<p>It is hard for me to believe that this student really thought that writing things like this was what the teacher meant. I bet that this was an example of senoiritis combined with plain stupidity about what’s appropriate.</p>
<p>However, his potentially facing a jail sentence and a $1,000 fine seems excessive.</p>
<p>"CARY, Illinois (AP) – A high school senior was arrested after writing that “it would be funny” to dream about opening fire in a building and having sex with the dead victims, authorities said…</p>
<p>Allen Lee, 18, faces two disorderly conduct charges over the creative-writing assignment, which he was given on Monday in English class at the northern Illinois school.</p>
<p>Students were told to “write whatever comes to your mind. Do not judge or censor what you are writing,” according to a copy of the assignment.</p>
<p>According to the complaint, Lee’s essay reads in part, “Blood, sex and booze. …”
.
Defense attorney Dane Loizzo said Allen Lee has never been disciplined in school and signed Marine enlistment papers last week.</p>
<p>A conviction could bring up to 30 days in jail and a maximum $1,500 fine.</p>
<p>I don’t understand why this is being dealt with legally. Punish the kid within the school. Make him write a new essay about peace. Have him speak to the school counselor. I don’t understand why he’d go to prison for an essay. It doesn’t even seem like the school thought that the boy was seriously making a threat. We have a real problem if a student can go to prison for a violent but overall non-threatening essay.</p>
<p>Okay, the essay topic is sick. But the teacher who gave such a writing prompt was practically begging for inappropriate essays. Geez. Think, people! Think! </p>
<p>Jail time and a fine? Um, no. Mandated counseling before returning to school. Yes!</p>
<p>The teacher should have said “do not judge or censor what you write because we will take care of that for you.” </p>
<p>How can a writing be disorderly conduct - unless you’re writing with a blow torch. Reportedly, you can be charged with disorderly conduct if you write something that disturbs an individual - that is scary to me. If you don’t want to be disturbed, you can just stop readiing. I watched “Babel” tonight and found it disturbing - I should file criminal charges. </p>
<p>Sadder yet - the kid who wrote the paper is Asian. </p>
<p>He may need counseling of some kind - but criminal charges just don’t make sense to me in the absence of a direct threat to someone.</p>
What’s funny is that “Blood, Sex, and Booze” is the name of a Green Day song. The entire essay was probably inspired by that (slightly twisted) song.</p>
<p>I hope some of the youths on the board read this thread. This is a terrific life lesson decrypting what someone means from what they said:</p>
<p>Said: Don’t judge or censor yourself. Write what you feel!
Meant: Choose from one of three correct emotions! Write that! Anything you write can and will be used against you!</p>
<p>Said: Are you for or against [incendiary topic]? Give your reasons.
Meant: You better agree with me, or a good grade will be nearly impossible.</p>
<p>Said: The way you look doesn’t matter.
Meant: As long as you look like the rest of us.</p>
<p>Said: Write about your biggest challenge and how you overcame it.
Meant: If it doesn’t involve at least an organ transplant, don’t bother.</p>
<p>So this is a graduating senior who now has to scramble for a college? With the Marine discharge, the timing of this whole situation could not be worse as it coincides with the May 1 deadline for college acceptances. The publicity is going to hurt him regardless. If he even had other acceptances in the bag, will they shun him now?</p>
<p>I’m sort of wondering why the teacher hasn’t been arrested, as well, considering that no paper would have been written had the assignment not been issued. Shouldn’t the teacher be charged with instigating, actually, requiring the “crime” that was supposedly committed? There must be some law on the books that relates to the teacher’s part of the transaction to the same degree as “disorderly conduct” relates to the student’s part of the transaction.</p>
<p>This is really very disturbing and I hope someone of significant stature steps up to help the young man.</p>
<p>If the essay was this inappropriate, why wouldn’t the teacher, who has taught the kid for at least 8 months by now, call him aside, tell him that it was unacceptable and that he needed to write a new piece.</p>
<p>^^Exactly. And even if the teacher is out of her mind, why wouldn’t the principal, followed by law enforcement have a more balanced, reasonable view of it - straight A student, senior, military acceptance in hand, and he passed all the psychologicals, etc. </p>
<p>The worst thing that should have happened here is that he should have received a below average grade for the essay - it’s not very well written obviously but yikes what’s wrong with all these people, how can they all be so stupid…</p>
<p>I know a young man who was in similar situation a few years ago at my son’s school. Same assignment – write, in class, about what ever comes to your mind. He wrote about “how a killer thinks” or something like that, and was called into the office for questioning, parents called, but then judged not to be a threat and was let off the hook. I think this was shortly after the Columbine murders. </p>
<p>I remember having discusssions with my kids around that time about what kinds of things could get them in trouble in school. My daughter (middle school age) made a list of “stupid people” which I made her get rid of, both because it could cause hurt people, but also because it could get her in deep doo doo in school if a teacher or administrator found it.</p>
<p>One kid, a really goofy kid in middle school, caused a huge uproar when he got mad at a girl and passed out cards to kids which said something like “I am a member of the I hate Esmerelda club” or something like that. Backpacks were searched and every kid found in possession of one of these cards was called into the office, along with their parents, and accused of perpertrating a <em>hate</em> crime. My friend’s daughter was one of the kids who took a card and stuck it in her backpack and was called into the office. The school was going to suspend all the kids, but I think I remember things calmed down and it blew over. The girl’s feelings however, were really really hurt and I still think she could have been spared some agony if the school had handled this in a more sensible fashion.</p>
<p>I think the teacher ought to be arrested. Granted, a straight A student should know better than to write something like this following VA tech, (and most military people I know tend to be well-“interested” in violence to say the least) however it is just <em>writing</em> that was prompted by the instructions “do not judge or censor”. I mean, what did the woman want? Personally, the correct method of action would be to give the kid a detention and warn him to never do it again. At most, ask him to see a shrink. Ruining this guy’s prospects for his post-highschool years (this guy will be lucky to register at a college considering he lost his marine contract) for a dumb English essay is just plain foolish. This should teach a lesson to others out there; there is no such thing as a blank check.</p>