Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.2007 -
Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.Scenario
: Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other students.1957 -
Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by the Principal. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.2007 -
Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADD. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.Scenario
: Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.1957 -
Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.2007 -
Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. State psychologist tells Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has affair with psychologist.Scenario
: Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school .1957 -
Mark shares aspirin with Principal out on the smoking dock.2007 -
Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.Scenario
: Pedro fails high school English.1957 -
Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.2007 -
Pedro's cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.Scenario
: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.1957 -
Ants die.2007 -
BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.Scenario
: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.1957 -
In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.2007 -
Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapyThose were the Good Ole Days!
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Kathleen...right on target....I actually did a speech on hunting in school, was allow to bring the high powered rifle into class with ammo. I had an 8 inch buck knife and other stuff now call contraband.
Mark and Johnny also not good in sports. Played, had fun, didn't need to be all equal. we all still survivied!
Great post Kathleen - and the really scary part - I wonder what it will be like in 2057 when this comparrison gets made again....
All I can say is I was born too late!
Kathleen, That is So true! I remember the fights at my high school, everyone knew there was going to be one (on school grounds). And yes, they'd usually walk away as friends :)
Kathleen:
Good one.
I know you you were born in the 70s though.
I do remember I could bring aspirin and a pocketknife to school, but no cigarettes.
Some reversal today
Bicycles without helmets, riding in the back up my grandfathers pickup while he and my grandmother had a beer for the ride,baby oil and iodine as suntan oil for quick color, rare hamburgers, how did we ever survive , we evev played outside, usually un supervised.
Hugh, I've got to disagree with kids in the back of a pickup and beer while driving (unless it was on private property). I have known too many kids to get killed getting bounced out of the back of a pickup. Everything else, yeah. Don't forget dodge ball and tag, and scores in ball games.
Kathleen,
Thanks for the reminders. In 59' I was in first grade and was chewing gum one day. The teacher made me put it on my nose. She said I couldn't chew it unless the rest of the class had some. The next day I got 28 pennies from my mother, stopped at a gum-ball machine at a little store on my walk to school, and low and behold everyone got gum. The teacher let us chew it ! Out of the box thinking in 1959.
I'll save my nun stories for your next post. Those were early sixties.
Those were the good old days, when America knew how to raise children. Before we got "educated".
William - Gun safety training was encouraged - I took it in 6th grade. Even if you weren't going to hunt they wanted you to know how to handle firearms safely, etc. (never point it at people - I remember that rule)
Simon - I probably won't be around to write it - someone else can.
Poor John - oh well, you can just read our stories.
Carole - I was born a little past the "rumbles" but we had school yard fights and if it was a pretty even match, sometimes they let them duke it out.
We also had a boxing ring in a nearby barn that a professional boxer (Scott LeDeau) trained at - he'd let young guys work out and spar. It was a big hit.
Bill - Yah right I was born in the 70's and got married in 1980, hmmmmm.
Mike - Wasn't tuck & roll also a way of hiding cigarettes? I know that is what the upholstery was called in my '56 Chevy - I wan't driving it until the 70's but I thought it was still cool.
Hugh, every now & then I have to get something frozen off my face due to the iodine and baby oil ( Really it was the sun exposure)
Mike - no Red Rover? Now that was a painful game!! Dropsie marbles, hopscotch and rope jumping - maybe those were too girlie for you.
Bob - You do the 60's post - I want to hear your stories.
Nicholas, We had a big "board of education" in the Principal's office in elementary school. I never did get ed-u-ca-tid.
Kathleen - never had tuck and roll, but, since I was a jock I didn't smoke (didn't like tuck & roll either). Played a lot of Red Rover, yep, that could be painful. Those other things, if they didn't include some kind of hard body contact, were a little too girlie.
Kathleen.... What a great post! Sounds like you were in my town in '57! Thanks for changing all the names in the scenarios to protect innocent me! And, by the way, I only got paddled once... 6th Grade, Mrs. Brock, had me bend over her desk because I forgot to bring my "Weekly Reader" in that day. She just wouldn't believe my cocker spaniel ate it!
This is great! I actually got "licks" in elementary school and high school. I deserved it and never repeated my offenses. ;)
Bill - I loved the Weekly Readers - my own little newspaper and in color. We used to have tests on them too. Our Cockers name was Cookie. She would never eat a Weekly Reader.
Trey - Maybe it was really a board of education - looks like you learned.
Kathleen this really sums up where we are as a country. Scary.
I probably did everything wrong (according to todays standards), and I am still here. Personal responsibility used to be the norm, now it is looked upon as wierd.
Kathleen, that was a great post. I remember being in the principle office a few times in the '70's and early 80's and haveing a big wodden paddle w/holes in it being slammed on the desk to scare us. It worked. Some kids even got spankings from the principle if they were really bad. We couldn't wear hats in class or chew gum etc. We all turned out fine and took personal responsability. I have friends who are teachers in high school now.......you wouldn't believe the stories coming out of there now!
Kevin- People want to not be held accountable and they want to be taken care of by the Gov or something.
People used to dig in when things got tough and now they walk away.
Patrick - I was a school teacher before becoming a home stager. The students certainly had the upper hand and as teachers, our hands were tied.
It is a very sad turn of events when we look at our country today to see the state that it is in. I worry about my grandson entering school because of all the nonsense allowed in it. When we went to school we were not allowed to wear pants and today kids go to school with their PJ's on, what is going on?
My son has become a teacher and our prayers are with him, as he enters the battlefield.
Phylis Pafumi
It is a battle field and especially for children that are being taught that they evolved from nothing and there- for have no worth.
Kathleen, I'm soooooooooo glad I grew up in the good old days. I wouldnt want to be a kid today. BTW, where's my horsie picture? :-)
The horsie pics will be taken this week - the grass is finally green in MN - their winter hair is shed out and they are now shiny. Too bad we just missed each other in FL. The Paso riding was fabulous and I took my mount out at full speed in Largo gait. What a hoot!! We rode in the old lime mines - up and then sliding straight down.