Opus 2011-296, Tax Dollars at Work: Williams Strikes Again

I have written before about the Williams Act.  This is another judge-generated bit of legislation that is the results of a well meaning fool trying to make up for the fallen nature of mankind.  Some parents sued claiming that their children did not have books, a lack which was keeping them from getting an education.  I don’t know if a jury was involved but the results are definitely the work of a do-good, liberal judge.  Our school has signed on to take the Man’s money and so we are under the Man’s control.

Yesterday I was in the middle of a quiz and a lady walks in with a clip-board.  She identified herself as being sent to check oor compliance with the Williams Act.  She asked the students if they had been issued books.  They all had.  She asked if anyone had lost their book or had it stolen.  Two young men raised their hands.  She told them to leave the room, go to the library and get another one.  There was no reasoning about responsibility or paying for the book.  Just go and get another one since yours was lost or stolen.  You need to understand that these kids don’t want to carry their books to class so they “lose” them daily.  They consider leaving a book laying out in the quad as having it stolen.  None of this mattered.  There were to go get another.  I pointed out that they were in the middle of a quiz.  She said it needed to be done by the end of the period.

I pointed out that they would not need their books today.  I require them to bring them daily and do a book check daily but we were on a short day and we would not actually need them.  She said they needed to go and get one during this period.  I tried again.  Same answer.

So I sent them.  When they came back they had brand new, glossy books that had never been touched by human hands.  All the responsible students had battered books that were falling apart.  I as a teacher had not been able to get one that was close to clean.  These clowns were given brand new ones.

Later that period a second adult came to my room to make sure I had complied.  It was not enough to ask me, he came in and made the students show him the books.  Two adults spending the day at our school, being paid good salaries just to get irresponsible students new books.

If it were up to me I would have a room set instead of sending them home.  My homework is a series of assignments that teach research skills and lead to a term paper.  I don’t give homework out of the book.  The Williams Act requires the kids to carry their books to class every day.  We do not have lockers.  Many of the kids are small.  The books are big.  We also have screening for scoliosis. 

The librarian tells me that the kids also dump their books in the library and expect her to watch them because they do not want to carry them.  Many of the “lost” and “stolen” books were sitting there waiting to be picked up.

You wonder why education is a mess.  It is the product of a government committee full of people who want to do good.

Another day of your tax dollars at work.

homo unius libri