The V Word

[denny]

http://tinyurl.com/27esmf

http://hallmonitor.lohudblogs.com/2007/03/06/406/ (also available at http://jjhs.klschools.org/home.aspx )

http://hallmonitor.lohudblogs.com/2007/03/07/the-v-word-controversy-in-their-own-words/

Interesting stuff.

Personally, I'm inclined to go with the 'two wrongs make a right' theory here - the school's censorship attempt was wrong, and therefore the girls' disobedience of that censorship attempt was right. I think the principal should apologise for both the initial censorship attempt, and for the school's reaction to the girls breaking the conditions imposed on their performance - but most importantly for the former.

Opinions?

Comments

[robert-jones.livejournal.com]

I've never really understood this position. Why is respect necessarily earned? Why isn't obtaining a certain position a valid way of earning respect?

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

Well, it is, but not so much of my respect because it was earned based on other people's perceptions of that person's prior actions, and I don't trust other people :)

It also may be a very new position (in which case their skill at it remains unproven) or a very old one (in which case the actions that got them there are long-gone). For example, I've just been made a manager. The fact that I can give that as my job title now doesn't mean I deserve any respect for it - the matter of whether I'm a good manager remains unproven at this point. It may or may not mean I deserve respect as a programmer, but that's largely irrelevant if it's being a manager that I'm trying to gain respect for.

Similarly, a headmaster in this country might have got that position largely through being a teacher for 20 years. I don't think that necessarily qualifies them to be respected as an administrator and policy-setter, particularly when half of that experience is probably seriously outdated were they to re-enter the classroom.

[blackmetalbaz.livejournal.com]

I agree with this wholeheartedly.

[robert-jones.livejournal.com]

But I struggle to see how you could have an opportunity to develop or demonstrate your management skills unless the people you're managing start out by giving you the benefit of the doubt and respecting you qua manager, whether or not they respect you personally.

[dennyd.livejournal.com]

Really? I don't see the problem. I make judgement calls, decisions about what direction we should take on a project, whatever. They choose whether or not to pay any attention to me, initially probably based on how well my opinion lines up with their own. Later on we find out whether I was right or not. If I'm right more than I'm wrong, and particularly if I'm right when they're wrong, their respect for my judgement presumably rises.

Alternatively, I might win similar credit merely by bringing out aspects of a problem for discussion and consideration that hadn't occurred to them. Overly simple example: "We need to do D before we can do F" "Oh yeah". I imagine I'd get a bit of credit just for thinking of it, if they hadn't.