Calexico Mission student digs ditch as punishment By VICTOR MORALES, Staff Writer
Friday, September 7, 2007 10:58 PM PDT
CUAUHTEMOC BELTRAN PHOTO
Calexico Mission School is shown after hours Friday.
CALEXICO — When Art Montejano was driving along First Street on Wednesday something caught his attention.
A ditch was being dug in front of Calexico Mission School.
But it was not a construction worker doing the digging. It was not a man. It was not even an adult.
“Here was a little girl dressed in her school uniform digging a hole,” said Montejano, a 67-year-old lifelong resident of Calexico.
With a shovel in hand and without shade to protect her from the sun, the girl told Montejano she was being punished by the school’s principal, Susan Smith.
The girl was a student at Calexico Mission, a private school operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
“It’s just part of our discipline program,” Smith said Thursday. “I don’t know that I have to justify it to the press.”
Smith would not disclose the girl’s name or the violation but said she was in the 10th grade. She was being punished along with another girl.
The other girl was made to sweep the campus, Smith said.
“What we are trying to do is impress the seriousness of their actions. What they did was dangerous,” Smith said. She would not disclose the nature of the violation.
But Montejano said the discipline was too harsh.
“It’s a form of corporal punishment that is not acceptable as far as I am concerned,” he said.
Smith said the girl’s parents approved the punishment. She received water breaks and was digging for no more than two hours, which she began at around 8 a.m.
“It was not like we had her staked out there,” Smith said.
Temperatures ranged from 88 to 94 degrees that morning, according to the National Weather Service.
“In administering discipline it’s our policy not to endanger our students in any way,” said Don Dudley, the superintendent of schools for the Southeastern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Office of Education, which owns the school.
“Anytime the health and safety of our students is endangered we’ll investigate to ensure our students are safe and protected,” he said.
Dudley said he was in contact with the school and planed to investigate the incident.
Calexico Mission has been in Calexico for 70 years. The kindergarten through 12th-grade school has 394 students enrolled, with 83 percent of their students being from Mexicali, Smith said.
Unlike public schools, private schools like Calexico Mission are not regulated by the California Department of Education, which adheres to state laws.
The law prohibits public schools from inflicting corporal punishment upon students. The law considers corporal punishment as the willful infliction of physical pain except in cases of self-defense and discomfort from athletic competition.
Smith said the school regularly assigns laborious duty to its students, cleaning up the school and public areas in Calexico.
The ditch being dug was for a new sign post, a task supposed to be executed by maintenance personnel, Smith said.
“It was not something being done for the sake of just doing it. Someone has to do it so let’s start this process,” Smith said.
But Montejano said that was a form of exploitation.
“They are getting cheap labor and that bugged the hell out of me,” Montejano said.
" The South Has Risen! Of course, it took them 100+ years to do it. First the old plantations morphed into the giant corporations. Then they infiltrated the 'Party of Lincoln', and now we see their old 'family values' BS popping up here and there, such as all the 'gum flapping' going on here in favor of corporal punishment. "
Starmaniack77 wrote on Sep 13, 2007 1:09 PM:
" I Say...It's A Private School. Provate Schools Are Different. The Parent Of This "lil" I Mean...10th Grader Should Do Something About It IF It Bother Them...Yea, The PARENT. [Since They Are Paying For The Daughter To Ditch.] ...And Another Thing, Which Are The Facts?!...If She Did, Or Did Not Have Shade...I Honeslty Don't Know (and Really Don't Care) But This Article Needs To Have The Right Facts...Tis' All...Have A WONDERFUL Day Everyone.
