On the heels of the recent announcement that the zero tolerance policy for students would not change, Fairfax County Public Schools announced today that it will also no longer tolerate annoying helicopter parents who harbor false illusions of their children's grandeur, maintain completely illogical conceptions of their children's intelligence, and try to foist impractical, self-serving suggestions about how teachers could "improve" their performance.

"While the vast majority of parents are well-meaning, caring people," said a county spokesperson speaking in the condition of anonymity "It cannot be denied that some of these lunatics will stop at nothing to try to advance their own children at the expense of any and everyone else- adults and other children included."
When pressed for more information regarding the parental "lunatics", the spokesperson said , "Oh you know, the kind of assholes who know damn well their kid is just a slacker, but insist they have a disability instead ,so they can get a 504 or an IEP that lightens the workload on the little cretin in whom they have failed to instill any kind of a work ethic. You know, that way they can advance their own progeny without caring how it reflects on hard working children with actual disabilities. Or, the disendfranchised house wife who does all of her kids' homework for them, then insist she didn't. Or the frustrated ex-jock dad who threatens a fucking law suit because his little Babe Ruth got cut from the jv baseball team. Or the parents of the deviant, misanthropic little chemist who supplies the neighborhood with meth who looks shocked when their kid gets caught with drugs and believe the ridiculous story the kid cooks up. Should I go on?"

"I think it's turrible, " said Jezebel Haywood-Sanchez, mother of twice-suspended Aaron Sanchez, a sophomore at Centreville High School who sports a .28 gpa. ' "Hain't nobody done teached Aaron nuthin! Now i cain't go complain and expect to get 'zactly what i want? How's Aaron sposed to get by? Actually work?"

In response to the move by the County, local neighborhoods plan to have a plethora of whining and bitching sessions.

Priceless.

--------------------------------------------------------------
13 4826 0948 82695 25847. Yes.

Awesome!

My kids are finally out of high school but I really wish I'd had this to
refer to in many cases along the way. Seer, you have it down pat. Thanks
for posting.:)

Suits me fine. Just don't be asking me to be helping out on all of those PTA functions, athletic and arts booster functions, chaperone field trips and participate in all of those in class programs; Do not be sending home a list of school supplies at the beginning of the year that you want me to purchase not for my own child's use but for use by the entire class, and don't be hitting me up for more in the following spring because I was one of the handful of parents who actually bought the stuff in the fall; Do not be asking that my kid particpate in those periodic fundraisers; Do not be sending me fliers and emails telling me to register their school with my grocery store or to eat at a certain restaurant on a certain night; and Do away with that stupid requirement that my kid participate in mandatory community service. Schools love to have parental involvement when it allows them to do things without using their own resources. Yet some schools think its perfectly fine to tell those same involved parents to "butt out" when the parents want to know what the school is doing with or for their child, or how it is using those resources the parents are raising. SORRY FOLKS, YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS. If you don't want involved parents, don't ask parents to get involved.

So far we've been lucky. Most of the administrators at my kids' schools over the years have been reasonable, as have most of the involved parents.

Nice joke though The Seer.

Bill N Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Suits me fine. Just don't be asking me to be
> helping out on all of those PTA functions,
> athletic and arts booster functions, chaperone
> field trips and participate in all of those in
> class programs; Do not be sending home a list of
> school supplies at the beginning of the year that
> you want me to purchase not for my own child's use
> but for use by the entire class, and don't be
> hitting me up for more in the following spring
> because I was one of the handful of parents who
> actually bought the stuff in the fall; Do not be
> asking that my kid particpate in those periodic
> fundraisers; Do not be sending me fliers and
> emails telling me to register their school with my
> grocery store or to eat at a certain restaurant on
> a certain night; and Do away with that stupid
> requirement that my kid participate in mandatory
> community service. Schools love to have parental
> involvement when it allows them to do things
> without using their own resources. Yet some
> schools think its perfectly fine to tell those
> same involved parents to "butt out" when the
> parents want to know what the school is doing with
> or for their child, or how it is using those
> resources the parents are raising. SORRY FOLKS,
> YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS. If you don't want
> involved parents, don't ask parents to get
> involved.
>
> So far we've been lucky. Most of the
> administrators at my kids' schools over the years
> have been reasonable, as have most of the involved
> parents.
>
> Nice joke though The Seer.


