If your middle schooler left campus to protest WWYD

[Guest]

Ha! Your whole system is weird. Like the pre-algebra thing**

 

Still never worked out what that is.

 

*Not an invitation for 17 posts telling me what it is :)

I'm *in* the system and still have a beef with the entire concept of prealgebra - the bastardization and watering down the the math sequence is one of my pet education rants though :D. It's not a foreigner issue if it makes you feel better.

[mathnerd]

Junior High and Middle School are pretty much the same ages -- 6th - 8th. Sometimes 5th. Sometimes 9th depending on the local population.

In my area, most kids entering Junior High/Middle School are 11 and many are 10 depending on the month they were born in (state cutoffs).

[mom2scouts]

I would absolutely support it and be proud of my child. I think it is totally okay to skip class to protest and I am dismayed that people think it isn't. In most other countries there is strong support for protest: students go on strike and this is an accepted and respected action. IMO it is a very healthy thing.

 

Would you still say this if your child left school for a protest with which you vehemently disagreed? What about if the protest turned violent and your child was seriously injured?

[Jenny in Florida]

I would:

 

1. Commend my kid for caring enough about an issue to take action.

2. Discuss with my child the fact that, whether the school "allows" such a thing of not, I expect my kid to keep me informed when his/her whereabouts change unexpectedly.

3. Contact the school to find out more information about the circumstances under which the kids left and, depending on the answer I received, make it clear that I was not happy the school dropped the ball on supervising its students.

[Janeway]

I would be extremely angry with the school and my child. If my child went because the staff let my child believe it was a school thing, as if he had permission to go, then I would not punish my child. But I would take all legal action possible if the school took my child off campus without my permission and especially for this type of activity.

[bibiche]

Would you still say this if your child left school for a protest with which you vehemently disagreed? What about if the protest turned violent and your child was seriously injured?

Yes.

[Alicia64]

1) I'd worry about the kids who had a different opinion and then felt like oddballs for not going along w/ the protest. Middle school is definitely not the age where one wants to stand out in any way. So, what about those kids?

 

2) It's insanely hypocritical of these stupid public schools to insist on permission notes for every. little. thing, but then allow kids to leave campus for a demo. Give me a break.

 

3) True story: when Reagan died I was about 38 yrs. old. I was stunned to see how beloved he was by so many. My middle and high school teachers detested him and passed that sentiment to the kids. I had no idea -- none -- that he was revered by anybody let alone millions of people.

 

Public schools need to handle politics differently. The way it's handled -- incredibly one sided -- just isn't right. (And I'm a long time vegetarian, animal rights person who votes moderate.)

 

4) In answer to the OP's original question: it would probably be the final straw that made me pull my kids and begin homeschooling.

 

Alley

[Farrar]

Would you still say this if your child left school for a protest with which you vehemently disagreed? What about if the protest turned violent and your child was seriously injured?

 

Like Bibiche, I'd be fine with that. I would not be fine with the KKK rally suggestion upthread, but I wouldn't consider that a normal protest for sure. But, say, an anti-abortion rally. Sigh. If they must. We can discuss why we disagree at home. 

 

Most protests stay pretty calm. Even protests that end in some violence, it's usually pretty easy to avoid the parts that go wrong.

 

And these are student specific protests. Student walkouts are pretty tame. The one we ran into the other day, I was like, where are they going to walk anyway? I get that they want to go that way to hit that other high school but what else is that way other than the mall. Guess where they went? Yeah, the mall. And stood around in front for like an hour. Then finally just slowly broke up.  :lol:

[SparklyUnicorn]

Ha! Your whole system is weird. Like the pre-algebra thing**

 

Still never worked out what that is. 

 

*Not an invitation for 17 posts telling me what it is :)

 

What is worse is they haven't worked out what exactly that is here either!

[Tanaqui]

Pre algebra is the math you do the year before you do algebra. See, that's why it's pre :P

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

 

 

 

Yes I would be fine with my middle school child choosing to protest, during school hours.

