Schooling In-School
Emma Kitchens, On-Time Specialist
April 20, 2012
Filed under Student Life
In-School Suspension, something a lot of students dread getting. Did it used to always be that way? Nope. Some students used to love getting ISS for one simple reason: it was a free day to basically do whatever you wanted. Students slept, students talked with each other, students ate whenever they felt like it, students left when a teacher called for them (which was every period for some students who were the part of the chosen few).
It all changed this year. Students now aren’t allowed to sleep, they cannot talk unless directed to, students are no longer allowed to eat except for their lunch time, and no more allowing students to leave when a teacher calls for them. What changed? Well for starters, Mrs. Lloyd happened.
Mrs. Lloyd arrived a little late into the new school year. She started off by interviewing students, teachers, and administrations on the way ISS had been before. Students said that they never really followed any of the rules that were in place and they received no consequence for it.
Teachers said they thought ISS was ineffective because students did no work and slept all day, ultimately receiving no punishment. As one teacher said, “ISS was not a punishment, more like a reward for making my life miserable in class.”
Administration said that they were tired of seeing the same few students constantly in ISS.
Mrs. Lloyd took all of that information and made the new set of rules. Now if you don’t do your work teachers send you to ISS, you will either receive a zero for the assignment or you will be called back to ISS until that work is done. Mrs. Lloyd also added the 300 word essay on “the importance of following rules, what rule said student violated, and their immediate plan of action to fix said rule from being violated again” that you are to complete when your in ISS for the first time.
Mrs. Lloyd gave me the rare permission to read the essays. Some students thought out what they were going to say and put it in an obviously well-organized paper, while other students made it blindingly clear they did not think the assignment was worth their time. Some choice bits from what I read include:
“I guess I could say I know not to skip class anymore. Sitting in a trailer with twenty kids that grunt and say stupid words isn’t my idea of a fun time.”
“I violated said tardy policy on the last day of the semester and would have been five seconds late to class had I been let in. But luckily I have a wonderful teacher turn me away when I was less than ten feet from her door.”
“Is this really the best form of punishment the school could think of? Let’s take these kids that barely exceeded the parameters of the school rules and lock them in a room.”
However, some students still enjoy ISS while others don’t. Omari Baskett, sophomore, is one of the rising many that dislike ISS, “I don’t like ISS period. Nobody should like ISS. It’s less stress this year because she [Mrs. Lloyd] doesn’t yell, but I have no rights and I can’t see my friends and I have to eat cold food.”
A certain sophomore, one who did not want to be named for his shame of being in ISS over tardies agreed with Omari. “It sucks so much. You’re bored to death when the teachers don’t send you work. You want to bash your head into the desk.”
Freshman Alex Trapp said, “I hate it, it’s really boring. There’s nothing to do.”