You obviously have never had to work in a Fairfax County Public other than in a volunteer capacity which obviously doesnt involve talking to unreasonable people. I finaly had enough of it after several years and at many times just wanted to look at these idiots and say "Are you fucking kidding me?" Most of those discussions by the people Seer is referring to dont come in to make inquiries or ask anything, they come in demanding , accusing and bevaving so badly any other other place of business would have them removed and barred from their property. If you saw, listened to, or endured the belligerence and rudeness school employees see from te citizens, you would have a different opinion . Maybe its a result of living in an affluent area, but a lot of people here think they deserve to get their way all the time and nobody else knows what the are talking about.

been there Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> You obviously have never had to work in a Fairfax
> County Public other than in a volunteer capacity
> which obviously doesnt involve talking to
> unreasonable people. I finaly had enough of it
> after several years and at many times just wanted
> to look at these idiots and say "Are you fucking
> kidding me?" Most of those discussions by the
> people Seer is referring to dont come in to make
> inquiries or ask anything, they come in demanding
> , accusing and bevaving so badly any other other
> place of business would have them removed and
> barred from their property. If you saw, listened
> to, or endured the belligerence and rudeness
> school employees see from te citizens, you would
> have a different opinion . Maybe its a result of
> living in an affluent area, but a lot of people
> here think they deserve to get their way all the
> time and nobody else knows what the are talking
> about.


SO sorry you took a salary from the government to deal with the public. If you don't like being treated like a public servant, don't be a public servant. I'm sure the people that dealt with you were equally thrilled with your attitude.

Bill N Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Suits me fine. Just don't be asking me to be
> helping out on all of those PTA functions,
> athletic and arts booster functions, chaperone
> field trips and participate in all of those in
> class programs; Do not be sending home a list of
> school supplies at the beginning of the year that
> you want me to purchase not for my own child's use
> but for use by the entire class, and don't be
> hitting me up for more in the following spring
> because I was one of the handful of parents who
> actually bought the stuff in the fall; Do not be
> asking that my kid particpate in those periodic
> fundraisers; Do not be sending me fliers and
> emails telling me to register their school with my
> grocery store or to eat at a certain restaurant on
> a certain night


The parents he is talking about probably don't do any of this.

just quit Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> been there Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > You obviously have never had to work in a
> Fairfax
> > County Public other than in a volunteer
> capacity
> > which obviously doesnt involve talking to
> > unreasonable people. I finaly had enough of it
> > after several years and at many times just
> wanted
> > to look at these idiots and say "Are you
> fucking
> > kidding me?" Most of those discussions by the
> > people Seer is referring to dont come in to
> make
> > inquiries or ask anything, they come in
> demanding
> > , accusing and bevaving so badly any other
> other
> > place of business would have them removed and
> > barred from their property. If you saw,
> listened
> > to, or endured the belligerence and rudeness
> > school employees see from te citizens, you
> would
> > have a different opinion . Maybe its a result
> of
> > living in an affluent area, but a lot of people
> > here think they deserve to get their way all
> the
> > time and nobody else knows what the are talking
> > about.
>
>
> SO sorry you took a salary from the government to
> deal with the public. If you don't like being
> treated like a public servant, don't be a public
> servant. I'm sure the people that dealt with you
> were equally thrilled with your attitude.


So public servants should be threatened , berated and disrepected because why? My attitude was kill em with kindness, then they really have zero to complain about. Its obvious from your comment that you look down enough on people irregardless if they do their job properly , just not your way.

fu2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So public servants should be threatened , berated
> and disrepected because why? My attitude was kill
> em with kindness, then they really have zero to
> complain about. Its obvious from your comment that
> you look down enough on people irregardless if
> they do their job properly , just not your way.


Putting words in my mouth.

