My granddaughter Hope dislocated her knee at a dance this summer. The doctors found she has a congenital defect. She had signed up for dance class in high school and had to drop out of it when school started. She said to her mom Christine, "It says here you can't withdraw from the class for any reason."
Christine- "Of course you can quit the class. Your leg is in a brace!"
Hope- "No, Mom, it says not for ANY REASON! I can't quit this class."
Needless to say Christine convinced her it would be alright and it was. She was allowed to drop the class. So Hope learned from this the rules were wrong. There could be a reason.
The doctor said Hope can never take Physical Education again. Christine called the school and talked with a woman to explain. The woman said, "I'm afraid she won't be able to graduate then."
Christine- "I'll get a letter from the doctor."
Woman- "It doesn't matter. No student can graduate without taking PE. There are No Exceptions."
Christine- "She is in a brace, her knee is ruined and the doctor said it could become dislocated again if she moves wrong. She can't take P.E."
The woman finally checked with someone else and yes, Hope will be allowed to graduate without taking P.E. So apparently there are exceptions.
This week Cherish walked to the bus stop and waited and waited and waited. The bus came an hour late. She was late for her Science Lab. She had a paper due that morning which she had finished. But her professor won't let anyone in the lab if they are late. He said the paper had to be turned in that morning and if they weren't they would fail. No Exceptions!
I asked Cherish if she talked with her Prof after class and she said he was "kind of an asshole" so she didn't. I said maybe she could explain it tomorrow, but she said no.
I find it amazing people can actually use the phrases "for no reason" and "no exceptions". It isn't fair, it isn't realistic and it isn't compassionate. It is actually stupid.
If Cherish had fallen in front of a bus would he have taken her paper later? If she had stopped to save a life - would that have been a good enough reason? What if she was having an emergency appendectomy? I think the professor just didn't want to hear a tale of woe or lies from students. He didn't want his time wasted, and even if life did throw a curve to a student he just didn't care.
As for the high school - same thing. But what does all this teach a student? To be autocratic, unsympathetic, close-minded? Yes, I think so.
