September 7, 2007

Whew, I am so tired. I guess that is what I get for going to bed late on a Thursday night! But I did have to watch the football game. And what was I thinking? I had Drew Brees in on one of my fantasy teams. What did I think he would do against the Superbowl Champions?


Evan is much better today. When I left for work this morning, he was already up and talking a storm. Bouncing around in bed and complimenting me on my shirt. He's pretty sweet, huh?

Not much to report at school today. Things are rolling along pretty smoothly, I just wonder if this is the calm before the storm.

Today's Headlines:

Katy ISD rescinds girl's graffiti punishment (Chron.com)
To start, I do not condone a student writing graffiti on public property, school or otherwise (evidenced by the graffiti seen on the trailers Tuesday when we arrived to school this past week - see blog Tuesday, August 4, 2007). But the fact that the original suspension was for 4 months and an assignment to an alternative school seems a bit severe for the fact that all she wrote was "I love Alex" in blue Sharpie marker on an already graffitied wall. The justification by the school district is one with which Wake county can sympathize. A few years back, graffiti in a boys bathroom was reported at my school. The graffiti referred to bombing the school (the exact words elude me). The student was discovered and he received a long-term suspension (12 months) and saw some legal action against him as a minor. But had he wrote on the bathroom stall "I love Alex" in blue Sharpie marker, there would not have been a hunt for the perpetrator. It would have been cleaned off and chalked up to misguided student emotions. The nature of the graffiti should determine the severity of the punishment. A student who threatens to kill or blow up things should be treated more severely than one who has no better way to express a teenage crush. I also believe that gang related graffiti, big or small, should be treated more severely since gang groups tend to engage in violent acts directed at specific individuals of other gangs or people of race (which is how I would feel about a neo-Nazi or KKK graffito).