 

I would prefer he notify me so I can be aware of where he is and what he is doing.

 

Protests aren't meant to be convenient, if they were people would ignore them entirely.

[Crimson Wife]

 Protests aren't meant to be convenient, if they were people would ignore them entirely.

 

Protests by students 5+ years below the minimum voting age are going to be ignored by those in power regardless, so they might as well do it while school is not in session.

 

If these students actually want their efforts to make a difference in our society, they need to be volunteering for some good cause, not cutting class and waving signs. That accomplishes bupkiss.

 

Concerned about the treatment of immigrants? Volunteer to help out local refugee settlement agencies.

 

Concerned about misogyny? Volunteer for your local rape crisis hotline or domestic violence shelter.

 

Etc., etc.

[LucyStoner]

It's my understanding that most students in Seattle over the age of 12 take the city bus. To get a bus pass though they have be, I think, 1+ miles from school. Taking away the bus passes for kids who are more than a mile from school because they believe in climate change and protest during the school day is silly.

 

Seattle doesn't have a public high school less than 5 miles from all addresses for one. I was assigned to a school that was 8 miles from my residence. Not because of bussing or affirmative action. That was the nearest comprehensive high school with any space whatsoever. The magnet type school I chose to go to instead was 6 miles by city bus but the route that made it that little was not passable by pedestrians. Walking would have been at least an extra mile. As it was just walking to and fro the bus stops and the schools and my house was about 3+ miles a day. See how parents would handle their kids walking +\- 2 hours each way in the dark and in the rain. If you don't want your kids out for school for a couple of hours protest than you probably don't want then walking along a highway bridge before sunrise. Just saying.

[QueenCat]

I'm *in* the system and still have a beef with the entire concept of prealgebra - the bastardization and watering down the the math sequence is one of my pet education rants though :D. It's not a foreigner issue if it makes you feel better.

 

They were doing pre-algebra when I was in middle school, forty years ago. Not really part of the watering down of the math system, at least with how it was done back then.

[fraidycat]

I don't know. I do know that students were allowed to leave campus unsupervised during school hours.

 

What I do know is when my child was in public middle school she was not allowed to leave campus during the day unless I came into the building and picked her up. One time I was going to be late picking her up so I told her to wait on a bench after school. She wasn't allowed to wait outside unattended and had to go into aftercare until I go there.

Holy. My kids (gr. 9 & gr. 5) are in a K-9 school. Several of the kids leave and go home for lunch. There's also always a group of kids milling about on the front lawn after school if I pick them up. Many kids who can ride the bus choose to walk home on nice days. Mine ride the farm bus, but can also choose to walk to my brother's house in town or whatever - they are allowed to phone home whenever they want to let me know if they're doing something else after school. I love that they have this freedom to choose for themselves to some degree.

 

I'd be fine with my 14 year old protesting. Peacefully.

Edited November 16, 2016 by fraidycat

[Little Nyssa]

This is an interesting conversation.

Because of it, I asked my DC if they would ever leave school to go to a demonstration with other kids. I expected this conversation to lead to me saying, demonstrations can get out of hand... people need to be careful... it may not be a place for kids... we need to be very careful... But I did not get to say any of these clever things --which I had judged I would probably need to say, based on our family history and the mischief I got up to in my young days!

DC said they would not do it. They said they think school is important and fun.

I was relieved on the one hand, but on the other hand I was a little surprised.

[fraidycat]

It might have nothing to do with how you raised him. What if my parents were super religious? They'd be devastated right now that I'm an atheist. To the point where they might think they screwed up (my mother basically thought she did because she was religious). They might think something is wrong with me. I'm pro choice, this is not pro abortion, but some people see it that way, they might feel as if I am in favor of murdering unborn babies. I don't see it that way, but yeah my belief in this realm could be quite different making my parents feel pretty freaked out.

 

And thinking in this direction it is kinda why I don't want my 11 year old participating in these sorts of protests. I want him to first explore what all of this means rather than just follow the first interesting sounding thing that comes along or because that cool kid Tom with that great i-phone believes XYZ. I don't think many 11 year olds have formulated their views to the extent they know for sure what they believe.

