Failing Student Wears Sign as Punishment

[House]

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749...-28585171.html

Right On!

[neon]

I don't know. My Dad used to make me do endless boring tasks when I messed up, like washing the garage.

[Daniel, Grand Duke of Stony Island]

Before I clap my hands for the man, I want to know more about his involvement. Was he checking homework? Was he making a classroom visits? Is he involved with his son's counselors? Pops should've seen it coming, right? It takes a lot to fail 3 high school classes. Pops is all righteously indignant, attempting to shame his son into doing better. Was he motivating him to succeed before those Fs came in? Was he involved in his social life, staying in tune with his son's friends and other influences? Was it the son who composed those signs in broken English, or was it pops?

Sorry - I'm callin' pending bullshit unless and until more facts come out. In the meantime, looks like Pops is tryin' to use shame in parenting. I got 3 through high school. You can't be lookin' at 3 failed courses without seeing a bunch of signposts along the way, and waaaaay ahead of time. Perhaps pops should look in the mirror...or wear a sign sayin' "My son is failing 3 of his courses in high school. How would you handle this?"

Pops looks like a bully. Bullying one's own children hasn't worked since Hip Hop blew up. Get a new game, niggas. Pops is tryin' to get on MSNBC like the redneck who shot his daughter's laptop. Parent your children in your homes, assholes.

[House]

His thinking is right in line with my own: "If I don't do nothing, he's gonna be a statistic. And I don't want him to be a statistic."" He may not be father of the year but before the state uses its methods, he's seems to want to exhaust his own

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1338938.html


When a Miami-area middle school student came home with unacceptable grades, his father sent him to the streets.

Seventh grader Michael Bell, Jr. stood on busy North Kendall Drive sporting a sandwich board sign telling passersby that he is failing three classes -- civics, language arts and math, he told Local10.

"Hey, I want to be a class clown. Is it wrong?" read the front of the sign, while the back read, "I'm in the 7th grade and got 3 F's. Blow your horn if there's something wrong with that."

Michael Bell, Sr. stood out on the road, too, telling WSVN the punishment was the last way he knew how to try to reach his son: "If I don't do nothing, he's gonna be a statistic. And I don't want him to be a statistic."

The message seemed to be getting through.

“I don’t like it, but I know that it’s my fault,” Michael Bell, Jr. told Local 10. He also vowed to change his ways: "I'm sorry that it had to get to this point. When I get back to school, I'm gonna do better."

Bell is not the first kid to do the sandwich board walk of shame. Earlier this year, experts debated punishment by humiliation after a Tampa mom made her son wear a sign when he only answered four questions on the FCAT and had a grade point average of 1.22. A Virginia pastor’s 15-year-old son also wore a sign in 2009 for failing grades.

But controversial discipline practices aren't limited to creative signs. North Carolina father Tommy Jordan, who filmed a YouTube video of himself shooting his daughter’s laptop as punishment for writing a rude post on her Facebook about her parents. It became a viral video with people both supporting and condemning his parenting choices.

[Daniel, Grand Duke of Stony Island]

And when the son is failing classes in 8th and 9th grade, what then? Bigger billboard? Neon? A Facebook page? How many laptops can you shoot? Parenting requires trust. Shaming your child doesn't exactly establish trust. I feel for anyone trying to raise school age pre-teens and teens. It's a thankless, hard core situation, most certainly. I can only see this as emotional abuse. Pops needs a game change. Maybe that's just me.

[House]

Looks like both parents are down with this and they are standing at the corner supervising this punishment the whole time.

http://thestir.cafemom.com/teen/1344...shaming_of_son


A typical punishment for bringing home some big fat Fs on a report card usually includes some form of being grounded. But it sounds like the Bell family has tried that already with their seventh grader Michael Bell, Jr., so Jr.'s dad, Michael Bell, Sr., came up with a unique "last resort" to turn his kid's grades and behavior around. After failing three classes -- civics, language arts, and math -- Bell, Sr. made Bell, Jr. stand out on a busy Miami street corner wearing a sandwich board sign that reads, "Hey, I want to be a class clown. Is that wrong?" on the front and "I'm in the 7th grade and got 3 F's. Blow your horn if there's something wrong with that." Ouch.

Definitely not your run-of-the-mill punishment, right? But did Dad here cross the line? No way!

For one, Sr. seems to have the absolute best intentions. He simply loves his son, wants what's best for him, and doesn't want to see him "be a statistic." Who could blame any parent for that? Furthermore, it's not like Jr.'s getting hurt by standing on the side of the road. He's been supervised the entire time by either his dad or his mom. All that the punishment seems to be causing Jr. is humiliation.

Sure, publicly shaming your kid is an extreme tactic -- one that I don't think really should be used unless it's an absolute last resort. I'm wondering if Sr. really tried everything ... counseling, tutoring, mentoring? Or if Jr.'s just not the kind of kid with whom those tactics would really resonate. It's unclear, but one thing is for sure: So far, it sounds like the punishment is working. Bell, Jr. said:

I don't like it, but I know it's my fault. I'm sorry that it had to get to this point. When I get back to school, I'm gonna do better.

I get the feeling he really means it. Here's a news report on the Bells ...

[Tee Dubb]

going to open school night is mandatory for parents. Whether good or bad you're guaranteed to be enlightened...

