Yesterday, as most of you probably know, Michael White decided to crack down. He decided that enough was enough, and that the dress code had to be enforced.
I was sitting in first hour when he made the announcement. He said that people would be sent home for wearing shorts that were too short, etc. He told us right then and there that he'd be making the same announcement second hour. This makes very little sense; while there are people who start their day second hour, in my four years at Pioneer, I have heard of one person having a first hour, but no second hour. It simply doesn't happen. Why, then, make an announcement to both hours? Could it be that he was just so excited that he couldn't wait?
White has been mostly laying low since the camera issue exposed, over a period of a couple months, the fact that he had been spiraling downwards, most likely towards the realization that he is simply not fit to lead a school this size. This was one of the first times (besides shouting over musicians at assemblies) that he had put himself out there, shown how ridiculous he's come. It really wasn't reassuring.
It's not that I have a problem with all rules. Obviously, for a principal to be necessary, we need to have rules; it also comes close to preventing chaos. What I have a problem with is these specific rules, and the way they are being enforced.
I disagree with these rules not because I disagree with dress codes in general. I think certain things shouldn't be allowed. But I think this dress code takes things too far. For instance, I don't wear hats particularly often; still, I cannot understand the hatred White seems to reserve for headgear. I don't understand why the rules are ambiguous, based on your body type (think that's not discriminatory? Obviously, you don't have long arms and a small torso). Men are not held to the same standards as women. He claims that a school should be a semi-business-like environment. I understand that there are different standards in the Marines. But if I ever work in an environment where my boss refuses to respect me, no matter how hard I try, then consistently patronizes me in front of his superiors and peers in order to save face, I will quit. And that may be an idealistic viewpoint for me to have, but isn't that what White is doing, too?
The other aspect of yesterday that angered me was the way the rules were enforced. White had a hall monitor stand at the doors and watch for kids who might be wearing clothes that violated the dress code, and sent them to the office. Once there, it would be determined if they were to be sent home. They'd have to let their arms hang at their sides to determine if their shorts were long enough. Staff members would determine if the shorts were long enough (what a wonderfully efficient and ambiguous system!). My friend's sister was sent home, along with several of her friends.
White seems to think that we need a military state at this school. He's wrong. He can take that back to Livonia, where everyone will give in to whatever an authority figure says. I've said it before. I'll shout it until May 23rd. I'll help out efforts of the next classes at this school to promote it. Michael White will never succeed at Pioneer with that kind of mentality, and he will never succeed at this school without respecting students.
4.19.2008
Quick Note
In response to a long comment regarding trash pickup:
The solution to that would not be extorting us for the right to park at our own school, funded by our parents' tax money. The solution would be to fine those students seen littering. The kids who say they're doing it to rebel against Mr. White are just using his convenient idiocy to cover up their own laziness, sort of like how people who are afraid of others being different use the Bible to cover up their homophobia, and so on. I certainly don't like the litter at this school, either; I think it's disgusting, and that students are just plain lazy.
The solution to that would not be extorting us for the right to park at our own school, funded by our parents' tax money. The solution would be to fine those students seen littering. The kids who say they're doing it to rebel against Mr. White are just using his convenient idiocy to cover up their own laziness, sort of like how people who are afraid of others being different use the Bible to cover up their homophobia, and so on. I certainly don't like the litter at this school, either; I think it's disgusting, and that students are just plain lazy.
It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's... a Water Balloon?
After school yesterday in and just outside of A-hall waterbaloons were being thrown all over the place. Personally, I thought this was pretty hillarious, especially when after all the throwing was over I saw Mr. Brown just standing there doing nothing at all. Iwouldn't be surprised if Mr. White's reaction to this was extremely over the top. "The parking lot is off limits to students" or something of the sort sounds like a reaction he'd have.
Also people being sent home left and right yesterday? What freaking bullplop. How are we going to "better out education" if half of us arn't even there? We should all just show up to school naked and end this.
Also people being sent home left and right yesterday? What freaking bullplop. How are we going to "better out education" if half of us arn't even there? We should all just show up to school naked and end this.
4.18.2008
Who wears short shorts?
I can't even comment on what went on in school today. I'm really, really angry at Mr. White, though I'm not sure why; it's not as if I didn't expect him to be an idiot who thinks he's running a military state. Anyways, I'll try to write down my thoughts sometime this weekend.
Seriously, I'm so glad I'm leaving this school. If I had to deal with this administration for more than another month, I'd probably go insane.