To be fair:

 

Until 30ish, I was pro-life.

Until 35ish, I believed in God.

Until 37ish, I leaned right, politically.

 

Now, I'm pro-choice, agnostic/atheist, and pretty far left.

 

Before, my views were "formulated" and I knew for sure what I believed, but now they've just changed. I still know what I believe, even if it's different from before. As humans, we're always learning, growing, and evolving.

 

My 10 year old has formulated some pretty strong political views in the past couple of years. They might change as he grows. Probably will, or at least he'll have better arguments and more experience to back his views. But that doesn't mean that what he believes now isn't formulated based on what he has seen, read, and experienced up until now.

[bibiche]

You would ALWAYS respect your child's decisions 100% of the time? What if your child chose to do something illegal? What if he/she threw a bottle in protest and seriously injured or killed someone?

 

Parents cannot be afraid to assert authority over their children and say, "I sympathize with your anger but you need to find an appropriate way to channel it."

 

While I appreciate your parenting advice, I don't need it and don't agree with it. We are not authoritarian parents here. We have a focused, mature child who in addition to being politically active and aware has already taken more college level history courses than I had at twice his age. He has well-informed and well-reasoned opinions. I trust him and his judgment, despite his young age. Every child is different. If you feel your children need a firm hand to stay in line with your beliefs, well, by all means have at it. The question posed was "WWYD if your child left school to protest?" My answer was and remains that I would be proud and would respect his decision to protest. Edited November 16, 2016 by bibiche

[Anne in CA]

I didn't read every single post here. We had an issue with a fire drill at dd's school (dd goes to a combined jr high/ high school). The students walked to some nearby fairgrounds during the evacuation. They then walked back and two jr high boys began pushing each other and one fell into the unsecured mailbox of an elderly man who came outside, yelled at everybody, and died of a heart attack. The school and the student felt AWFUL about the situation, which could have simply been prevented by understanding that jr high kids are often clowns and are unpredictable and didn't need to be walking through a residential neighborhood. The man was probably going to die soon anyway, but whenever you take responsibility to take kids out of school it is your responsibility for what happens. If I were a school administrator, I would not let them go protesting. 

[SKL]

People are saying it was an all-kids protest.  But, unless it was a school-organized event, how could anyone be sure only kids would show up?  People looking for an ax to grind and seeing a lot of people gathering to protest could join in, and pretty soon it's not what anyone envisioned.

 

On the topic of walking / taking the city bus to/from school, my kids' situation is that they take the school bus to a school 5 miles from home.  Because of the school rules, they are not ever allowed to roam around the neighborhood where the school is located.  I could see them getting disoriented pretty easily if they walked off with a crowd and ended up somewhere else in the general area, converged with a lot of strangers, and lost track of their schoolmates.  I don't know how common our setup is in the USA.  I agree that if it's normal for the kids to walk or take a city bus to school every day, they are unlikely to have a problem finding their way even if things get a little chaotic.

 

That said, in a very large crowd, people can't necessarily do normal things like step into the nearest Starbucks and call Mom.  The buses might not be running normally. 

 

And another thing.  Is a the average 10yo old enough to know whether she wants her face on video, shown on the networks, and kept in the files forever?

[LucyStoner]

They were doing pre-algebra when I was in middle school, forty years ago. Not really part of the watering down of the math system, at least with how it was done back then.

And I think any student who has tackled AOPS preA might take issue with it being called water downed or easy. 😂

 

I lead a challenge math session for a number of middle school homeschoolers and pull problems from that book sometimes. Most of the homeschooling parents I know would have trouble with many of those problems.

