I heard on a Christian radio station yesterday that 2 girls decided that instead of going to their high school dance they would do something more charitable. So, they baked cookies, delivered them to neighbors, and wished them a good night. One neighbor, apparently caught off-guard by the rare expression of kindness, was so startled that it caused her some kind of medical problem. And since her right to sit at home without unexpected visitors knocking on her door daring to wish her a good night and offer baked goods was so blatantly infringed upon, what else could she do but sue such bold and brassy teenage girls! And not only that, but she won the law suit, and the girls were forced to pay the cost of her medical expenses. Locals were enraged at the suit and donated enough money to pay the expenses plus extra money that was given to a local charity.
I am glad to live in a country where my rights and freedoms are upheld, but there has to be a point where people stop making ridiculous law suits and start taking responsibility for the things that happen to them. Do not sue McDonald's because you don't have the self-control to walk past the Double Arches without eating a Big Mac, large fries, and a coke!
We want our students to learn to take responsibility for themselves, yet some of them come into the classroom thinking that they deserve to be entertained for 45 minutes. A colleague of mine commented today that when she was in high school, the students were responsible for reading and outlining the chapters, and knowing the information for a test the next day. Whether or not they were enjoying it never seemed to be an issue. We are so quick to blame other people for our difficult situation, problem at work, or even bad mood. I wish our society would start taking responsibility for our own lives and the things that happen in life and stop pointing to others and claiming "It's not fair"? If we want our students to learn to do that, we need to do a better job modeling it as adults.