=) "
jsyi wrote on Sep 12, 2007 6:55 PM:
" JIMSANDOG: It's funny you mention Arpaio lol. It made me think how all the inmates wore pink. I remember visiting an inmate there and thinking how funny everyones "outfits" looked lol. I bet this girl would wish she were dead with Arpaio at the reins since she would probably be donning a neon orange, pink and florescent green striped outfit while digging her hole lol. "
ilovetexas wrote on Sep 12, 2007 3:34 PM:
" PBBFFTT all these comments and theories... maybe the "child" was blamming the long line waits to cross the border and therfore being late to school. The prinicpal came up with the brilliant idea, a short cut tunnel for all her students. "
berimbau_one wrote on Sep 12, 2007 2:10 PM:
" my favorite comment: "waaaa waaaa" "
jimsandog wrote on Sep 12, 2007 9:30 AM:
" Its a great start to her life as a criminal ! I wish that sheriff JOE from Az. ran our schools. As for the digging, probaly another DRUG tunnel that leads from the school to Mex! Don't laugh there was one there for several years,, "
clxboy wrote on Sep 12, 2007 1:55 AM:
" Arrowhead: Thats where you think and hope she is going. Now a days, they know more and experience more sexuality than the old days. You were a teen once...c'mon! "
bonifacenation wrote on Sep 11, 2007 10:39 PM:
" " Calexico Mission School has properly educated its rule-breaking-ditch-digging young woman on the proper procedures for excavation. Long time Calexico plumber, Albert Tonoda, R.I.P. used to say: 'Any fool can dig a ditch! But to excavate a hole of service for a purpose - that's key.' Those who find the principal's methods exploitive, cruel or unusual maybe could recall the scene in the prison yard of Paul Newman's 'Cool Hand Luke' and the prison guard says, ‘Luke! That ditch is Boss Keen’s ditch. That dirt in it is your dirt. What’s your dirt doing in his ditch?’ Luke answers: ‘I don’t know, Boss.” To which the guard replies: 'Get in there and get it out, Boy.’ Albert Tonoda would be proud of this young student's excavation and Calexico Mission School's fledgling service tunnel class. "
"
ballesteros wrote on Sep 11, 2007 8:31 PM:
" Hello Mr. Know it All. Try getting the 07 scores from the Imperial County Office of Education. You will see if you investigate that 3 schools made their API and their AYP. Lowest in the state? One of those schools is out of program improvement, something that no other school has done this year in California. Do some research; and it's not my opinion, it is fact. "
vquinonez wrote on Sep 11, 2007 5:20 PM:
" Well, here are my 2 cents: I attended CMS 4th-12thgrade;9-full-years. I took a class with Mrs. Smith when she was still part of the teaching staff. In her defense, I can say she is fair and sure cares for her students. During my Junior year I did something I'm not proud of in her class and she sure gave me a lesson of honor and responsibility. I can say it was not pleasant back then to see my grade lowered and lose a job opportunity, but I know it was the fair thing to do and sure gave me a life lesson. I think digging the ditch is a good way to discipline; probably a little harsh and not the best one in the long run (although now I'm sure this sophomore will never forget), but even though I'm-not-an-adventist, I appreciate the values and good examples that I witnessed during my years at CMS that DID influence my classmates and myself in a very positive way in the long run. As a CMS Alumni, I support Mrs. Smith and my former teachers. Even though she didn't disclose details, I can affirm-and-trust-she-acted and will act-for-the good of-her-students. "
arrowhead wrote on Sep 11, 2007 4:31 PM:
" Clxboy: I didn't know you'd get pregnant if you went to the Mall! "
Gamecock wrote on Sep 11, 2007 3:56 PM:
" Fresh air,Sunshine,Hard work, it' payed off for Me. "
dudeski wrote on Sep 11, 2007 3:18 PM:
" Good points Mr. Knowitall. Our culture has bought into this idea that punishment doesn't work, that it produces undesirable results. Consequently, parenting styles have become increasingly permissive, to the detriment of children. Parents have no alternative, at times but to impose heavy punishment, like in this situation. Other situations may require natural consequences to play out. This notion that the problem stems from parents' "super high expectations" or lack of guidance automatically assumes it's the parent's fault.
"
mrknowitall wrote on Sep 11, 2007 12:48 PM:
" myfamilytreehouse - What an interesting observation. You are basically saying that the consequences should be enjoyable enough for the child that they feel bad about what they did and don't hate the consequential punishment. I sure hope you are not affiliated with thefamilytreehouse in Imperial, which I have supported over the years. If you are, I was terribly misguided about what you are about, which is obviously more concerned about making "happy" children than responsible ones. I'm also curious what you would consider to be appropriate consequences for the students actions. They ran away from school, jumped on a bus and went to the mall, exposing themselves to great danger from predators and others, not to mention great liability to the school....Maybe you would have them color some pretty pictures? "
dudeski wrote on Sep 11, 2007 11:31 AM:
" So by the myfamilytreehouse logic, we shouldn't make children work so hard when they defy the rules. We as parents have to be more "intelligent" and do all the work to ensure children obey. There's no benefit in that for the child... the onus lies on them to respect their parent's and/or school's rules. Putting some heat on them won't ruin them, it builds character.