[Lady_of_da_House]

Before I clap my hands for the man, I want to know more about his involvement. Was he checking homework? Was he making a classroom visits? Is he involved with his son's counselors? Pops should've seen it coming, right? It takes a lot to fail 3 high school classes. Pops is all righteously indignant, attempting to shame his son into doing better. Was he motivating him to succeed before those Fs came in? Was he involved in his social life, staying in tune with his son's friends and other influences? Was it the son who composed those signs in broken English, or was it pops?

Sorry - I'm callin' pending bullshit unless and until more facts come out. In the meantime, looks like Pops is tryin' to use shame in parenting. I got 3 through high school. You can't be lookin' at 3 failed courses without seeing a bunch of signposts along the way, and waaaaay ahead of time. Perhaps pops should look in the mirror...or wear a sign sayin' "My son is failing 3 of his courses in high school. How would you handle this?"

Pops looks like a bully. Bullying one's own children hasn't worked since Hip Hop blew up. Get a new game, niggas. Pops is tryin' to get on MSNBC like the redneck who shot his daughter's laptop. Parent your children in your homes, assholes.

I agree with you 100%..No parent should be surprised on report card daay....

[House]

My parents bullied me. If there was a sandwich board, they would have beat me with that as well.

Whatever my man has to do to keep his kid out of the penitentiary is fine with me. It aint just about grades. It's also about respect for authority. By definition, the class clown has none. That has to change

['Magic' Juan]

My parents bullied me. If there was a sandwich board, they would have beat me with that as well.

Whatever my man has to do to keep his kid out of the penitentiary is fine with me. It aint just about grades. It's also about respect for authority. By definition, the class clown has none. That has to change

+1

[the crackhouse]

I don't see how getting Fs relates to being a class clown and not respecting authority?
You know my english and I may have lost something on the way, but c'mon... You're a loser cause you got Fs?

Always the same bullshit about this couple: there are no winners if there ain't no losers.
What the fuck, are school results determining your life path? What's the problem with statistics?

Not going against the idea that kids should respect authority (not the subject here, to me), get to understand what school would like to learn them, but when you're honest enough to analyze the results of students...

How much really understood and kept in their brains the WHOLE program they've been studying from age 4?
What does that mean? That they were good at that moment? That a big part of what's been learnt is useless?
And they should be "punished" for not understanding?

We are all fools in one science or another, are we losers for no getting a concrete idea of E=MC²?

Idance

[Arnold]

I don't see the significance of humiliating his son to raise his grades.
The father needs to learn how to be proactive, what the father could do is to identify whats keeping his grades down. Could it be that he is a slow learner? Or distractions like peer pressure? Biased school system? Family Issues? Those are some of the factors that might contribute to his low scores. Reaching out to his son and keeping an open communication will create a harmonious relationship thus will help the father guide his son. Another option to consider is arranging a tutorial session at home and make sure that the house is an environment conducive for learning. And most importantly show encouragement and support, so that he will know that you are there to back him up when he gets down.

[deepsouth]

Before I clap my hands for the man, I want to know more about his involvement. Was he checking homework? Was he making a classroom visits? Is he involved with his son's counselors? Pops should've seen it coming, right? It takes a lot to fail 3 high school classes. Pops is all righteously indignant, attempting to shame his son into doing better. Was he motivating him to succeed before those Fs came in? Was he involved in his social life, staying in tune with his son's friends and other influences? Was it the son who composed those signs in broken English, or was it pops?

Sorry - I'm callin' pending bullshit unless and until more facts come out. In the meantime, looks like Pops is tryin' to use shame in parenting. I got 3 through high school. You can't be lookin' at 3 failed courses without seeing a bunch of signposts along the way, and waaaaay ahead of time. Perhaps pops should look in the mirror...or wear a sign sayin' "My son is failing 3 of his courses in high school. How would you handle this?"

Pops looks like a bully. Bullying one's own children hasn't worked since Hip Hop blew up. Get a new game, niggas. Pops is tryin' to get on MSNBC like the redneck who shot his daughter's laptop. Parent your children in your homes, assholes.

i'm with the duke.

[MEP]

My parents bullied me. If there was a sandwich board, they would have beat me with that as well.

Whatever my man has to do to keep his kid out of the penitentiary is fine with me. It aint just about grades. It's also about respect for authority. By definition, the class clown has none. That has to change

I LOVE consequences. Love them and get paid to find consequences that are meaningful and change behavior. In the short term this may help but in general in the long term, finding consequences that do not illicit fear and/or shame work best.

[Martin Red]

Before I clap my hands for the man, I want to know more about his involvement. Was he checking homework? Was he making a classroom visits? Is he involved with his son's counselors? Pops should've seen it coming, right? It takes a lot to fail 3 high school classes. Pops is all righteously indignant, attempting to shame his son into doing better. Was he motivating him to succeed before those Fs came in? Was he involved in his social life, staying in tune with his son's friends and other influences? Was it the son who composed those signs in broken English, or was it pops?

Sorry - I'm callin' pending bullshit unless and until more facts come out. In the meantime, looks like Pops is tryin' to use shame in parenting. I got 3 through high school. You can't be lookin' at 3 failed courses without seeing a bunch of signposts along the way, and waaaaay ahead of time. Perhaps pops should look in the mirror...or wear a sign sayin' "My son is failing 3 of his courses in high school. How would you handle this?"

Pops looks like a bully. Bullying one's own children hasn't worked since Hip Hop blew up. Get a new game, niggas. Pops is tryin' to get on MSNBC like the redneck who shot his daughter's laptop. Parent your children in your homes, assholes.

Agreed.