Edited November 16, 2016 by LucyStoner

[creekland]

While I appreciate your parenting advice, I don't need it and don't agree with it. We are not authoritarian parents here. We have a focused, mature child who in addition to being politically active and aware has already taken more college level history courses than I had at twice his age. He has well-informed and well-reasoned opinions. I trust him and his judgment, despite his young age. Every child is different. If you feel your children need a firm hand to stay in line with your beliefs, well, by all means have at it. The question posed was "WWYD if your child left school to protest?" My answer was and remains that I would be proud and would respect his decision to protest.

 

Pretty much the same here.  I'm extremely pleased with how things are going for my boys now that they've left home, so I definitely don't think there was a problem with our parenting.  If anything, I'd have backed off more and earlier from anything authoritarian.  As young kids (toddlers, preschool, early elementary) they need a bit of direction due to not having much in life experiences, but given those experiences (if parents let them have them and teach, etc), many tend to do just fine given more room later.  My youngsters could think pretty darn early on in life (because we brought them up that way - and they don't have disabilities, etc).

 

When I look back on "my" middle school years, my parents divorced when I was 11.  By choosing to live with my dad, there's quite a bit I took on at that age and I still think I turned out ok even if some of my decisions were mistakes.  I learned just as much from my mistakes TBH.  Heck, some of my decisions as an adult are mistakes... that's part of being human.

 

I'm still amazed that so many think the school could have stopped them... Working in a school, I can't quite envision how.  There are many doors.  Kids outnumber adults.  If anyone were to get physical with kids, it would be caught on a cell phone and THEN there would be trouble.  We're not a prison.  There are many threads on the Hive asking how to try to get one (or two) kids to do (or not do) something... One can pick up a 1st grader (but even then, one adult to one student).  Ever try to pick up a 7th grader?

[mom@shiloh]

I am genuinely surprised by this statement.

 

You would really be ok with your 11 or 12 yr old being in a place where he is surrounded by adults you don't know, where emotions are running very high, where the potential for someone to succumb to mob mentality, AND, you having NO idea that he/she is there?  That's really ok for you?

This.  

 

It would totally NOT be ok with me.  

[whitestavern]

Protests by students 5+ years below the minimum voting age are going to be ignored by those in power regardless, so they might as well do it while school is not in session.

 

If these students actually want their efforts to make a difference in our society, they need to be volunteering for some good cause, not cutting class and waving signs. That accomplishes bupkiss.

 

Concerned about the treatment of immigrants? Volunteer to help out local refugee settlement agencies.

 

Concerned about misogyny? Volunteer for your local rape crisis hotline or domestic violence shelter.

 

Etc., etc.

 

Yes to this! I don't get the point of these protests. They won't change anything. And I don't understand why people think they are educational (noted upthread)

 

I could see protesting a specific site for a particular reason, in an effort to affect their business. But as you said, holding a bunch of signs or chanting in a group of people will accomplish nothing in this case.

 

ITA their time would be better spent doing something rather than complaining about it.

[Sneezyone]

I absolutly hate driving in Seattle so I try to take the bus if at all possible. I almost never see kids on the bus and never see younger kids alone. I never see them waiting at the bus stops either. The only exception to this is the bus from the suburbs to UW in the summer.

 

Not saying they don't ride the bus, but the area where the protest was yesterday kids are not using it as their primary means of transportation.

 

When I was a MS kid in the 80s I took the bus from Tacoma, transferred in SeaTac and Downtown, on my way to the UW for my braces appts at the dental school. My mom rode with me a few times and then just gave me my appt dates/times. Off  I went. Downtown to the library too. All my cousins who went to SEA schools used public transport from MS-HS.

Edited November 16, 2016 by Sneezyone

[ktgrok]

I'm not much of the protesting sort, either, but sometimes the point isn't to change a thing, it is to draw attention to it.  A bunch of students leaving school does get the attention of a lot of people, and so their issue does get noticed.  After that conversation is started, then the work can begin.  

 

But, unless my child was in danger, or protesting something terrible that was happening at school right at that moment, they'd better be in class.  I support their right to walk out if there is an issue, but not their right to skip school to protest something that could be done at another time of day.  

 

But this was an organized event...you can't just show up later to protest, no one would be there. A single person protesting isn't as big a message as masses of students. And this was a student protest, to my understanding, not a group of adults protesting that some students joined. 