I agree with toohar2doc... leave this fine school alone! "
tjdlg wrote on Sep 11, 2007 10:56 AM:
" i'm sorry but did the story say she ditched?
one more comment about a little girl. years ago when there was no word "teenager" you were either a child or adult. this so called little girl is old enough to accept responsiblity, especially if her parents were aware of it. can we pleas keep the race card out of this or colonization! if we treat people like children or so called indiginous people, then that's how we will see them, and that's how they will seem to respond. the mind sees what it wants to see, and very many times it sees the wrong thing! "
myfamilytreehouse wrote on Sep 11, 2007 9:19 AM:
" Unfortunately, too many feel that discipline means punishment. I think everyone should take at least a couple of courses on developmental psychology before enlisting "punishment" as opposed to exposing children to consequences. The consequence must match the non-compliance so they will learn. Making a student miss more school for missing school is a bit of poor planning, it doesn't match. Althouth it sounds like "you ditch, so dig a ditch" matches, it really doesn't. I think we need to get to the root of the problem which most likely stems from parental guidance and love or lack thereof. Or maybe, as children we were all so "perfect" and expect our children to be. Super high expectations are just as ineffective as no expectations at all. All normal children test their limits,provided the parents know what limits are. Parents should love their children and provide options, opportunities, consequences, and alternatives for learning. Like I advise all parents, if you have to keep on punishing, then you are using a strategy that is not working! Try something more intelligent. Running laps around the field doesn't make the behavior go away, it makes us hate exercise. "
Prov3 wrote on Sep 11, 2007 7:51 AM:
" "Toohard2doc", I couldn't agree more. "
19661966 wrote on Sep 10, 2007 10:48 PM:
" what about the people busting their chops in the feilds in 100 plus degrees everyday. "
jsyi wrote on Sep 10, 2007 5:46 PM:
" Bring on the paddle... "
Gamecock wrote on Sep 10, 2007 4:13 PM:
" Tomorrow is 9/11. NEVER FORGET "
toohard2doc wrote on Sep 10, 2007 3:51 PM:
" If anyone reading cares to reason from cause to effect, then they should consider the consequences of such hostility towards those given the difficult task of rearing or educating children in the U. S. First, it is simply rueful when we live in a society where parties unrelated to a child can easily make accusations against parents or teachers that cause them to fear to discipline. Secondly, it is a shame when elected officials pass laws to protect children from "corporeal" punishment by their parents and teachers, on the one hand, while, on the other hand, those same elected officials will pass laws to subject those same "children" to capital punishment after they have murdered, robbed or raped innocent citizens. There appears to be a basic disconnect in logic here. We should ask ourselves, who loves the children more? A concerned parent or teacher or some stranger entering the saga in its middle act? Is it better to punish corporeally, or, to punish capitally? Leave this fine school alone! Leave loving parents alone to discipline and correct their children as they see fit. Or, continue to build prisons and execution chambers. "
krissh wrote on Sep 10, 2007 2:52 PM:
" Maybe if we reinstated spanking in the public school systems, there wouldn't be the problems we have today. When I was in school, just the thought of knowing that the principal had the authority to spank me if I did something against the rules was enough to keep me on the straight path. Also, now a days, the parents aren't involved enough with their children and disciplining them as they were even in the early and late 80's. Too many babies having babies and not enough parental control! Go to a public school and ask what the problmes are, most teachers will tell you not enough discipline at home! So, obviously someone has to teach these kids right from wrong. "
jmoreno wrote on Sep 10, 2007 1:22 PM:
" mrknowitall: Calexico public schools can't be that bad, as YOU say. Calexico HS has a WASC 6 year accreditation up to 2012. 5 out of the 8 Gates Millinium Scholarships(over $200,000) in the Valley came from Calexico HS in the past two years. CHS has more graduates admitted and attending UC/CSU than any other school in the Valley. CHS has the highest number of seniors going on to IVC than any other school in the Valley. But you go on bashing Calexico public schools and remember, a high school is meausured by what its graduates become! "
mum4maya wrote on Sep 10, 2007 12:54 PM:
" This sort of punishment is reminiscent of the way Spanish colonists "converted" the indigenous people of Mexico. Bottom line.