90% of the people you encounter in this world are nice, respectful, thoughtful, etc. The other 10% are pure asshole - lie, cheat, steal, only look out for themselves. If you take a job as a teacher, cop, fireman, retail store clerk, call center work - whatever - if you deal with the public at large, you are going to see that 10% every single day. Comes with the territory. Add in the emotional aspect of dealing with people regarding their kids, and that percentage probably goes up quite a bit.

Did you not consider this when deciding to become a teacher? Working with children necessarily means working with their parents. Working in the public sector means there's no filter to it - it's everyone.

Whining about it is like a cop whining about dealing with criminals.

I went through trials and tribulations growing up in FCPS; honestly I think it is absurd to think that you can cram upwards of 3000 adolescent kids into one building for 8 hours a day, and expect there to not be problems. In the 11th grade I had a teacher at Robinson who HATED me, true hatred. I think it was because her kid didnt like me or something along those lines. Regardless of the details; My mother called then principal Anne Monday and requested that I be placed into another class with another teacher. Her pleas, requests and calls were ignored, shot down and ultimately Anne Monday told my mother she had no control over what they did with me while I was a student.

I had a history of fighting (physically with other students and verbally with all authoritative figures), explosive behavior, screaming at teachers, suspensions, and on and on and on from the 2nd or 3rd grade on. Now, I honestly, I believe that Principal Monday was setting me up for an expulsion. They needed me to attack a teacher to get me out of Robinson.

There are two things to take away here,
First, A parent knows whats best (concerned, attentive parents) Robinson tried to fight my transfer out before I was enrolled into Mountain View. My family know I would end up in BIG trouble if I had stayed.

Second, Fairfax County public schools didn't do anything to check on my mental health. They never suggested one counseling session, doctors visit, they never called and expressed concern about my explosions, they just suspended me. Had the same 0 tollerance policy been in place back then, I would have been expelled at about 14, and would most likely be dead today. I am a successful salesman with an adoring wife, loving family, and friends that would take a bullet for me. I have social obligations every weekend, friends seek counsel from me about life's hard decisions. It would have been a wasted life, for sure.

keeping a policy that keeps parents at more that an arms length away is a really bad idea. I swear that one meeting with a qualified counselor, the teachers who saw my severe mood swings, my parents and the principal could have saved me YEARS of mental anguish, could have got me into a psychiatrist YEARS before my disease had a chance to manifest.

I feel for every parent on here and in the public at large that is going through something similar. have hope, be supportive and never and I mean NEVER give an administrator in FCPS one square inch.

Just my 2 cents

JBass:
I am sure some others are going to come here and be rude as hell to you. But let me ask you, in a respectful manner- why is it the school's job to assess your mental health? If you had been a problem child for that long, why hadn't your parents done it? Robinson is an enormous school- they can't accomodate every parent's wish to switch their child. It seems like the school was insisting that you adapt to the world they way it is rather than allowing you to live under the illusion that the world would conform to your needs. In my mind, the school did exactly what it should have and your parents did exactly what they should have. Ultimately, though, it was you and your parents who were responsible for your life, and it seems like you eventually realized that and have made a very nice life for yourself, which is great.it is interesting to me, however, that you still inists it was a school's system failure rather than your own failure that landed you in trouble. If you had had trouble with multiple teachers over the years, it sounds like the problem was you, not them, unless you persist in the belief that every teacher hated you. anyway, congratulations on getting yourself together- you actually sound a lot like me when I was in hs, but I came to realize that I had only myself to blame. Rather than castigating a school system, I would hope you would praise it for offering kids such as yourself viable educational settings like Mountain View.
Anyway, cheers buddy, no disrespect inteded.

http://www.vdare.com/sailer/100829_weissberg.htm

I dont blame the school. I think that there should be collaboration between the school and the parents, open communication. I never saw any of this. I can appreciate that a school as large as Robinson can not accomodate the request of every parent. I would hope, however, that when the loving concerned parents of one of your most persistently troubled kid wants to reach out, try to make changes, that the school would respond positively. I do not expect the schools to diagnose illness nor give continual therapy. I agree if I had problems with 10 teachers it was not them all 10 times. I just think that if I had 10 times the problems of an average kid that it should draw a flag besides one that includes expulsion. I never threatened staff, never brought weapons to school, I just flat out could not conform.

