School requires students to SMILE

[sailorstitch]

Wait... what?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...s-northern-lebanon-school-district/611706002/

https://www.yahoo.com/news/students-not-smiling-school-punished-135527250.html

I would not have lasted 5 minutes in this school.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Hmmm.....I like the idea of the kids smiling. As long they could do it as encouragement. Put not punish. How do they know if they are not smiling. Who is going to monitor all the kids?

Kids need to learn that school can be fun and enjoy. But not all kids are going to have a great day all the time.

I bet an atty may get involved for the first punishment coming down..

 

[georgina]

The article does say the vice principal is vigorously enforcing the rule. (Probably gets pleasure in it.) Note this line from the article - Meanwhile, parents claim that reports of bullying in the district are mostly ignored by administrators. Sounds like if they make everyone smile they can pretend that there are no problems in the school.

 

[Pumbaa_]

No one should force fake happiness. Monsters are running that school


**edited based on actual response from school. The school denies this is their policy, so maybe not monsters

I still think the thought came from somewhere though

 

[BrianL]

If they want kids to smile in school, give them something to smile about. Make the school a pleasant, engaging, and fun environment for them. The smiles will happen.

 

[Disneylover99]

No one should force fake happiness. Monsters are running that school

Haha! That made me smile!

 

[larissawbb]

Stuff like this is why I homeschooled.

 

[katie01]

Bizarre

 

[DLgal]

How is this even legal? Is this a private school?

 

[NotUrsula]

Only in America.

My immigrant parents were continually perplexed at how often Americans adopted a smile as a default facial expression. They thought it was bizarre and disingenuous, and made it a mission to make sure that we didn't pick up the habit.

 

[Summer2018]

Wait... what?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...s-northern-lebanon-school-district/611706002/

https://www.yahoo.com/news/students-not-smiling-school-punished-135527250.html

I would not have lasted 5 minutes in this school.

As an educator and a parent I find this policy to be absolutely ludicrous.

The school should be teaching children how to identify their true feelings and how to authentically express them in a healthy way. They should be fostering individuality, acceptance, tolerance, and empathy.

Whoever came up with this nonsense is out of his/her mind.

 

[Antaniasmom]

I'm not a fake person, I would not have lasted at that school either...besides I always have RBF or to be nice resting witch face....unless I'm at Disney, then I have a permanent smile, it's amazing

 

[sailorstitch]

I still can't wrap my head around the "logic" here. I'm at a complete loss for words. But I'm esp concerned about any kids in this school that suffer from depression.

 

[Summer2018]

I still can't wrap my head around the "logic" here. I'm at a complete loss for words. But I'm esp concerned about any kids in this school that suffer from depression.

This will no doubt have psychological ramifications.

 

[sailorstitch]

This will no doubt have psychological ramifications.

Oh, believe me, I know that first hand. In middle school, every time I tried to report being bullied my guidance counselor replied "Well, it's YOUR fault." I really should thank her for all the mental and emotional scars she gave me.

 

[amberpi]

I'm not a fake person, I would not have lasted at that school either...besides I always have RBF or to be nice resting witch face....unless I'm at Disney, then I have a permanent smile, it's amazing

I can have RBF even when I'm perfectly happy. What then?

This is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard.

 

[disykat]

I couldn't get the first link to work. The second link started with a parent talking about the smiling policy then morphing into an unrelated bullying incident? Something is not right.

Ok. I read the first one and it was the same. According to one parent/child in a family who had a beef with the school about a previous bullying incident. How is this news? There were no confirmations from anyone else.

 

[Gamora]

I'm not a fake person, I would not have lasted at that school either...besides I always have RBF or to be nice resting witch face....unless I'm at Disney, then I have a permanent smile, it's amazing

Same here. Fake smiles annoy me to death. Sometimes my face looks like I'm really upset when I'm actually just thinking. I try to always be kind but I'm not super smiley.

 

[MamaBelle4]

No one should force fake happiness. Monsters are running that school

couldn't agree more.

Hey kids! It's not okay to be anything but happy! Swallow any other feeling and just smile. Your feelings are unwanted and irrelevant.

That's a healthy environment in which to learn.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Wait... what?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...s-northern-lebanon-school-district/611706002/

https://www.yahoo.com/news/students-not-smiling-school-punished-135527250.html

I would not have lasted 5 minutes in this school.

I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE MIND NUMBINGLY BORED OR IF YOU'RE GRANNY JUST DIED MISTER, YOU WILL SMILE AND YOU WILL LIKE IT!!!!

We must all look like happy campers. Big Brother is watching.