More News
Two perfect examples of Mr. White's general behavior and misuse of the school's time and money were made clear to me today, and, since I haven't been on the blog in a while, I thought I was due to post them. The two are quite different, as one is folly and pathetic, while the second struck me as far more serious.
At the beginning of first period, Mr. White came on to remind everyone that the rules regarding how we ought to dress are still being enforced. This is understandable; he is afraid that the warm weather will warrant cooler, more breathable clothing. In order for a student to wear this type of attire, some, if not all, of these myriad rules simply must be broken or stretched beyond reason. Mr. White went on to say, however, that he intended to repeat his announcement one hour later, reiterating his rather quotidian and elementary request. It's one thing to make a repetitive comment that annoys people, but it's quite another to waste people's time, who have to stop and listen to their principal tell them, essentially, nothing.
The second is an anecdote shared with me by a fellow student. I will respect the anonymity of all parties involved, out of courtesy and because their identities have no bearing on the meaning of the story... So a hall-monitor and a teacher get into a little quarrel about something or another. While this unpleasant exchange wasn't rooted in anything particularly awful, the effect was that of bitterness between the hall-monitor and teacher. Later, perhaps that day, but certainly within the week, a student of the teacher we are speaking of was sent out of the class -- with a perfectly legitimate and sponsored yellow hall permit. The hall-monitor, however, still fuming on account of her argument with the student's teacher, decides to "get even" with his/her enemy by sending the student, who was innocently traversing the halls, to the principal's office for violation of the dress code. The infraction, according to the person who told me the story, was that the student was wearing headgear, which consisted of a pair of sunglasses on her head (in order to avoid being punished for wearing them). This story absolutely baffled me, mainly because of the complete lack of fairness and professionalism of the hall-monitor. To punish a 3rd party as recompense for an alleged wrong received at the hands of another is one of the first misdeeds a young child learns not to do, let alone an adult. It is truly unfortunate that an employee of a public school is unable to keep in check emotions, especially when the victim in this circumstance is a youth. But the reason why such an event was allowed to happen was the unreasonably strict way in which the dress code rule pertaining to headgear is expected to be executed. The truth is, many entities are at fault and contributed in some way the sad synthesis of this unjust punishment. Hopefully the mismanagement of this school doesn't run this deep in every case.
At the beginning of first period, Mr. White came on to remind everyone that the rules regarding how we ought to dress are still being enforced. This is understandable; he is afraid that the warm weather will warrant cooler, more breathable clothing. In order for a student to wear this type of attire, some, if not all, of these myriad rules simply must be broken or stretched beyond reason. Mr. White went on to say, however, that he intended to repeat his announcement one hour later, reiterating his rather quotidian and elementary request. It's one thing to make a repetitive comment that annoys people, but it's quite another to waste people's time, who have to stop and listen to their principal tell them, essentially, nothing.
The second is an anecdote shared with me by a fellow student. I will respect the anonymity of all parties involved, out of courtesy and because their identities have no bearing on the meaning of the story... So a hall-monitor and a teacher get into a little quarrel about something or another. While this unpleasant exchange wasn't rooted in anything particularly awful, the effect was that of bitterness between the hall-monitor and teacher. Later, perhaps that day, but certainly within the week, a student of the teacher we are speaking of was sent out of the class -- with a perfectly legitimate and sponsored yellow hall permit. The hall-monitor, however, still fuming on account of her argument with the student's teacher, decides to "get even" with his/her enemy by sending the student, who was innocently traversing the halls, to the principal's office for violation of the dress code. The infraction, according to the person who told me the story, was that the student was wearing headgear, which consisted of a pair of sunglasses on her head (in order to avoid being punished for wearing them). This story absolutely baffled me, mainly because of the complete lack of fairness and professionalism of the hall-monitor. To punish a 3rd party as recompense for an alleged wrong received at the hands of another is one of the first misdeeds a young child learns not to do, let alone an adult. It is truly unfortunate that an employee of a public school is unable to keep in check emotions, especially when the victim in this circumstance is a youth. But the reason why such an event was allowed to happen was the unreasonably strict way in which the dress code rule pertaining to headgear is expected to be executed. The truth is, many entities are at fault and contributed in some way the sad synthesis of this unjust punishment. Hopefully the mismanagement of this school doesn't run this deep in every case.
4.15.2008
Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting
I would like to take a break from all of the camera talk to inform the masses about some other aspects of our wonderful school.