The schools try to take over many jobs of the parent. Required attendance, mandatory summer reading, weekend detention, I could go on and on. I am saying that with 3000 students, and the MANY MANY policies they have in place, that they should have some procedure in place to address the most troubled kids with something besides suspension, expulsion and social isolation.

The schools make children topless to test for scoliosis, they teach sexual education, teach classes to spot and narc on drug using classmates. So why in the world would they not have at the bare minimum a mental health awareness class, program or procedure in place.

Moreover, as I said Anne Monday fought my parents request for a transfer, tooth and nail. Just mind boggling. She is a human being, she was unable as my authoritative figure to resolve anything on her own yet told the superintendent to NOT LET ME TRANSFER.

I could go into pages and pages worth of detail that could detail names and dates but honestly, I only shared to encourage other parents to stand by their kid and to realize that school officials are human beings. They possess the same ability for jealousy, hate, anger, violence and revenge as everybody else.

@ JBass - how long ago was this, if you dont mind me asking?

you are TOTALLY right about "school officials are human beings. They possess the same ability for jealousy, hate, anger, violence and revenge as everybody else."

but I gotta know, what did Anne Monday say as to her reasoning that you should not transfer?

"you are TOTALLY..."

ROFLMAO@ TOTALLY in all caps. *snicker*

Ill go with mid to late 20s. Anne's reasoning was that there must be a valid reason for the transfer, as in I would have to get in trouble again, stand in front of the disciplinary board and plead my case for Mountain View over expulsion.

She thought that parents should not get the choice to put their child into alternative school, that it should at the sole discretion of the schools. She did not think that parents should have the right or ability to request a hearing. It was her decision. Finally we were able to force her hand with a "well articulated" phone call to Fox 5 news. Apparently, they called her for an interview on the situation and she signed my transfer documentation a few days later.

JBass Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ill go with mid to late 20s. Anne's reasoning was
> that there must be a valid reason for the
> transfer, as in I would have to get in trouble
> again, stand in front of the disciplinary board
> and plead my case for Mountain View over
> expulsion.
>
> She thought that parents should not get the choice
> to put their child into alternative school, that
> it should at the sole discretion of the schools.
> She did not think that parents should have the
> right or ability to request a hearing. It was her
> decision. Finally we were able to force her hand
> with a "well articulated" phone call to Fox 5
> news. Apparently, they called her for an
> interview on the situation and she signed my
> transfer documentation a few days later.
----------------------------------------------------------------

wow.................what a bitch.

Sorry that happened to you, m'man - that's NOT the way things should go down at all. And I pray to God that I dont, as a parent, have to deal with an administrator like that - cause I'd end up looking at 5 to 15, prolly..........

Your parents are pretty cool to have handled it like that, the Fox 5 way. But NO WAY should it have had to come to that. The Superintendent should have made her either give a legitimate reasoning for blocking the transfer, or told her to eff off, y'know? Cause there is no reason to not transfer a student if they are having trouble in the place they are at, and the parents are willing to drive the kid to another school - no reason at all not to do that.

@ tally - glad you are so easily amused - if that's all it takes, then here's something that will prolly have you in stitches for hours *LoLz*






Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/06/2011 07:35PM by Gordon Blvd.

I get the sense that you either have never met a child, never were a child, never went to school, don't know anyone in FCPS and have no interest in knowing anything of which you speak. You are completely uninformed and your dumbass rhetoric, which apparently you think humerous is just that, the rantings of an idiot that doesnt know anything about parenting or being a child. I bet, if you do have kids, I will see them soon and often in therapy after they try to pry your horrible attitude off their shoes...

Is there anything more funny than when someone gets on their high horse about how dumb someone else is while spelling the word "humorous' incorrectly? Nobody can even tell to which poster you are responding asswipe.

