News-Record.com

"...we were worried about someone getting hurt on the signposts or getting tetanus from the rust."

Getting hurt from an election sign? My how childhood has changed.

Never heard of a leftover election sign attacking someone.

As a kid, I was always warned to keep my .22 cal. rifle pointed at the ground until I was sure of what I wanted to kill.

whatever happened to wooden stakes?
Thanks for cleaning up the mess the politicians left at your school. I wonder what canidate left the most signs? That would be interesting to know. hehe.

The letter writer said: "We had to pick up the 50 signposts . . . ."

Operative words "had to"

Questions for the letter writer:

1. Who said you "had to"?

2. Was it a school official, and, if so, how high up on the chain of command was he/she?

3. Were you assured of a school/ education credit for removing the signs as a community service?

4. Did this happen at a primary, elementary, junior high, or high school?

5. Do you realize that tetanus is also present in dirt? Now aren't you glad to have an up-to-date tetanus shot? That shot makes it ever so much safer to play outside.

6. Why did your school's maintenance workers not round up the signs? I imagine they would have had protective gloves to wear IF the signs were as rusty as you say.

7. Do you believe your principal never thought of calling the Election Board to pick up the signs? If the signs were that rusty it sounds like they are the permanent-type signs used to indicate a polling place and with polling instructions and probably belonged to the local Election Board.

8. Do you think adults in the community will make a big deal of this?

I will if you tell me that you were ORDERED by the school to remove the signs and that the signs truly were a health hazard.

I await the finer details on this situation.

I'm sure there is a law firm willing to hear your story to see if a class action suit is called for.
For I'm sure you are not the only kids required to pick up after adults.

Then maybe this was only an assignment in civics.
To help you understand how our political system works.
I sure hope nobody sustained lasting disabilities from this forced labor.
Remember above all, we hope this will change in the future.

Gee whiz, what a big problem...picking up 50 signs, how did the students manage to stay awake after all that work??? I'll bet it took longer to write this letter than it took to do this horrible job...and rusty??? Wish I had pictures.

I'm with neo.

Thanks to those of you who choose to bully a ten-year-old over the computer about a letter she wrote to the newspaper. As a teacher who participated in the sign clean-up, the point was for our students to realize that they had a voice and a RIGHT to express their concern over the fact that the same people who tell them what to do and how to do it can't seem to follow their own advice. To those of you concerned, we did have staff members helping with sign clean-up and supervising the students to ensure their safety. Second, our students concern was not merely for their safety, but for the safety of the younger students at our school who like to run around and play on the school grounds - yes, they are still allowed to play at school. Assuming you are intelligent adults, one would hope that you would realize that these letters are edited and that not all of the information that you address was included. I should also hope that you would respect the fact that a group of children wanted to do what they felt was right, not because they were forced to, but because they actually cared. We always hear about terrible things happening in our schools, and for once our students try and do something positive, but only to be mocked? Shame on you.

Thanks for your post catherinescott.

1) No one bullied the writer. To my knowledge you have never posted here and don't realize that some of us actually enjoy a bit of humor. The vision of election signs attacking people is an example.

2) Your students do have a right to express their concerns. Kudos to your student for expressing her opinion. Others on this blog have a right to express their opinions. That's what blogs and letters to the editor are all about.

3) As I mentioned, childhood is vastly different from the 60's and 70's when I was a kid. We actually rode bikes without helmets and knee/elbow pads, climbed up trees, and roamed the neighborhood until dinner time.

I did other things that today are inconceivable such as crawling a block through a drainage pipe and burning the spiders with a candle to make my way. We also inevitably stepped on rusty nails, screws, etc. by accident but our parents made sure we had our tetanus shots.

Despite all this we survived and were not negatively affected by election signs. Here we are today worrying about young kids running into an election sign and getting injured or worse contracting an illness from touching one. What horror.

To be blunt, if this illustrates what our schools have become then we are raising a society of wimps.