And it is about race when MAJORITY of the students are from Mexico. How is that not about race? I've been an inner city school teacher for a decade. And let me tell you that such punishment 1) violates CA Ed. Code. Only private schools can get away with it. 2) wouldn't work at all w/a Black student from South Central L.A. or a rich white kid from Orange County. Only fearful and oppressed parents from across the border will put up with this type of b.s.!!!
The principal is simply taking advantage of the fact that she can get away with this unnecessary and useless punishment with parents who are NOT likely to stand up with religious authorities. why? Because they've been colonized. So go ahead, support this backward pedagogue. At the end of the day, it is NOT going to work anyway.
As for Little House on the Prairie reference, when did Charles ever do something this archaic to make his flawless children learn a life lesson? "
mardia wrote on Sep 10, 2007 12:48 PM:
" To each his own! Just an FYI: Saturday school and a good "butt-wooping" from mom worked for me! :) "
vanicastaneda wrote on Sep 10, 2007 12:29 PM:
" "Little Girl" oh pleeeease!!! this is no little girl! She obviously knew that what she did was wrong and that was simply her punishment; to dig a hole. Big deal! I wish more schools would teach discpline like that! First we have people saying it's unfair, etc., etc., but then we wonder why our children nowadays are going on shooting rampages, killing their own parents and torturing other children and whatnot. This world just seems to be getting more violent and our children I believe are not getting enough discipline. I totally agree with Downstrike. At least she gets a taste of what real work feels like so she can appreciate the fact that her parents are paying to send her to a really good school, the majority of us do not have that luxury. "
Downstrike wrote on Sep 10, 2007 11:57 AM:
" "Little girl"?
In California, a 10th grade girl may get a job, drive a car, or even get married, with parental consent. If she faced law enforcement and court, she'd be LUCKY to get off with performing public service.
This is NOT corporal punishment. It is discipline, which literally means, teaching and learning. If her school believes she may learn from it, it is their duty to teach her. Schools have enough problems teaching troublesome students, without some meddling busybody turning it into a news event.
Is Mr. Montejano one of those people who don't know the difference between discipline and retaliation? If all he got for childhood misbehavior from his parents and teachers was retaliation, he is much to be pitied, may be excused for misunderstanding, and needs some sincere discipline himself, because he is distracting this student from her lesson.
In 5th grade, I was assigned to sweep sidewalks after making a mess. I had it coming, and learned from it. It was just like PE, except that I had a task to accomplish.
When I was 12, a neighbor hired me to dig holes and a trench. Is a teenager incapable of doing the same work? "
wikiscogg wrote on Sep 10, 2007 11:37 AM:
" I just went down memory lane when I had detention from my PE teacher. I had to run the track, poll vault and jump hurdles for one hour. That sure made me not want to get detention again. I don't think making the girl who is in the 10th grade dig a ditch is bad punishment. Good exercise probably since so many of these young kids are obeses anyway. "
lorena 05 wrote on Sep 10, 2007 11:05 AM:
" most are forgeting the basic facts.... this girl like most teens in this country need to learn to face the consequences of their acts..
she failed to follow the rules and she had to pay the price..... it is better to dig a dith one day and learn a lesson, than continue ignoring the rules established by the school and maybe her family. Our society have too many "unruly" teens in prison, just because we wanted to be "warm and fussy" and did not have enough guts to do the right thing at an early age..... good for you Mrs Smith, I wish all schools in this country can follow you.... kids need lots of discipline that they don't even get at home..... somebody have to do something..... and you are right you don't have to explain your accions to the press....