JBass Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I dont blame the school. I think that there
> should be collaboration between the school and the
> parents, open communication. I never saw any of
> this. I can appreciate that a school as large as
> Robinson can not accomodate the request of every
> parent. I would hope, however, that when the
> loving concerned parents of one of your most
> persistently troubled kid wants to reach out, try
> to make changes, that the school would respond
> positively. I do not expect the schools to
> diagnose illness nor give continual therapy. I
> agree if I had problems with 10 teachers it was
> not them all 10 times. I just think that if I had
> 10 times the problems of an average kid that it
> should draw a flag besides one that includes
> expulsion. I never threatened staff, never
> brought weapons to school, I just flat out could
> not conform.
>
> The schools try to take over many jobs of the
> parent. Required attendance, mandatory summer
> reading, weekend detention, I could go on and on.
> I am saying that with 3000 students, and the MANY
> MANY policies they have in place, that they should
> have some procedure in place to address the most
> troubled kids with something besides suspension,
> expulsion and social isolation.
>
> The schools make children topless to test for
> scoliosis, they teach sexual education, teach
> classes to spot and narc on drug using classmates.
> So why in the world would they not have at the
> bare minimum a mental health awareness class,
> program or procedure in place.
>
> Moreover, as I said Anne Monday fought my parents
> request for a transfer, tooth and nail. Just mind
> boggling. She is a human being, she was unable as
> my authoritative figure to resolve anything on her
> own yet told the superintendent to NOT LET ME
> TRANSFER.
>
> I could go into pages and pages worth of detail
> that could detail names and dates but honestly, I
> only shared to encourage other parents to stand by
> their kid and to realize that school officials are
> human beings. They possess the same ability for
> jealousy, hate, anger, violence and revenge as
> everybody else.


Schools don't "try" to take on the roles of parents- they are required by state and federal laws to do so. Policies governing things such as attendance are not school issues but legal ones. Kids can also bow out of sex ed classes and scoliosis screenings if they or their parents are uncomfortable with them. I feel that the measures you are proposing, while they have some merit, are indicative of a larger issue; some parents want schools to take more responsibility, others want less- it genreally depends on the kid; parents with problem children often want more, parents with kids who stay off the radar generally want less.
You ytourself, in your first post, acknowledge that the situation that you had with a teacher may have landed you in "serious trouble' - indicating that you felt the conflict could escalate to something 'serious". later you say that you never assaulted a staff member, but it seems like you were on the precipice of doing just that.
I have had plenty of experience working in schools, and i can tell you that many of us adults find most of the "extra" programs that we have to 'teach" to be inane. For example, every year we have a "sexual harassment" video that we must show and a ludicrous lesson we have to teach afterwards: the unspoken assumption is that high school kids don't know what harassment is already, and the reaction is what you would expect from cynical high schoolers who feel they are being spoken down to: they go out in the halls , touch their friends, and then mockingly yell "harassment'. We also have an "morals day' during which we enlighten high school kids as to exactly what cheating is (as if they didn't know) lambasting cheaters as the scum of the earth while, in the next breath, explaining that their entire futures rest on the grades they gade in their 14th -18th years of life- what's better than cheat and pass or fail and ruin your life forever? Of course, the policies I mentioned are just "cya" measures so the schools can dodge any legal trouble that might come their way should something happen and they had to admit that they diDN'T explain the obvious. My point is , society has gotten so litigious that the schools are bogged down in nonsense, and, because the schools have ceded so much power to crazy parents already, we have started down a slippery slope: there are now policies in place that say that students who SKIP tests must be allowed to take the test (or a different test on the same material) later because '...teachers shouldn't punish behavior. The skipping doesn't give the student the chance to exhibit their knowledge". This completely assinine policy is particularly mind boggling because:
A. It further burdens the teachers , who now have to make a separate test, because of a student's irresponsible behavior.
B. It actually encourages kids to skip- who would show up to take a test they weren't prepared for knowing they would fail when they could just skip and take it later?
Teachers are also no longer allowed to fail kids on attendance.

My point is- at some point we have to let kids like you were go or else we will never, ever stop accomodating people. i will say that I find the principal's behavior inexcusable if she tried to block your transfer, and i do agree that school employees don't check their humanity at the door when they cross the threshold of the school. I have seen:
1. A colleague repeatedly badger a kid's counselor because she thought he was a danger based on his hairdo.
2. Women who are opnely resentful of the more attractive female students- my hypothesis is that they are jealous.
3. Men who openly utilize tobacco and then go teach a health class.
4. Lazy people who enjoy and milk the system, showing movie after movie while not teaching at all.

i guess the bottom line is that education is kind of a mess right now, but I don't think introducing MORE classes, such as your proposed 'mental health awareness" classes will help. I am glad you got it together though- so many don't, and it really isn;t that fair that idiotic decisions at exactly the point you are most likely to make them, the teen years, should ruin a future.

