SCHOOL -- 1957 vs. 2007

[tkj24]

SCHOOL -- 1957 vs. 2007

Scenario: Jack goes quail hunting before school, pulls into school parking lot with shotgun in gun rack.
1957 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes to his car and gets h is shotgun to show Jack.
2007 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.

Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school.
1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2 007 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.

Scenario: Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other students.
1957 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by the Principal. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2007 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADD. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.

Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2007 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. State psychologist tells Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has affair with psychologist.

Scenario: Mark gets a headache and t akes some aspirin to school.
1957 - Mark shares aspirin with Principal out on the smoking dock.
2007 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario: Pedro fails high school English.
1957 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.
2007 - Pedro's cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.

Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.
1957 - Ants die.
2007 - BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1957 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexu al predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.

 

[buckaroo]

And this is called progress. While the products we have today are much better than anything we had back in the 50's, our society sure has gone down the slopes, into the gutter.

 

[tkj24]

I agree Buckaroo.

 

[Mopardh9]

yeh isn't that the truth

 

[Whizzer]

A few years ago, went to my fiftieth high school class reunion.
At that time, (1950 - 1954) the entire high school had 180 students and 36 in my senior class.
Many of the kids dropped out as soon as they turned sixteen in order to work on the family farm so the sophomore and junior classes dropped dramatically in size.

At the reunion, one of the things we were asked was to mention an embarrassing moment in those high school.
One young lady mentioned she misspelled a word on a poster designed to hang in the hall for the upcoming student council election.
Her class advisor noticed the misspelled word and sent her to the principals office.

Yes times have changed and the first week in December was deer hunting season. The shotguns were in pickups or cars what few there were since most kids did not have their own vehicle and those that did drove the farm pickup, possibly taking milk to the creamery on the way, and had what was known as a farmer driving license.
The first day of deer hunting was an excused absence and funny how the teachers pretty much knew who the hunters were so for a kid to try the ruse of saying they went hunting just to take the day off, well, it never really worked.

This topic has been bandied about before and most of us think back to the "good old days". But I remember the air raid drills where we got under a desk or crouched by a wall until the all clear was sounded. I recall standing watch for the civil air patrol and calling into a central telephone number the time and general direction of aircraft flying over our small town. We were scared of an atomic bomb attack. And polio.

Things were more quiet but we were scared just as people are scared today. Crime wasn't a big issue. The local police chief drove his personal car ( a 1948 Nash fordor sedan) and knew every scoundrel in the area PLUS every kid. When there was trouble or the potential for trouble, the Chief get a handle on it right away and sometimes, the punishment was a physical tune-up rather than jail. It served its purpose well.

I vividly recall three youngsters, all from good families (whatever that means), and no, I wasn't one of them, who stole hubcaps for the helluvit. These kids got caught and between the police chief and their parents, those kids had a scare put into them that would end a war.
No criminal proceedings were held and although the entire town knew who they were within twenty-hours, the disgrace they suffered was punishment enough.
Compared to today, there is no fear. Mom or Dad will hire a lawyer because "my child could never do that".

I hate to say it but I think the youngsters of that era had more respect for elders. We didn't question everything and perhaps that was fine, then. Today things are different.
People move around and relocate. few ever stay on the farm and mostly today, we don't even know who are neighbors are.

Oh I could go on and on about the things seen and changes made but nothing will change so the best I can do is think about those times and live for today.