I have heard many rumors of a huge melee at lunch in the parking lot today, but because I am complete loser I did not go out to lunch today, so I do not know if this is true or not.
On a different topic I would like to use this opportunity to plug Pioneer High School's Auto Shop. They do some quality work, fixed my crap wagon right up!
Now for the main focus of my post. I have a strong distaste for pioneer high school parking. I don't think we should have to pay 20 bucks, just to be able to park our cars at our own school. I think that $10 would be the highest I'd be willing to go, and I bet that many more people would buy them if that were the case. But the school board would never do that, because they get even more money from ticketing students for not having a sticker. Good thing photo copiers exist.
Oh and ladies, warm weather's coming up, I hope you have enough fingers to be able to follow the dress code.
I have heard many rumors of a huge melee at lunch in the parking lot today, but because I am complete loser I did not go out to lunch today, so I do not know if this is true or not.
On a different topic I would like to use this opportunity to plug Pioneer High School's Auto Shop. They do some quality work, fixed my crap wagon right up!
Now for the main focus of my post. I have a strong distaste for pioneer high school parking. I don't think we should have to pay 20 bucks, just to be able to park our cars at our own school. I think that $10 would be the highest I'd be willing to go, and I bet that many more people would buy them if that were the case. But the school board would never do that, because they get even more money from ticketing students for not having a sticker. Good thing photo copiers exist.
Oh and ladies, warm weather's coming up, I hope you have enough fingers to be able to follow the dress code.
Quickly
I just checked the announcements from this morning, since I can't really hear them in my second hour. What a surprise: No PSAS announcement. The thing is, they'll do this until the ACLU threatens them every time. They'll always back down; all they care about is disrespecting the students themselves.
4.14.2008
He STILL thinks that's a word?
Things have toned down a bit on the blog front. As I've become more involved in the PSAS, I've mostly been concentrating on that, and I think you're all getting sick of camera talk without any action (which won't be the case for long). Meeting Wednesday. . .
Regarding that, in the unlikely event that there are any juniors, sophomores, or freshmen genuinely interested in continuing this next year, feel free to let me know via pioneer.uncovered@gmail.com.
In the nostalgia-inducing trivial Pioneer humor department, Mr. White used the word "consequence" as a verb in an announcement today. Really fascinating how he didn't realize that wasn't a verb the first time he used it.
Regarding that, in the unlikely event that there are any juniors, sophomores, or freshmen genuinely interested in continuing this next year, feel free to let me know via pioneer.uncovered@gmail.com.
In the nostalgia-inducing trivial Pioneer humor department, Mr. White used the word "consequence" as a verb in an announcement today. Really fascinating how he didn't realize that wasn't a verb the first time he used it.
4.02.2008
Meetings
First, the ACLU meeting last night. PSAS got the award, we all got certificates, gift bags (with a t-shirt, a DVD, and a pocket constitution!), and a ton of handshakes. A lot of other stuff happened, but it's not really worth it to talk about them here.
Second, the PSAS meeting today. It was semi-productive, as definitive plans are being made for our first action as a club, with a time frame in mind. I'm not going to go into definites or specifics, because Mr. White apparently rejected an announcement we tried to make, and I'd rather not give him the chance to stop our completely legal activities. . .contact me at pioneer.uncovered (at) gmail.com if you want to help out or if you'd like some more information. A few of us will probably meet over break, in order to pull the plans together.
Second, the PSAS meeting today. It was semi-productive, as definitive plans are being made for our first action as a club, with a time frame in mind. I'm not going to go into definites or specifics, because Mr. White apparently rejected an announcement we tried to make, and I'd rather not give him the chance to stop our completely legal activities. . .contact me at pioneer.uncovered (at) gmail.com if you want to help out or if you'd like some more information. A few of us will probably meet over break, in order to pull the plans together.
4.01.2008
Quick Notes
The ACLU is honoring the Pioneer Students Against Surveillance with the 2008 Civil Liberties Champion award at their Annual Meeting tonight. Club members are welcome to come. The meeting starts at 7, with a presentation on religious liberty beforehand. The meeting will take place in Room 150 of Hutchins Hall, 625 S. State St.
Also, remember, PSAS meeting tomorrow at lunch. We're starting measures to get our club in the public eye, so make sure that you've made some progress on any assignment you may have had.
Also, remember, PSAS meeting tomorrow at lunch. We're starting measures to get our club in the public eye, so make sure that you've made some progress on any assignment you may have had.
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