Regarding discipline disparities in Rochester schools, as an ex-student, disruption was discouraged and thankfully so. Effective education is vital to gaining knowledge, intellectual growth, pursuing higher levels of learning, gaining job and social skills and developing responsibility necessary for future employment.
Not everyone is excited to be in class, but restlessness and disruptive behavior can compromise a student's education and future. Disruption also can inadvertently impair education for others, reducing duration and quality of instruction. This is especially consequential in our current "world is flat" circumstance, where we compete with the best and brightest from other countries.
To identify solutions, defining the problem is necessary. Follow the athletics model to correct disruptions in class, defining what is and isn't acceptable in writing, to be signed by parents and students, acknowledging requirements of participation, behavioral expectations and consequences.
To minimize any real or perceived bias related to race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or other variable, any disciplinary action should be approved as appropriate for the transgression by an administrator of a similar demographic to the student.
For students unable or unwilling to comply with the most basic requirements of classroom etiquette, separate classes led by teachers with special expertise would be preferable to expulsion. Students who want to learn in an orderly structured environment, and those who cannot, can thus be allowed to fulfill their potential.
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Michaela Pfeifer
St. Paul
