Blaming the schools is so cliche (let's try something new)

This blog is a bit out of character... I wasn't going to blog about this, but I've heard enough crap about it over the past week that I just have to get this out.

A little over a week ago, my daughter went to a middle school dance for new 6th graders. Towards the end of the dance, a child was being talked to by a member of the school administration. A crowd of students formed around the "scene". A rumor of a gun spread around the huddled students. Panic ensued. Kids called their parents. Parents called police. State and local police swarmed in on the school. Why? Because one kid was trying to leave and walk home instead of waiting for his parents like he was supposed to.

It was a big fiasco, but it didn't end there. My daughter was one of the few kids who didn't lose her cool and who actually followed the teachers' directions. The other kids went ape, to be blunt. They ran out into the parking lots, and caused all kinds of commotion.

Did I mention this was all based on a rumor?

Anyhow, now many of the parents are upset with or disappointed in or distrustful of the schools. And it's this to which I reply.

I think it's unfair to completely blame the school for what happened, and suggest parents share in the responsibility of this unfortunate event.

The rumor of a gun was started by children and was spread by children, which resulted in a wave of panic among the children. There was no gun, and there was no reason for a group to huddle around the situation that sparked the rumor in the first place. But a group formed, and someone started the rumor, and the rumor spread and grew as rumors do. Not only that, but the kids did not listen to the teachers' instructions, and instead ran into the halls, called their parents, got their parents all worked up, parents called the police, meanwhile the kids ran into the parking lots, and caused a situation to happen that simply wasn't warranted.

I will eat my words if there was another way for the teachers to contain what had happened, but unfortunately I don't believe they could have done anything differently given the amount of control they are allowed over children these days. It was the children (not all, but enough of them) and not the teachers who were out of hand.

How do you prevent this from happening again? It needs to happen at home and be echoed at school.

1. First, teach your children how to mind their own business.
2. Second, teach your children not to spread rumors.
3. Third, teach your children to listen to authority.

And finally, don't allow your child to bring a cell phone to a school function unless they can follow the first three rules.

You can't expect teachers to keep order among the kids when it's the kids (in bulk) themselves who are causing the disorder. This problem needs to be fixed at home and fortified at school, not vice versa. But by blaming the school for what happened, I know you don't feel the same, and that itself is a pity since you're just continuing to contribute to the problem.

Shame on you, parents.