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Bad Grades Lead to Public Shame
Filed under: In The News
15-year-old Trenton O'Neal's parents were unhappy with his report card, so they forced him to wear a sandwich board for hours at a busy intersection in his hometown of Chesapeake, Virginia. The sign listed his grades and said "My Future = Shaky!"Unhappy with his performance in school, Trenton's parents came up with the punishment as a way of getting his attention. "He hadn't been trying at all," said the high school freshman's father, Rev. Donald General Jr., pastor of Perfecting Saints Church of God in Christ in Virginia Beach. "He's not even handing in work he does when we supervise him. My wife and I are not going to give up on Tre."
It seems to me that if a teenager isn't doing well in school, the parents need to find out what the problem is, rather than try to embarrass the child into suddenly becoming a top-notch student. If they really are supervising him while he does his work and, yet the work is not getting turned in, then perhaps one of the parents needs to walk into the classroom with him to make sure the homework is turned in.
Given that his friends saw him standing on the corner, he's either now the cool bad kid or even less cool than he was beforehand. Either way, I'm not sure this will actually help. Would you do something like this to your kids just for getting bad grades?
| Absolutely -- This kid will think twice before goofing off again | |
|---|---|
| Maybe -- It really depends on the kid | |
| No way -- this could destroy his self esteem |
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
2-10-2009 @ 3:50PM
Amy said...In China, this is the norm. Kids are ridiculed by their teachers when they goof off or don't achieve what their classmates do. Then, the Chinese go and kick the USA's butt in Science and math... What gives? They say that since families are only allowed to have one child, there is a lot of pressure to raise your child "right." Hmmmmm, octomom?
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2-12-2009 @ 1:32AM
AImee Lopez said...My parents are having the same problem with my 14 year old brother. My mom is there with him helping him do his homework yet he "forgets" to turn it in. It's not the teachers responsibility to make sure that he turns in his homework, it's not my parents responsibility to turn in his homework, it is HIS responsibility to turn in his homework and HIS responsibility for his grades. My parents have tried one on one with the teacher, tutoring, punishment, no punishment, pretending not to care and they ask him what is he thinking when he comes home with a D on his report card, "I don't know" or "I forgot". It's driving them crazy. Maybe I should tell them about this tactic, maybe it'll get a rise out of him.
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2-12-2009 @ 8:28PM
armyvet19 said...I agree...public humiliation is quite effective. I say good job for the parents. You did the right thing.
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3-29-2009 @ 9:13PM
Kesha said...I love this tactic. Kids hate being embarrassed, and now maybe he will try harder and realize goofing off doesn't pay for your future. I need to do this to my own child. He does the same thing, and I'm just to my wit ends. It's HIS responsibility. I can't hold his hand in high school, which is next. If he doesn't learn now that responsibility is his role in making sure he turns in all his work in class, homework, and participates as well, he will have a hard time in high school. Good job to those parents.
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