Front page headlines in yesterdays USA Todays newspapers on School Discipline . It was all about what high schools around the country are doing in their states and how they are dealing with it. Reasons for suspending students . Research data,etc Very interesting for me since I was a dean of discipline and an assistant principal for many years before I became a Principal. But teaching and coaching basketball is where it all started. A very interesting article which includes all the current data and research findings. Its been now 4 or 5 years since I retired . I know California and a few other states have now banned being suspended from school for being defiant. NY state and Philadelphia where my daughter teaches at. Research has now shown kids that are being suspended perform a lot worse academically, have lower college enrollment ,come from lower economic families etc etc.. You don't have to be a rocket scientist for understanding that. I had been at my school coaching basketball, athletic dir,teaching PE and Drivers Ed for 23 years. Basketball teams very successful winning sections and regionals and playing in the NY state basketball finals 3 times { losing all 3} Then an Asst Principles job opened at anther school I had completed my Masters in Education and Certified as an Administrator..By coaching at my HS I was now missing my own kids playing basketball I would come home late at night after one of my games and my oldest daughter would come down the stairs telling me her school won and she had 20 points 13 rebounds and 6 blocked shots . Then the other one a middle school daughter would come downstairs and tell me about her game. Then my son who was 6'3 ran indoor track was the anchor in a winning relay race. Then my youngest daughter would come down the steps and tell me her Middle school team won and she scored 12 points. My wife would be in the stairway hall and say these kids were put to bed an hour ago and were waiting for your car to drive up. My wife would say " how did your team do tonight"? I would tell her we won but I lost because I missed all of them tonight. It was nights like this that I realized I needed to retire from coaching so I could watch my own kids ... anyway I informed my superintendent the next day that there was an opening as an asst principal at another school and he understood where I was coming from. He was a St Johns catcher and a No 3 or 4 pick in the baseball draft. Anyway I left my school after 23 years thats its population was 99% black and hispanic to a 95% white school that had many many discipline problems.. That is why after reading yesterday's article in USA it kicked in some memories.
Will continue about the article but another favorite of my stories comes to mind I have told this before..
I was leaving my school in late October and day light saving had come It was a friday afternoon and after a party for me I had cleaned out my office and realized everyone had gone home I walked down to the gym and it was dark in there I went to the bleachers and sat where I had coached for 23 years and looked up at all the banners we had won. On every team one of my players was dead. Killed in NYC drugs,shootings etc I was crying because I knew when I walked out of that gym it wasn't my school anymore
Will continue about the article but another favorite of my stories comes to mind I have told this before..
I was leaving my school in late October and day light saving had come It was a friday afternoon and after a party for me I had cleaned out my office and realized everyone had gone home I walked down to the gym and it was dark in there I went to the bleachers and sat where I had coached for 23 years and looked up at all the banners we had won. On every team one of my players was dead. Killed in NYC drugs,shootings etc I was crying because I knew when I walked out of that gym it wasn't my school anymore
