"Gay HS" reality check

[Sava]

Originally posted by Asher

Who's saying that?
I don't care about 10 years from now, the kids are in school now.

you suggested that I was saying things would change suddenly...

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Asher
Replace them from the magical pot of surplus quality counselors in New York...right...

Replace those old-time counselors who were given the job by their local community red necks, with local, qualified people who actually have some kind of degree and pratical experience in counseling.

[GePap]

As the article states, NYC has separate HS programs for: immigrants, pregnant kids, Troubled children, special ed kids, and all girl schools. NYC has 1 million kids, with a budget of well over 10 billion: this is a program fro 70 (perhaps to be exanded to 170) kids, many of which come from hard circusmtances, including being on the verge of droping out. If this small porgram can help these kids, then let it continue and flourish.

As for the notion of ending bullying in a school system this vast, with many schools that have well over 3000 students each...YEAH RIGHT.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by GePap
As the article states, NYC has separate HS programs for: immigrants, pregnant kids, Troubled children, special ed kids, and all girl schools. NYC has 1 million kids, with a budget of well over 10 billion: this is a program fro 70 (perhaps to be exanded to 170) kids, many of which come from hard circusmtances, including being on the verge of droping out. If this small porgram can help these kids, then let it continue and flourish.

As for the notion of ending bullying in a school system this vast, with many schools that have well over 3000 students each...YEAH RIGHT.

Can you quote me where I claimed that replacing current homophobic, unprofessional counselors with sympathetic, professional counselors will completely eradicate bullying and harrassment?

[MrFun]

You guys cannot all leave me alone just because it's bedtime.

[Sava]

bah, it's the internet... all you do to make us morons go away is click on the X on the upper right hand corner

[DinoDoc]

Re: "Gay HS" reality check

Originally posted by GePap
Actually, the school has been around since the mid-80's.

This changes what exactly? A bad idea that has been around for awhile is still a bad idea.

[Sava]

Re: Re: "Gay HS" reality check

Originally posted by DinoDoc
This changes what exactly? A bad idea that has been around for awhile is still a bad idea.

**coughreaganomics**

[Shi Huangdi]

"As for the notion of ending bullying in a school system this vast, with many schools that have well over 3000 students each...YEAH RIGHT."

If the government can set aside money and bureaucratic effort to create a special school, it can do more to combat bullying in its own schools. More supervision of hallways, harsh zero-tolerance policies for repeat bullies and a strong effort to relay the message that bullying won't be tolerated could do alot.

As it stands, what are they doing is taking action to protect some victims of bullying, but ignoring other victims. That isn't right.

[Asher]

Making another school in unused office space for teens who were forced out of school by bullies is not the same thing as hiring more people to watch the halls. And hall-watching isn't exactly effective.

There's more to it than just on the school grounds, it's after school too -- it's on the way home, it's on the way to school, it's the people you associate with.

And let's face it, the kind of people that you'd have to pay to watch the halls for bullying probably aren't too enlightened -- and I very much doubt many of them give a damn about checking to see what everyone's whispering about.

Really, all the extra hall monitors going to prevent people from whispering "******"? Are they going to force people to make friends with the "******"?

It's a half-assed idea, and it's not going to work. Eventually, society will come around. Until then, the kids who are getting the extreme shaft from bigots at school should get a haven. They have a right to learn, too.

[Sava]

If the government can set aside money and bureaucratic effort to create a special school, it can do more to combat bullying in its own schools. More supervision of hallways, harsh zero-tolerance policies for repeat bullies and a strong effort to relay the message that bullying won't be tolerated could do alot.

yeah, and spending cuts and abandoning public schools for unconstitutional faith based initiatives doesn't help the matter... and school officials don't give a ****... teachers have to worry about ****ty pay, overcrowded classrooms, old books, apathetic students, and dip**** parents... wtf makes you think they are going to have enough time to worry about who is calling who "gay"?

[Shi Huangdi]

You know, Black students at the time of integration faced extremely vicious bullying from their peers at the time of integration. Should that have justified continued segregation?

[Asher]

Not forced. But if black students were being constantly tormented to the point of having to drop out, etc -- I'd love for them to have had a special school they could've gone to so they can continue getting the education they have a right to.

[Shi Huangdi]

Look. Schoolkids aren't strong ideological homophobes. They don't read Chick Tracts or the like for the most part. Anti-homosexual bullying is a syptom of a general intolerance of people who don't fit the mold. Homosexuals, while often among the worst targets, are far from the only being terrorized and tormeneted in schools. It is a half-assed solution to try to save some victims but leaving others to suffer. The effort should not be made to only save a sub-section of the victim population, but to try to make it better for everyone.

[Asher]

Shi, I'm going to ignore the fact that you're ignoring that some schools, and some kids, have a real problem for it.

We're not talking wholesale segregation, 170 kids in the entire New York Public School System can attend the newly-expanded school.

Most gay teens don't need to go there, but some do.

It is a half-assed solution to try to save some victims but leaving others to suffer. The effort should not be made to only save a sub-section of the victim population, but to try to make it better for everyone.

You win my inaugural "no ****" award.

It is nice to make it better for everyone, but you can't force that by adding hall monitors or whatever else you think would be a bright idea. Given time, society opens up more to it.