Quote From: sugarboog I think it might be a good idea for their parents to take charge and perhaps have the kids go to her house every weekend for say a month or two and do yard work, wash her car, paint (if she needs it), etc. under supervised conditions of course.
This could serve two purposes.
I'll tell you a story, once when my son was around five years old he and his little buddy climbed up a neighbor's tree and grabbed all the avacados they could and smashed them on the sidewalk. They were supposed to be inside his little buddy's house under the supervision of the father but that's another story. Anyway when the neighbor came and complained to me I offered initially to pay for the avacados but she refused saying it wasn't a matter of money it was a matter of principle. I agreed and came up with another idea, since it was just after Christmas (south Fla) I offered my son's services to help her husband take down Christmas lights, clean up the yard, etc. (as much as 5 yr old could do). So when the weekend came I took him over there and sat outside drinking lemonade with the wife watching my son help do chores.
This not only was a form of punishment it was equally a very rewarding experience for him. The neighbor man showed him how to do some things and the lady served lunch with milk and cookies and he ended up seeing them as "people" very nice people and not just grumpy old neighbors that wanted to get him into trouble.
I think if the teenagers would do something like this then....perhaps....they could see their vice-principal as a feeling, human, person and not just some villan that's out to get them. They may even become friends (as much as they can be under the circumstances) and the day may come that they are truly sorry they did that to her.
...and if that don't work the sandwich board is a great idea too!!!!
What a creative way to get the message across!! If a 5-y/o can get the point after that, it makes you wonder about these teens...
I must admit, I like the sandwich board, too...however, the legalistic nature of our institutions ("you do this, that will happen, period, no deviation") and the fact that the civil courts are or are about to be involved suggests that the time may be past for the parents and Anna to settle it among themselves. Clearly, she has decided to go after the "deep pockets," whether out of sheer frustration or spotting a golden (parachute) opportunity, I cannot decide. Since the courts are involved, I wonder whether a criminal or a civil court could or would impose such a creative solution.
BTW, I do disagree with Dr. Phil's suggestion that the matter be resolved "within the system." As has been mentioned ad infinitum on these boards, these darlings did their dirty work outside of school, off school grounds. If they had, instead, spray-painted the wall of a local furniture store with similar sentiments, I doubt that the owner of the building would be settling for a school-based punishment. No, s/he would be looking at the possibility of criminal charges (vandalism, criminal mischief?) if an acceptable settlement with the kids' parents could not be worked out. That said, felony charges sound like utter overkill, even though the Internet was involved.
I'm gonna sound like an "old crank," but too many of our young people (you know who they are; they're in every town) walk around with the attitude (reinforced by their overindulgent parents, many times) that "because I've got $$, my s**t doesn't stink, and I can get away with whatever, cuz the parents will get me out of any punishment/consequences." Words/phrases such as "empathy," "putting others before yourself," "putting yourself in the other person's shoes," and the like are mostly (if not completely) foreign to many (but definitely not all!!!) folks under a certain age. Whatever happened to boundaries?
Kids across the country are playing pranks and harassing teachers. Tericka, a high school science teacher who loved her job, lived in fear of her scandalous past catching up with her and getting her fired. Students eventually found out about her shocking past and the news spread throughout town like wildfire. Are other teachers taking her side, or do they feel her punishment was justified? How can she move forward? Then, Anna, an assistant principal, was harassed on the Internet when two students created a fake MySpace page alleging to be her. She says they completely attacked her character and need to be held accountable for their actions. Was this just a practical joke gone bad, or were these students out for revenge? Find out what Anna did to show these kids that some jokes just aren't funny. Could the mischief your kids get into end up costing you thousands of dollars? Talk about the show here.