 

Finally, by showing that they are willing to accept detention, missed assignments, etc, that they are willing to accept a price for dong this, shows their depth of dedication to the cause. It's why there are walkouts at any place, as opposed to just protesting after work/school/etc. 

[Bluegoat]

I left school to go to a protest when I was in middle school, in grade 7.  The teacers, as per the official statement of the school, told us we were not allowed to skip school for it, and most of us did anyway.  We walked about an hour to the provincial legislatures, and got a city bus back home later in the at.  My parents were not terribly impressed - they thought a sit in was a better way to protest educational cuts.  But they did not punish me, and did not even think about being annoyed at the school.

 

Middle school kids here were considered old enough to go out on their own, however, so that wasn't really an issue.  We were allowed to leave for lunch, or if school was let out early for some reason, as well.

 

My dd is in grade 6 now, although it is elementary shcool now so she would not be allowed to leave.  If she was in a middle school, I would not generally have a problem with her leaving on her own.  If she did so in an unacceptable way - not home on time, going to a bad place, skipping, she would be in trouble for that.  Probably I would be ok with leaving for a protest so long as I though she was serious about it and didn't do something unsafe.  If I disagreed with the protest I would make that a topic of conversation.

[LucyStoner]

I absolutly hate driving in Seattle so I try to take the bus if at all possible. I almost never see kids on the bus and never see younger kids alone. I never see them waiting at the bus stops either. The only exception to this is the bus from the suburbs to UW in the summer.

 

Not saying they don't ride the bus, but the area where the protest was yesterday kids are not using it as their primary means of transportation.

Are you going around the school commute times? I drive through Seattle most weekdays and see, well, bus loads of kids getting on and off the city buses just before school starts and after school ends. My son takes the bus at least once a week, transferring in Downtown.

 

I also know a lot of families whose children attend school along the route that passes the park where some of the students gathered and their children definitely ride the bus. When I was 14 my school bus commute took me to downtown and then a transfer that wove out of downtown. There are three public high schools and a number of private ones along that same corridor and at least in the afternoons, the busses on the school routes were virtually filled with students getting on and off. It was often standing room only by the time the bus got two my school stop because there were two other high schools before us on the route. If anything since I was in high school the district has cut yellow school busses for middle and high school as much as they possibly can and started distributing more and more bus passes.

Edited November 16, 2016 by LucyStoner

[SKL]

 

Finally, by showing that they are willing to accept detention, missed assignments, etc, that they are willing to accept a price for dong this, shows their depth of dedication to the cause. It's why there are walkouts at any place, as opposed to just protesting after work/school/etc. 

 

At that age, though, for many/most it is showing they are unwilling / unable to stand up to peer pressure.  For others it merely shows the lack of depth of their dedication to their education.

 

I guess if my kid came home and told me she just could not live with herself for one more minute if she didn't physically protest at that specific time and place, and could articulate exactly what she was protesting and why, I'd understand that.  But let's be real - most kids at that age are not that evolved.  Even many of the adults in the protests are unable to articulate what it is they are protesting.

Edited November 16, 2016 by SKL

[SKL]

But this was an organized event...you can't just show up later to protest, no one would be there. A single person protesting isn't as big a message as masses of students. And this was a student protest, to my understanding, not a group of adults protesting that some students joined. 

 

It was an organized event for minor students during school hours?  Who organized it?  Who invited the middle school kids?  Who communicated the invitation to them?  Did they get a permit and ensure appropriate security in advance?  Did the adults involved follow protocol for off-campus activities?

Edited November 16, 2016 by SKL

[Plateau Mama]

It's my understanding that most students in Seattle over the age of 12 take the city bus. To get a bus pass though they have be, I think, 1+ miles from school. Taking away the bus passes for kids who are more than a mile from school because they believe in climate change and protest during the school day is silly.

