The zero-tolerance policy was created to make the school environment safer for the students, the faculty and the community. The policy address violent actions, possession of weapons and drugs with suspension and expulsion. The standard protocol for zero-tolerance eliminates the individual’s moral decision making as every case is conducted in the same manner, no matter the circumstance. As presented in “Stolen Trust”, by Kailey Burger and Meira Levinson, a great teacher-student relationship is faced with a criminal case of a missing phone.
The setting of this case creates the classic environment for racial tension and inequality. To begin, let’s discuss the suspect. The man’s name is Wesley and is described as being teenaged, tall, “chocolate colored (pg.76)”, and expressing delinquent behavior on a normal basis. This kind of attitude has led to frequent suspensions in his freshman and sophomore years of school, to the point where he was nearly expelled. He has often rejected emotional and educational aid from his history teacher, Ms. Smith, prior to the tutoring sessions they had together. With a failing grade in history, a misbehaving reputation and his …show more content…
I believe that we should solve the problem outside of the zero-tolerance policy as an opportunity to gain Wesley’s trust. This gives him a second chance at succeeding in school and in his future life because he is not being accused of anything. If Ms. Smith and Wesley had truly created a lasting relationship during the tutoring sessions, he would not feel incriminated of stealing the phone when Ms. Smith goes to talk to him. It would be up to Wesley whether or not to admit to stealing the phone or not, and to be truthful about it. If he gets away with the crime, it demonstrates to other students that they can take advantage of Ms. Smith and similar white, female teachers at their school and it is supporting delinquent
The setting of this case creates the classic environment for racial tension and inequality. To begin, let’s discuss the suspect. The man’s name is Wesley and is described as being teenaged, tall, “chocolate colored (pg.76)”, and expressing delinquent behavior on a normal basis. This kind of attitude has led to frequent suspensions in his freshman and sophomore years of school, to the point where he was nearly expelled. He has often rejected emotional and educational aid from his history teacher, Ms. Smith, prior to the tutoring sessions they had together. With a failing grade in history, a misbehaving reputation and his …show more content…
I believe that we should solve the problem outside of the zero-tolerance policy as an opportunity to gain Wesley’s trust. This gives him a second chance at succeeding in school and in his future life because he is not being accused of anything. If Ms. Smith and Wesley had truly created a lasting relationship during the tutoring sessions, he would not feel incriminated of stealing the phone when Ms. Smith goes to talk to him. It would be up to Wesley whether or not to admit to stealing the phone or not, and to be truthful about it. If he gets away with the crime, it demonstrates to other students that they can take advantage of Ms. Smith and similar white, female teachers at their school and it is supporting delinquent