Preschool Expulsion

So, I was reading this article on MSNBC today. It is about how the expulsion rate of pre-schools is drastically higher than that of "regular" schools. It is about the most over-indulgent article I have read in a long time. The point of the article is that pre-schools are just willy nilly expelling this poorly behaved children from their voluntary institutions for innocent things like biting, kicking, destroying computer equipment, carrying marijuana to class. Oh yeah. Heaven forbid that we discourage toddlers from bringing sacks of weed to the playground. And biting and kicking, well that is just these little darlings getting to know each other, right?

I am single. I don't have kid, nor do I exactly want one in the foreseeable future. But really, is it such a shocker that owners of pre-schools don't want to have to constantly discipline these terrors, often at the expense of their other well-behaved paying students? If I had a child that was constantly getting kicked, bitten or otherwise hurt by some other child at a place I was paying to send my child, I would be HELLA pissed and want them expelled, too.

I know that sometimes kids are just bad. And that really sucks. It is sad. But oh well. Either your child is going to have to obey the rules like don't stab fellow students or you will have to find some other child care option. I know that sometimes nothing can be done to make the child behave, but should the preschool and the other children and teachers suffer for this? I don't think so.

As pointed out by the Phantom Professor and USAToday, we as a society are so intent on making sure that every child be constantly praised and accepted that we are actually crippling our children. Scores and grades should be earned. If someone is working harder and doing better, they deserve praise. But to give away grades, trophies, or whatever just for participating, it lessens the actual accomplishment by the real winners. And the same with expelling kids from day cares. So what?!?! It is a PRIVATE facility. You pay for your child to go there, as does every other parent. So why should one child be allowed to misbehave without consequence. If all other venues have been explored (time outs, redirecting, death glares) and exhausted, then maybe the child needs alternate care. What about the good kids? Don't they deserve to come to a peaceful school each day? Don't they deserve to play without being bitten? Shouldn't they have working equipment?

Whoever the controlling forces behind articles such as the MSNBC one are, they really need to get real. Public schools often CANNOT expel the students that so badly need to be expelled. So of course the private facility will have a higher expulsion rate. And if children aren't being taught at an early age what is and what is not acceptable behavior, when will they receive such teachings? If good behavior is established earlier in life, it will make life easier for everyone in the long run, including that of the terror in question.

Why are we as a society so afraid to say no, that is not acceptable? Remember when we were kids? I remember corporal punishment. I remember detention. I remember actually working for grades. What has happened to the world? I think we grew up to be pretty good people. Why are we now forgetting what kind of structure made us such people? Maybe some kids DO need to be left behind.

Is it better to be a dumb person and have things given to you, while not realizing what an idiot you are, or is it better to be smart and pissed of that the idiots are getting it so easy?