 

 

deleted because information wasn't correct. ;-) Edited November 16, 2016 by Plateau Mama

[Plateau Mama]

When I was a MS kid in the 80s I took the bus from Tacoma, transferred in SeaTac and Downtown, on my way to the UW for my braces appts at the dental school. My mom rode with me a few times and then just gave me my appt dates/times. Off I went. Downtown to the library too. All my cousins who went to SEA schools used public transport from MS-HS.

I rode the bus everywhere as a teenager too, although I typically stayed on the Eastside. That being said, it is a lot harder to ride the bus now than it was in the 80's. Due to cuts etc it is much harder to get a direct route, or transfer. I used to be able to get on any bus and it would go to the Bellevue Tansit Center and then I could hop on a bus to my destination. Now it can take 3+ busses over several hours to accomplish the same routes. A lot of times is not even feasible.

 

Even Seattle there are a lot of places that are hard to get to. Now, part of that I'm sure is my lack of knowledge of Seattle but a lot of times I go online to plan the route and its Several busses and two hours. Essentialy if it's not on the 545 or to the UW it can be difficult to get to non-downtown areas of Seattle from the Eastside.

[Dmmetler]

This is an interesting conversation.

Because of it, I asked my DC if they would ever leave school to go to a demonstration with other kids. I expected this conversation to lead to me saying, demonstrations can get out of hand... people need to be careful... it may not be a place for kids... we need to be very careful... But I did not get to say any of these clever things --which I had judged I would probably need to say, based on our family history and the mischief I got up to in my young days!

DC said they would not do it. They said they think school is important and fun.

I was relieved on the one hand, but on the other hand I was a little surprised.

I asked DD11 as well. Her response was "too many of the protests have gotten out of hand. I'll stick to writing letters and e-mailing legislators".

[LucyStoner]

I looked this up this morning. Bus passes are given only to low income students who live less than two miles from school and thus don't qualify for school transportation. So the number of students getting a free pass from the distric is pretty low.

You misunderstood the information you found. The program you found is that the CITY funds low income students with passes who do not ordinarily qualify for a SPS district pass because they live too close to their school. This is so that kids can get around town for activities, internships, field trips, Running Start and jobs and not be stuck because they can't afford the bus. Those are absolutely not the only kids who get ORCA passes in Seattle via their school.

 

This city program for non-SPS transit eligible low income students is newish. ALL the kids 6/7th grade and up can get one if they are transportation eligible (2+miles (used to be 1+ for middle school at least) and not a boundary exception) and who are not deemed to have a special need for yellow bus service. Getting yellow bus service is hard. Parents with special needs kids have actually had to file suit against the district to preserve it for a child who can't ride the city bus. It's not at all hard for a student to be 2+ miles from their middle or high school here.

 

I am the bonus adult for a current SPS high school student and she gets an SPS funded pass. And again, later this morning I will drive past kids catching the bus and getting off the bus by the dozens.

Edited November 16, 2016 by LucyStoner

[Bluegoat]

Protests by students 5+ years below the minimum voting age are going to be ignored by those in power regardless, so they might as well do it while school is not in session.

 

If these students actually want their efforts to make a difference in our society, they need to be volunteering for some good cause, not cutting class and waving signs. That accomplishes bupkiss.

 

Concerned about the treatment of immigrants? Volunteer to help out local refugee settlement agencies.

 

Concerned about misogyny? Volunteer for your local rape crisis hotline or domestic violence shelter.

 

Etc., etc.

 

I don't know about that.  When I went to the provincial ledgislature as part of a protest about cuts to education, when I was in middle school, two of the students were admitted to talk to some representatives and leave any documents we had.  They didn't change the budget, but OTOH since we couldn't vote, we more especially needed to take other measures to be heard.  And we did get on the tv, so there was that element.

[SKL]

A protest that is about the school is a different matter IMO.  Even so, I would want to know if my middle-school student was participating in one during school hours.  And I'd be pi$$ed if the school staff decided for my child which side s/he was gonna demonstrate for.