3) As a teacher, you may want to consider usage of paragraphs.

catherinescott, I was not trying to "bully" the letter writer. I truly would appreciate answers to my questions.

Most of my questions exist because of my disagreement with the adjudication in the federal courts (Middle District of NC and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals) of a certain civil action in the mid-1990's.

Are you familiar with Herndon v. Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Board of Education?

The outcome of that case prompted my asking those questions.

Ms. Scott,

You need a major attitude adjustment. Based on your sarcastic, angry, belittling comment, I certainly would not want you to be teaching one of my grandchildren.

I had not responded to this ltte prior to this. My thoughts were "How typical for kids today to complain about work and adults." but I didn't post that until now. Your example of how to respond to some innocent comments prompted me to let you know how inappropriate your comments are. It is not so much the context as the way in which it was delivered. Surely, as an educated woman, you can do better.

Dear Catherine, As a retired teacher, I am surprised at your letter and the support of the kid who wrote the letter..sure she has the right to write a letter and it doesn't have to make sense. As to "bullying"...you obviously have a different view than I.

As an adult, I picked up trash in my classroom left by students. I didn't feel demeaned or put upon...It only took a short time.

Also interested in how kids were "made" to pick up. When I taught school we couldn't "make" kids do any work even when in ISS. They could choose to do some work. I'll bet the kids loved getting out of class to be outside. I know I would have.

When did the signs go up?

If they were oh so dangerous on November 5th, then weren't they also dangerous on November 3rd?

Why would any rational administrator at a school allow such dangerous obstacles be put up on school property anyway? And then allow the children to pick them up, what with danger and all. Did you get child-sized biohazard suits?

Why is no one at that school thinking of the children?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!11!?!!?!?!111111one!?!?!?!?!?

Next election, just call BJ Barnes and get an inmate work crew to come to the school to pick them up. I'm sure that will make all the parents happy. And if one of them gets hurt, no one cares anyway.

Alright, I've had my jollies.

Realistically, though, the only "danger" that I could even imagine coming from this is if some rowdy kids started hitting each other with the signs.

Furthermore, since public schools, and school employee salaries, are completely covered by governmental funds, I don't have a whole lot of sypathy for the schools having to spend a day every 4 years clearing up political signs. I guess I'm just a jerk like that.

When did the signs go up?

If they were oh so dangerous on November 5th, then weren't they also dangerous on November 3rd?

Why would any rational administrator at a school allow such dangerous obstacles be put up on school property anyway? And then allow the children to pick them up, what with danger and all. Did you get child-sized biohazard suits?

Why is no one at that school thinking of the children?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!11!?!!?!?!111111one!?!?!?!?!?

Next election, just call BJ Barnes and get an inmate work crew to come to the school to pick them up. I'm sure that will make all the parents happy. And if one of them gets hurt, no one cares anyway.

Alright, I've had my jollies.

Realistically, though, the only "danger" that I could even imagine coming from this is if some rowdy kids started hitting each other with the signs.

Furthermore, since public schools, and school employee salaries, are completely covered by governmental funds, I don't have a whole lot of sypathy for the schools having to spend a day every 4 years clearing up political signs. I guess I'm just a jerk like that.

Been thinking, Dude...when I taught I would have loved to pick up signs instead of teach...would have been a nice break, fresh air and sunshine and all that jazz...good points about how long signs had been up. If they weren't put there Nov 4 they were in violation of the law I would think...and if they rusted over night, that was a miracle.

Catherine, when did the signs go up?

Thank goodness for a letter on which all bloggers agree and can have some fun...

"Thank goodness for a letter on which all bloggers agree and can have some fun.."

Gotta agree Carol, a letter where we all agree is refreshing.

At my kids school two from the class have to stay behind after lunch to wipe the tables and chairs. Heavens to Betsy, there could be leftover germs that could harm my young whippersnappers!!!

Watch a lawsuit result of this. What a society of wimps we are raising.