"
Prov3 wrote on Sep 10, 2007 10:59 AM:
" When I first read the headline on Saturday's paper about a girl having to dig a ditch, it immediately caught my eye. Then, after reading the article, I realized that the headline was misleading, the girl actually was forced to dig a hole for a sign post and the only "ditch" was the girl's choice to skip school. Yes, the school's form of punishment does seem a bit strange but I don't think it harmed her, other than probably having sore muscles the next day and a bruised ego to go along with them. Hopefully, she learned her lesson and that the other students also learned from her mistake as well. As for her and her friend's decision to skip school and go to the mall, that could have been dangerous had something happened to these two girls. Fortunately, nothing did and they can just consider it a learning experience. "
mrknowitall wrote on Sep 10, 2007 9:55 AM:
" Ballesteros - I don't know where you get your information from, probably from the "great" superintendent Calexico has, but Calexico Schools are known throughout the state as the WORST schools in California. They are not even close to getting out of Program Improvement status....look at this webpage
http://api.cde.ca.gov/AcntRpt2007/2006Base_Dst.aspx?allcds=1363099
Every school in the District is in either the 1st or 2nd decile, meaning they are in the bottom 20 percent of all schools in the state...even lower than others with a high English Learner population. Calexico schools hides behind that designation but is failing their kids. Of course, that's just my opinion. "
andreatira wrote on Sep 10, 2007 9:20 AM:
" Digging a ditch wouldn't have stopped me from ditching... detention and in house suspension did it for me... IT SUCKED!! the girl is getting out of class... she's prob happy about that heh :) "
bluecat wrote on Sep 10, 2007 7:23 AM:
" I think if punishment and discipline like this were used in public schools maybe some teens wouldn't be such jerks and it may save some from a life of crime. let's hold kids accountable for their actions and make consequences for actions that are not acceptable. When did this country decide teens don't have to take responsbility for their actions? "
clxboy wrote on Sep 10, 2007 12:37 AM:
" Everyone talks about "arrested" and how bad things are. I bet that girl wont ditch anymore! Period! Id rather have my daughter dig a hole than later be pregnant!! "
burn33 wrote on Sep 9, 2007 10:10 PM:
" So she was made to dig a ditch, so what? It isn't that physically demanding, or shouldn't be to any teenager in our country. While the ditch may be a bit out there, in context it isn't that abnormal, I remember having to lug a trash can around the campus picking up trash, I remember being given a putty knife and a paper sack, and my punishment was complete when the paper sack was full of gum from the bottom of the tables in the quad.
I give Kudo's for for this school trying to give punishment a distinction. While it is not the traditional "clean up the campus, while cleaning up your act" the school did need the hole for a sign post. I would be a bit upset however if they were making students dig a ditch just to dig.
"
MrsR10 wrote on Sep 9, 2007 12:14 PM:
" First, I must say that I respect Mr. Montejano’s concern and care for students. However, what you have seen, sir, may not be what it really is in the broader spectrum of things. Take the following illustration into consideration: Mr. & Mrs. X live across the street from your house. One late afternoon, neighbor Q saw Mr. Y stacking suitcases under a tree in his yard and heard him say, “I can’t take this anymore!” Neighbor Q, having seen the suitcases and heard the statement immediately assumed that Mr. Y was leaving his wife. Rumor had in the community that Mr. & Mrs. Y were getting divorced! Until one day, Mr. Y heard the rumor about his pending divorce and was shocked…! It was then he revealed that the suitcases belonged to his dear sister-in-law who was visiting, and that the statement he made had everything to do with his nagging arthritis pain in his knee and wrist!
So here we see that it is dangerous to jump to conclusion before getting the facts straight. Seeing a student digging a small hole does not mean that the school is exploiting students or administering corporal punishment.
That said, I’d like to say that Calexico Mission School is one of the best schools in Calexico! Mrs. Smith would in no way do anything to hurt her students; she loves them dearly. The teachers also do not discriminate against the students. In some cases, the teachers have taken money from their own pockets to help students pay their tuition, so that students who are struggling financially can stay in school and get a good education. Now if that’s not love then what is it?
Students are being trained holistically at CMS. Several times a year, these kids along with their teachers go to Mexicali with lots of goodies to share with the less fortunate and whenever there is a major disaster, you know what the principal does? She allows the kids and teachers to do fundraising on campus and send the proceeds to the victims. The school is teaching its students how to have caring hearts in a self-centered and callous society.
What the kid did was dangerous (hence the punishment) and I am sure she will think twice about doing anything of that nature again. And you know what, that student got a good dose of vitamin D, exercise and a perfect time to reconsider her bad choices. I am encouraging the public to go talk with the students, teachers or principal/s and get the facts straight.