Edited November 16, 2016 by SKL

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I also asked my 12yo about this last night. He said that a protest or rally wouldn't really be "his thing" -- and he does hate crowds -- but that if he really believed in the cause he would go on principle IF there seemed to be an objection to the action. IOW, he would reinforce his and others' rights of free speech and assembly for the sake of exercising those rights, if those rights were at risk of being denied just because they were minors.

 

He said if it was no big deal to all concerned, if school admin were letting kids go without any fuss, he would probably not choose to go because he finds it hard to organize all his senses in screaming crowds. He would use the time that they were gone to address the issue in a manner that was more comfortable to him, such as organizing a student meeting to discuss the issue, writing a letter to the editor, asking trusted adults to chat about it to increase understanding.

 

"Ignore the issues, do nothing, and be a compliant student as if that's the main thing in life" was his only non-option.

[Plateau Mama]

You misunderstood the information you found. The program you found is that the CITY funds low income students with passes who do not ordinarily qualify for a SPS district pass because they live too close to their school. This is so that kids can get around town for activities, internships, filed trips and jobs and not be stuck because they can't afford the bus. Those are absolutely not the only kids who get ORCA passes in Seattle via their school.

 

This city program for non-SPS transit eligible low income students is newish. ALL the kids 6/7th grade and up can get one if they are transportation eligible (2+miles (used to be 1+ for middle school at least) and not a boundary exception) and who are not deemed to have a special need for yellow bus service. Getting yellow bus service is hard. Parents with special needs kids have actually had to file suit against the district to preserve it for a child who can't ride the city bus. It's not at all hard for a student to be 2+ miles from their middle or high school here.

 

I am the bonus adult for a current SPS high school student and she gets an SPS funded pass. And again, later this morning I will drive past kids catching the bus and getting off the bus by the dozens.

I stand corrected. The information I posted was on the main transportation page. The "real" information is hidden in a white paper a couple clicks deeper on the website. ;-)

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I asked DD11 as well. Her response was "too many of the protests have gotten out of hand. I'll stick to writing letters and e-mailing legislators".

 

So my kid would be looking for your kid, to work with in other ways than protesting.

 

[Bluegoat]

It was an organized event for minor students during school hours?  Who organized it?  Who invited the middle school kids?  Who communicated the invitation to them?  Did they get a permit and ensure appropriate security in advance?  Did the adults involved follow protocol for off-campus activities?

 

With the student protest I attended as a 12 year old, it was organized by the students.  We heard rumours about it at school, and to be ready outside the school, a few days ahead.  The high school students left ealiest, and walked around to all thye middle schools, picking up the kids on the way to the final destination.  We met the kids from other parts of the city there.

 

I don't really get the idea that a political protest is something to do during free time.  If the thing is really that unimportant as to be relegated to free time, it probably isn't something that requires a protest, it should be handled through more normal political means like writing to representatives and such.

[creekland]

One thing is certain.  These kids got noticed.  ;)

[LucyStoner]

Use your age to psyche you out, you're too old to care, you're too young to count?

 

I strongly think that kids activism can make a difference and the last lesson I would ever want my children to learn is that they need to sit down and shut up; go along to get along because they just don't matter.

[Murphy101]

Use your age to psyche you out, you're too old to care, you're too young to count?

 

I strongly think that kids activism can make a difference and the last lesson I would ever want my children to learn is that they need to sit down and shut up; go along to get along because they just don't matter.

I don't think it matters if they are listened to or make a diffference in this way.

 

I think what matters is setting a standard for being actively involved in their community and governance and justice.

 

I don't expect them to be on the front lines of change or to have the same negotiating power as adults.

 

Thus I'd look at this as just as excuse to get out of class unless they can explain to me exactly how missing school positively contributes to their cause. It's no great positive social statement to be willing to get an F on a days worth of undone work to me unless one is protesting something directly related to the work.

[SKL]

If my kid wants to make a difference, she should have the maturity to come and talk to me about it.  My kids have done that several times on different matters.  Of course I'm proud of it.  But yes, kids that young need to go through the proper procedure or they are basically delinquent.

