Brad S
Well-known member
Many are familiar with my kids; I'm hoping I can get my wife to post their pictures on here. I'm the worst "proud Dad" ever, but I try not to be too insufferable. So This incedent happened the first day of school (this year) for my 6 year old boy Clayton Wyatt, and I'm only getting a little settled down.
My wife (Michelle) picked me up the afternoon of the first day of school (this year)with the grim instruction that "we got a call from Clayton Wyatt's teacher asking for a little student conduct conferance." I figured Clayton Wyatt wore his spurs or had a rope in his back pack or his favorite act of rebellion is to doff his hat by pushing it back onto his back and letting it hang arround his neck by the stampede string. So we pull up to the school as it is letting out, and Paige (my 7 year old) takes Callie and Hannah to the playground so we could visit with Clayton Wyatt's teacher without distraction. Sure enough we saw Clayton Wyatt, his teacher and the principal in the principal's office, and Clayton Wyatt looked petrified.
First, the teacher and principal caught us in the hall and left Clayton Wyatt sitting alone in the office for what I guess was to be a preconferance, but I walked in and hugged my boy to relieve some pressure. So we missed the preconferance, but I readily learned that Clayton Wyatt had publicly demanded another student "shut the Hell up." In my house the kids are equally forbidden to say "shut up" or swear words so this was a big deal, and the teacher and principal piled on a bit by explaining how "shut up" attempts to reduce one's personhood by silencing them. Michelle and the school folks sure took care of the reprimanding so I was quiet, but after many minutes of reprimanding I asked Clayton Wyatt if it was clear that what he said was unacceptibel and why. Clayton Wyatt looked me straight in the eye and said' "yes Daddy."
So I said I'd like to know if Clayton Wyatt felt provoked or what context surrounded the situation, and before I could fully raise the querry, the principal interrupted with "nothing justifies such an outburst." I said the last 10 minutes' discussion had pretty well demonstrated we're all in agreement about that, but I wanted to know if Clayton Wyatt has touretts syndrome or someone called his momma a crackwhore. As if Clayton Wyatt was waiting for the cue, he said "I was showing my friend Kale my buckle I won "mutton bustin" when Quentin said farmers are stupid. So I told him to "shut the Hell up."
So I publicly explained to Clayton Wyatt that some people are so uncultured as to insult another's heritage, but he should always be proud of who he is. So I asked the principal what slurs are acceptible at the school, but she avoids the question by claiming to not understand it. So I said Clayton Wyatt is 1/8 Sioux, do I need to prepare him to tolerate "stupid indian" slurs? The principal said oh no we don't allow slurs of race or heritage. So I told her perhaps she needed some sensitivity to diversity training to understand ranching is our heritage. Then I asked Clayton Wyatt what he thought his Grampa (my Dad) was going to say? Clayton Wyatt said, "no swearing?" I said your Grampa is going to say its better to get pissedoff than pissedon and we walked out.
As I was walking down the hall, the principal asked me what sort of disciplinary measures were appropriate. I said to tell the teacher to get control of her class, and if she doesn't to dock her a week's pay. The principal said she was meaning for Clayton Wyatt so I said if this isn't the end of that right now he'll be in a different school in the morning. End of subject except my wife is mad at me. My old Dad didn't let me down.
My wife (Michelle) picked me up the afternoon of the first day of school (this year)with the grim instruction that "we got a call from Clayton Wyatt's teacher asking for a little student conduct conferance." I figured Clayton Wyatt wore his spurs or had a rope in his back pack or his favorite act of rebellion is to doff his hat by pushing it back onto his back and letting it hang arround his neck by the stampede string. So we pull up to the school as it is letting out, and Paige (my 7 year old) takes Callie and Hannah to the playground so we could visit with Clayton Wyatt's teacher without distraction. Sure enough we saw Clayton Wyatt, his teacher and the principal in the principal's office, and Clayton Wyatt looked petrified.
First, the teacher and principal caught us in the hall and left Clayton Wyatt sitting alone in the office for what I guess was to be a preconferance, but I walked in and hugged my boy to relieve some pressure. So we missed the preconferance, but I readily learned that Clayton Wyatt had publicly demanded another student "shut the Hell up." In my house the kids are equally forbidden to say "shut up" or swear words so this was a big deal, and the teacher and principal piled on a bit by explaining how "shut up" attempts to reduce one's personhood by silencing them. Michelle and the school folks sure took care of the reprimanding so I was quiet, but after many minutes of reprimanding I asked Clayton Wyatt if it was clear that what he said was unacceptibel and why. Clayton Wyatt looked me straight in the eye and said' "yes Daddy."
So I said I'd like to know if Clayton Wyatt felt provoked or what context surrounded the situation, and before I could fully raise the querry, the principal interrupted with "nothing justifies such an outburst." I said the last 10 minutes' discussion had pretty well demonstrated we're all in agreement about that, but I wanted to know if Clayton Wyatt has touretts syndrome or someone called his momma a crackwhore. As if Clayton Wyatt was waiting for the cue, he said "I was showing my friend Kale my buckle I won "mutton bustin" when Quentin said farmers are stupid. So I told him to "shut the Hell up."
So I publicly explained to Clayton Wyatt that some people are so uncultured as to insult another's heritage, but he should always be proud of who he is. So I asked the principal what slurs are acceptible at the school, but she avoids the question by claiming to not understand it. So I said Clayton Wyatt is 1/8 Sioux, do I need to prepare him to tolerate "stupid indian" slurs? The principal said oh no we don't allow slurs of race or heritage. So I told her perhaps she needed some sensitivity to diversity training to understand ranching is our heritage. Then I asked Clayton Wyatt what he thought his Grampa (my Dad) was going to say? Clayton Wyatt said, "no swearing?" I said your Grampa is going to say its better to get pissedoff than pissedon and we walked out.
As I was walking down the hall, the principal asked me what sort of disciplinary measures were appropriate. I said to tell the teacher to get control of her class, and if she doesn't to dock her a week's pay. The principal said she was meaning for Clayton Wyatt so I said if this isn't the end of that right now he'll be in a different school in the morning. End of subject except my wife is mad at me. My old Dad didn't let me down.