"
chevr1967 wrote on Sep 9, 2007 12:09 PM:
" So how how much did calexico mission school pay you to write that MrsR10? Hah, just kidding. "
jsyi wrote on Sep 9, 2007 11:24 AM:
" Come on now lets not forget that the weather this "not so little" girl was digging in was not out of the ordinary. It is considered an ordinary day to valley standards. Therefore the weather shouldn't even be mentioned unless we want to start with the long list of other occupations that deem it necessary to perform duties outside i.e. crossing guards, caltrans workers, postal workers, UPS/Fedex drivers(have no ac), trashmen, construction workers, FARMERS/FIELD WORKERS just to name a few... Case and point here is a not so little girl decided to be truant and was caught. Said "not so little" girl was punished. Perhaps this is a wake up call for her as this lesson from digging of the ditch foreshadows a much undesirable future if good choices are not made. "
norminchi86 wrote on Sep 9, 2007 10:16 AM:
" Totally agree with Diazz, as a parent there's no way I would want my kid to be humiliated like that in front of other kids and the public passing by. For what ditching school? Didn't we all ditch school? At least now I.V. has a mall to go to. There's other ways to discipline and I think the principle should be arrested. "
jsyi wrote on Sep 9, 2007 9:57 AM:
" Have any of ya'll ever been in Saturday school or even better in-house suspension? Im sure ya'll have a time or two in your lifetime. If you take a moment and take a stroll down memory lane in-house suspension and detention was pretty A-OK in my book. Heck especially if it just so happened to fall on a Saturday you had a dreadful load of chores or maybe even a day you have a big test. Now mind you I would still have to take it as a make up sooner or later but I at least had an opportunity to study a day or two more(not that any one frequent visitor of the detention room would do but hey you never know!) As I've said...it's just a walk in the park. Just figure I'd throw this out there since someone mentioned good ol' detention. Once again I say reintroduce the good old hardwood paddle! "
ballesteros wrote on Sep 9, 2007 9:37 AM:
" Hey Morales, How about getting yourself to the Calexico Unified School District and inquiring about the schools that are getting themselves out of program improvement. Your office has been called several times offering you a story how the schools there are making serious achievements on their state scores. This is something that other schools in California are not doing. Calexico, not La Jolla! A story like this might not get as many "blogs" due to controversy but it will inform the public that our local schools are moving forward way ahead of the competition with a district that has more than 50% language learners. Forget about a "little girl" digging a little hole. "
gymjunkie wrote on Sep 9, 2007 8:13 AM:
" Hey maybe she's just being trained to do the jobs other Americans won't do. "
lioneliz wrote on Sep 9, 2007 8:05 AM:
" G Bush Sr in one of his senior moments said that we should become a "gentler and kinder nation", and look what that brought us. Same guy that said "read my lips, I won't raise taxes". Montejano either led a very sheltered life or doesn't remember that in his era it was "spare the rod, and spoil the child". "
jsyi wrote on Sep 9, 2007 7:27 AM:
" To bad throwing out the race card doesnt yield you frequent flyer miles or some of ya'll would be traveling the world as we speak! "
samz22309 wrote on Sep 9, 2007 3:51 AM:
" Waaaaaaaaa, Waaaaaaaaa, Waaaahaaahaaahaaha "
Daizz wrote on Sep 8, 2007 10:38 PM:
" This recent occurence sounds a bit appalling to me! Why would anyone on God's green earth put another human being to dig a ditch in this scorching weather!!! Sounds like the days of slavery and oppression are coming back!
The school needs to revise their method of discipline and use something more substancial instead. Hope everyone learns from this experience...cuz when one is punished, it only supresses a behavior or attitude, not stop it...discipline leaves a child's dignity in tact.
In that case, the parents should be the ones out there digging the ditch instead! How could they sanction such an act? "
MRKNOWITALL wrote on Sep 8, 2007 9:55 PM:
" Is it just me, or is "abelito" completely nuts?!? Hopefully he/she hasn't produced any spawn.... "
chonguis wrote on Sep 8, 2007 9:12 PM:
" wow, i'm sure digging a hole taught them a lesson!! so now i know when my kids ditch, i'll make them dig a ditch and see if they learn a lesson. what a bunch of retards. what ever happened to detention??? "
phillyfanatic wrote on Sep 8, 2007 9:00 PM:
" the girls needs to come to my house and dig me some trenches for a new sprinkler sytem that my wife get on nagging me about to do. "
abelito wrote on Sep 8, 2007 7:20 PM:
" There's probably a framed sign on the wall that says, "THE FLOGGINGS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMROVES" "
susflores wrote on Sep 8, 2007 7:15 PM:
" mum4maya, Give me a break!! It's not about race, the school is in Calexico for God's sake
where the population is probably 96.8% latino plus only 83% kids in that school are from Mexicali, so your comment is irrelevant to the issue. "
mum4maya wrote on Sep 8, 2007 6:35 PM:
" This is just way too backward for me. What year is this?
