"every child can learn" and other meaningless platitudes

there is at least one kind of student who will never learn; that student who does not want to learn. add to them, students in classrooms with chronically disruptive students; and students who are just plain scared all day long.

in the meantime, those who have concerns over the failure of students to learn, have been mollified (enough). and it's all about mollifying criticism; not about fixing problems.

take for instance, a high school senior who refuses to obey a principal; and then threatens her with golf clubs. he will sign a contract, and the principal's superiors will be mollified. their butts are covered if the student again loses control, big time. though that will be of little consolation to the teacher or student who's brains have been bashed in.

are this student's teachers are mollified. are the students who sit next to him in class mollified. I doubt that they are.

and if they are not; there is no system in the aps where the decision to put this student back in the mainstream, can be legitimately challenged. it is impossible to hold administrators accountable for their conduct under a system that they control. if there were, administrators would be responsible for a potentially violent student; not regular classroom teachers.

until that time, we will continue as if; any student can be taught, and "contracts" are an appropriate consequences for even the most dangerous and disruptive students.

we know who the bullies are; perhaps we should just have them all sign contracts.