> JBass Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> Finally we were able to force her
> hand
> > with a "well articulated" phone call to Fox 5
> > news. Apparently, they called her for an
> > interview on the situation and she signed my
> > transfer documentation a few days later.
> --------------------------------------------------
> --------------

People who cannot be trusted to do the right thing when no one is watching should not hold a position of authority - ever. What this says is that she knew what she was doing was wrong and petty, but only did the right thing for fear of being exposed. There is all too much of this in FCPS. I don't know how or why FCPS has gotten this way - poor leadership, complacency, the security of lifetime employee, who knows. But the whole place needs to be reformed and it needs to start from the top - new SB, new Super.

@rebuttal - whole world's a mess, bro (or sis)

@ firethemall - well, the new ppl won't necessarily be any better

@logicaldog - you are CLASSIC! I think everybody knows you are a lawyer trying to drum up support for a lawsuit by now.................

@ Haaaaa - no foolin' right?

not nearly as funny as someone who wants to posture about spelling and grammarereerer, a little OCD, and not too bright, huh.

@ rebuttal:

Don't forget to add #5 to your list:

The principal at Robinson Secondary School's new initiative to combat theft...when he's a theif himself!!

Go Fairfax County Public Schools! Why don't you clean up your administration and get some real role models in there who actually care about our children.

'Nuff said.

@ Sally Smith:

"I" before "E" except after "C," or when sounding like "A" as in "neighbor" or "weigh."

--------------------------------------------------------------
13 4826 0948 82695 25847. Yes.

Parents, as well as school staff must stop the illogical "Do as I say, not as I do" pattern of behavior.
If we expect respect we, the adults must show respect, and treat children, students with dignity.
Shaming kids, especially in public, screaming at them will not teach them anger management, conflict resolution skills, nor make them feel connected to schools. Many kids don't feel connected to their families in the first place and school connectedness if the main factor in preventing unsafe behaviors and in ensuring academic achievement in students.

After working in a school and listening to every bullshit excuse that an adult can utter, The OP has put into words something far more realistic and descriptive than I ever could have put on paper. It had to be written from someone that has long witnessed the debacle caused by dumbass parents who think they can walk into someone elses workplace and threaten, demand, and bully others to manipulate and contour their little darling's life.

Most people who deserve respect get it.

I wonder if the South Lakes principal who calls his students morally corrupt gets respect?

MrMephisto Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> @ Sally Smith:
>
> "I" before "E" except after "C," or when sounding
> like "A" as in "neighbor" or "weigh."


"And on weekends and holidays and all throughout May and you'll always be wrong no matter what you say."

rebuttal Wrote:

> 3. Men who openly utilize tobacco and then go
> teach a health class.


Smoking or dipping doesnt make you unfit to teach a health class. Both are a choice adults can legally make. You can still make someone aware of the risks and if they chose to do it thats their choice. But yes teachers shouldnt be openly smoking in the parking lot in front of students.

But you are right about the harassment videos and such. Most are so out of date and absurd that kids either dont pay attention or just mock them later, sometimes both. They are a waste of everyones times.

> ...the harassment videos...

My daughter and her school chum winked at each other repeatedly shortly after hearing that winking could be considered sexual harassment.

Sometime the kids really do understand.

applause Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> After working in a school and listening to every
> bullshit excuse that an adult can utter, The OP
> has put into words something far more realistic
> and descriptive than I ever could have put on
> paper. It had to be written from someone that has
> long witnessed the debacle caused by dumbass
> parents who think they can walk into someone elses
> workplace and threaten, demand, and bully others
> to manipulate and contour their little darling's
> life.

More likely it was written by someon who is getting tired of being shown up as the petty tyrant that he is.

Coming soon a new FCPS Policy...
Attachments: