Student Sues to End Summer Homework
Our sue-happy culture has gone one step further, this time indicating how the frivolous practices are being passed on to the next generation.
In this case, reported on Fox's website, a seventeen year-old student in Milwaukee, has sued a math teacher, three school administrators and the state's superintendent of public instruction for assigning summer homework.
According to seventeen year-old Peer Larson, summer homework caused him "a lot of undue stress both at home and at work," and though he admits it didn't completely ruin his summer, he claims he "just didn't have the energy or the time for it."
Now, perhaps one could have sympathy for poor Peer if he had taken this up with the school board or brought attention to it through other, more appropriate means. After all, I don't ever remember having homework over the summer, though some could argue that, in my case, it probably wouldn't have been a bad idea. Nevertheless, for us, summer was ours; a time for rest and fun between the rigors of our school life. A time to forget about school for a while and re-fuel.
In this case, however, I have no sympathy for old Peer. When your first option in dealing with a silly problem like this is the court-system, it is quickly filed under the "pathetic" column. It's incredibly pathetic because his father actually joins him in the suit. I can't imagine my father even considering taking part in something so frivolous and counter-productive to his son's education. It's not about whether or not this father is in favor of limiting his son's education, it's about what he is teaching him. In a society that is already full of junk lawsuits, the signs seem to be that the best (or worst) is yet to come.
The best thing the judge can do in this case is to swiftly dismiss this and laugh them out of the court. Hopefully (though I'm not holding my breath), others would get the message and think twice (or, please, at least once) about getting involved in this kind of absurdity.
In this case, reported on Fox's website, a seventeen year-old student in Milwaukee, has sued a math teacher, three school administrators and the state's superintendent of public instruction for assigning summer homework.
According to seventeen year-old Peer Larson, summer homework caused him "a lot of undue stress both at home and at work," and though he admits it didn't completely ruin his summer, he claims he "just didn't have the energy or the time for it."
Now, perhaps one could have sympathy for poor Peer if he had taken this up with the school board or brought attention to it through other, more appropriate means. After all, I don't ever remember having homework over the summer, though some could argue that, in my case, it probably wouldn't have been a bad idea. Nevertheless, for us, summer was ours; a time for rest and fun between the rigors of our school life. A time to forget about school for a while and re-fuel.
In this case, however, I have no sympathy for old Peer. When your first option in dealing with a silly problem like this is the court-system, it is quickly filed under the "pathetic" column. It's incredibly pathetic because his father actually joins him in the suit. I can't imagine my father even considering taking part in something so frivolous and counter-productive to his son's education. It's not about whether or not this father is in favor of limiting his son's education, it's about what he is teaching him. In a society that is already full of junk lawsuits, the signs seem to be that the best (or worst) is yet to come.
The best thing the judge can do in this case is to swiftly dismiss this and laugh them out of the court. Hopefully (though I'm not holding my breath), others would get the message and think twice (or, please, at least once) about getting involved in this kind of absurdity.
Labels: David C. Price
posted by DAVID C. PRICE at 1/21/2005 02:00:00 PM
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