[Sneezyone]

Interestingly, youths were often on the front lines during the civil rights era. They can be very effective advocates for change. Out of the mouths of babes and all that.

Edited November 16, 2016 by Sneezyone

[Bluegoat]

For those people who feel that the location and inaccessibility of the school influences their thinking - would that also not be something that would influence the kid's thinking?

 

I mean, if it is pretty much impossible for the kids to walk to the protest and they have no access to cars, I would think they would not likely take off from school to go.  Even an 11 or 12 year old can see that walking half a day, or to a place they have no idea how to get to, etc, doesn't make a lot of sense.

 

My dd11 is in a place she could get downtown, if she was willing to bus, and she knows how to do it.  She isn't totally comfortable with it though, so I suspect she might not unless her friends were.  If we lived in our last home, she would have no way to get there, and so it wouldn't even come up.

[TrixieB]

I absolutly hate driving in Seattle so I try to take the bus if at all possible. I almost never see kids on the bus and never see younger kids alone. I never see them waiting at the bus stops either. The only exception to this is the bus from the suburbs to UW in the summer.

 

Not saying they don't ride the bus, but the area where the protest was yesterday kids are not using it as their primary means of transportation.

 

Hm.  Drive past the Metro stops near my kid's school, just before or after school.  Hordes of kids at every stop, waiting for the bus or streaming off.  That is the main way kids who live 2+ miles from their MS/HS get to & from school every day.  You may see more kids on the bus/at the stops for MS/HS located in less residential areas, due to significant amounts of the 2 mile radius being taken up with businesses rather than homes, or at schools with district-wide draw (IB, STEM, etc.).

 

I see plenty of kids on downtown buses too.  Kids who attend a private school or a MS/HS across town often have to transfer through downtown.

 

Maybe your district provides yellow bus for MS/HS rather than relying on Metro?

[Plateau Mama]

 

 

Maybe your district provides yellow bus for MS/HS rather than relying on Metro?

I was specifically talking about the city where the protests occurred.

 

My district provides school busses but the neighboring district doesn't. I see very few kids riding the bus there but it an affluent area so parents tend to drive their kids everywhere.

[SKL]

For those people who feel that the location and inaccessibility of the school influences their thinking - would that also not be something that would influence the kid's thinking?

 

I mean, if it is pretty much impossible for the kids to walk to the protest and they have no access to cars, I would think they would not likely take off from school to go.  Even an 11 or 12 year old can see that walking half a day, or to a place they have no idea how to get to, etc, doesn't make a lot of sense.

 

My dd11 is in a place she could get downtown, if she was willing to bus, and she knows how to do it.  She isn't totally comfortable with it though, so I suspect she might not unless her friends were.  If we lived in our last home, she would have no way to get there, and so it wouldn't even come up.

 

People of all ages get caught up in whatever a crowd is doing.  Middle school kids following their class out the door may not be thinking ahead to "hmm, exactly how far are we walking and will I know how to get back if I get separated from my group?"  Not every kid even really knows what a "protest" is.  Or what can happen if a crowd gets panicked or rowdy.

[Bluegoat]

People of all ages get caught up in whatever a crowd is doing.  Middle school kids following their class out the door may not be thinking ahead to "hmm, exactly how far are we walking and will I know how to get back if I get separated from my group?"  Not every kid even really knows what a "protest" is.  Or what can happen if a crowd gets panicked or rowdy.

 

If the other kids are getting there, there must be a way to get there.  It's unlikely the kids who do know the way are going to try and walk an unreasonable distance, or cross a major freeway, or anything like that.  If they are bussing, they will need the funds to get on, and so on.  I don't think getting somewhere way out of reach is a very likely scenario unless we are talking about kids being picked up in vehicles to go to a particular site.

 

Even if they do get separated from their friends, and are unsure how to get back, that isn't some kind of disaster - they aren't going to be in the next city or some such without realizing it.  They might need to find a phone, or ask for directions, but that really isn't the end of the world.