The parents' approval is questionable to me. The whole scenarios reeks of OPPRESSION to me.
Would the principal do the same to an inner-city Black kid or a middle-class white kid?
Surely it's easy to carry-out this over-the-top punishment when it's 'just' a Mexican kid from across the border. "
Gamecock wrote on Sep 8, 2007 6:05 PM:
" Give her a bigger shovel.... I'll buy it! "
davidoceguera wrote on Sep 8, 2007 5:13 PM:
" I am closely associated with the school, but I an neither a parent nor teacher. I can assure everyone that Mrs. Smith would never do anything that would endanger the safety of any of the students. The School is doing an amazing work. It is easy for people to misunderstand the situation as is seen in some of the posts here. Still, everyone is entitled to their own opinions. However it would only make sense that opinions are founded more on facts, than emotional feelings. "
abelito wrote on Sep 8, 2007 3:30 PM:
" I give up,'throw in the towel'..."Bring back the paddle."... Better yet,bring back the "Cat o' nine tails." "
polozx3 wrote on Sep 8, 2007 2:19 PM:
" I agree with the School rules. This will certainly teach them a life long lesson. "
Dontcare wrote on Sep 8, 2007 2:06 PM:
" WOW! great job! A+ to the school for the policy they have, which seems to care about the students, instead of just sending problems kids to their parents. I seen it many time when and even read it here in IV Press where a students does something and they are suspended to go home, which sound like an easy way out! And if she did go to the mall? Would "abelito" be upset IF their child had been in an accident going to the mall and not in school. I would! Then I would think that act was dangerous! Good thing that did not here and that the story here on this newspaper was, "Child killed or hurt WHEN she was to be at school."
How many kids are not in the sun at the hour, drive around the schools as see how many are out playing in the SUN at noon! Should the stop that too? "
jsyi wrote on Sep 8, 2007 1:31 PM:
" Todays teens run rampant doing ungodly things that would never have been considered "back in the days." Seems that as time goes on parents are "slacking off" in more ways than one thus creating a sense of security to the kids that you can get away with anything. I believe in the "No good deed goes unnoticed, yet all bad deeds to should punishable to the fullest extent" Hell I remember getting a whooping everytime I screw'd off. You can bet your a$$ it makes you think twice. If this choice in punishment by the principal was THAT bad I doubt the parents would have given the "go ahead". Im glad someone is taking initiative towards the better upbringing of todays youth. Much kudos to you principal Smith. Your actions just might be the one that keeps this girl from potentially becoming a future chola in the Valley which in turn saves the tax payers bookoo bucks from having to pay for her "vacation" in the County Jail... now if we could only reintroduce the paddle.... "
abelito wrote on Sep 8, 2007 1:27 PM:
" What's so d'dangerous agout going to the Mall for a 10th grader that warrants this punishment?
"
susflores wrote on Sep 8, 2007 1:26 PM:
" public school should consider applying the same regulations for punishment. These "little" girls needed a good lesson. As long as the parents agree with the punishment, then who cares what other think. "
abelito wrote on Sep 8, 2007 1:20 PM:
" Vivia,If that is true, then the principal must've been lieing, when she said that they did something 'dangerous'. If she was, then perhaps, the principal should be the one out there digging the hole. "
VIVIA wrote on Sep 8, 2007 12:58 PM:
" The "Little Girl", as the story says, is not so little. She's in 10th grade and knew what she was doing along with her friend. They both ditched school on Friday after second period and went to the IV Mall on the bus. What "little" girls would do that? She wasn't digging the hole on first street either, I saw her and she was working on second street, where there's enough shade from the elementary playground for her to not suffer. At least the girl was doing something that day instead of getting suspended and staying home doing nothing. "
abelito wrote on Sep 8, 2007 12:31 PM:
" Waaa Waaa Sam,et al,
You 'fly-by-nighters' are a funny bunch. 'C'm on. Yer freight train's 'bout to leave the station. Don't fergit your chicken gizzards 'n' stuff fo' yer trip. Heaven knows in what town you'll wake up tomorrow'
"
joselopez wrote on Sep 8, 2007 11:17 AM:
" Why is this the concern of anyone outside of this private school. All at the school including the students and parents concur with school policy. Discipline and hard work is the foundation for future success. The crybabies should look for something else to cry about. "
chevr1967 wrote on Sep 8, 2007 10:58 AM:
" thats nothing, i bet they needed the excercise anyways. "
cardlady wrote on Sep 8, 2007 10:56 AM:
" I say hurray for the parents. To bad more parents don't learn from this. Bet this girl doesn't repeat whatever it was she did! "
robamor wrote on Sep 8, 2007 10:44 AM:
" Bizarre. Maybe the school is trying to build a drug tunnel into Mexicali "
ledman wrote on Sep 8, 2007 10:41 AM:
" I think that school needs to be investigated for everything. Sounds fishy to me. "
living in imperial wrote on Sep 8, 2007 9:52 AM:
" Who is this Montejano guy anyway and why does he care? It's not his kid. If that's what happens at that school, that's what happens. You know what happens at St. Mary's, for instance? They take students to Mass. Can you believe that? Mass? How could they? Well, that's what they do. You don't want your kid to go to Mass, don't send him to St. Mary's. You don't want your kid to have to dig a ditch as punishment? Don't send him to Calexico Mission School. Simple. That's what I'm here for, to offer the simple solutions. Mind your own business. This shouldn't have even made the news unless the girl and/or her parents were unhappy about it. "
MRKNOWitall wrote on Sep 8, 2007 9:49 AM:
" Unfortunately, there are too many parents like czar92231 who believe that the only way to help kids is to coddle them and make excuses for them when they do wrong. I'd hate to be around his kids after a life of dad coming to their rescue every time they screw up..... "
samz22309 wrote on Sep 8, 2007 9:08 AM:
" abelito must b related to the miss teen SC. "
joaby1202 wrote on Sep 8, 2007 8:21 AM:
" Right now, she is digging a ditch in school at a young age to learn a lesson. This may prevent her from digging a ditch in jail later on in her life. I work with hundreds of youth from Imperial Valley and many of them have been failed by their parents and the fruit of their cheap labor when it comes to discipline is clearly noticiable. Someone working with an undisciplined child knows that the work load becomes 20 times heavier. If those people that are harshly judging the school officials became teachers or administrators in any school in our valley, undoubtfully, they would suggest this and more severe type of punishment for our kids. "
abelito wrote on Sep 8, 2007 7:58 AM:
" jsyi,
Go back to watching your 'Little House on the Prairie"! You idiots couldn't take it from the British, but you don't seem to have any problem dishing it out to others. "
jac wrote on Sep 8, 2007 5:20 AM:
" how about some of the other schools taking a lesson in the art of real disicipline and i commend the parents for approving "
samz22309 wrote on Sep 8, 2007 4:18 AM:
" Waaaaaa, Waaaaaaa, Waaaaaaa, Waaaaa "
czar92231 wrote on Sep 8, 2007 2:01 AM:
" jsyi wrote on Sep 8, 2007 1:34 AM:
" cheap labor...In the Imperial Valley? Get real... There is nothing wrong with punishing this girl by making her dig ditches. What the schools need to start doing is swatting and taking the paddle to misbehaved students bottoms to teach them a lesson. Im going to bet students back in the Little House On The Prairie days took school a lot more seriously and were a lot better disciplined.... "
HMMMM....SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN, HOW BOUT YOU BRING YOUR KIDS AND ILL BREAK OUT THE PADDLE.
GET REAL BUDDY, DOESNT SEEM TO BOTHER YOU UNTIL ITS YOUR KID.
I AGREE WITH MR. MONTEJANO, AND IT BOTHERS THE HELL OUT OF ME TOO. "
jsyi wrote on Sep 8, 2007 1:34 AM:
" cheap labor...In the Imperial Valley? Get real... There is nothing wrong with punishing this girl by making her dig ditches. What the schools need to start doing is swatting and taking the paddle to misbehaved students bottoms to teach them a lesson. Im going to bet students back in the Little House On The Prairie days took school a lot more seriously and were a lot better disciplined.... "
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abelito wrote on Sep 16, 2007 11:08 AM: