I am a person who regularly watches “Wheel of Fortune” on television. Like millions of other individuals, I try to solve the puzzles and dream of being on the show and winning. This is not reality for many people. Most of us will go no further than watching Pat and Vanna on television. We'll express to those around us how we could have done a better job than the actual contestants.
There is a teacher in Washington state who tried to bring the idea of spinning a wheel into her classroom. Maybe she's not happy there is such a slim chance of being on “Wheel of Fortune.” I'm sure her chances of being on the show and winning are the same as mine and yours. Her students got to spin a wheel. The teacher called it a 'wheel of misfortune' and it enabled students to leave the punishment they received up to chance.
(Sarcasm Alert) I must admit this is a huge departure from what I experienced in public school. I attended school at a time when teachers could administer corporal punishment. The only choice we may have had was which paddle the teacher or administrator would use to deliver our punishment.
I was once sent to the principal's office with two other young men for not properly partaking in the stipulated class curriculum presented by the teacher. We were all just being teenage idiots. It earned us a trip to the office. I can only imagine what it would have been like if we could've chosen the paddles to be used on us.
“I see you've been sent here for disrupting class. This will get you two swats with the paddle of your choice. Here are your paddle selections.”
“I think I'll get my swats with model x7z model. It's sleek and has little wind resistance.”
“Excellent choice and how about you?”
“I would like the Swatmaster 2000. It's gotten great reviews.”
“Another outstanding choice, and how about you?”
“I'll go with the handmade granny model. Its reputation for being dependable is hard to ignore.”
“I see all of you know your paddles. Now bend over so we can get this swatting finished.”
This is an actual story. Below are excerpts of the story in bold, and my valuable insights are in italics.
A Washington state teacher who allowed students to spin a “Wheel of Misfortune” to avoid detention is keeping her job after an investigation determined her use of the spinning wheel to dole out punishments was an “inappropriate classroom management technique,” but not bullying.
So students were given a choice to spin the wheel or take detention. When I was a kid, this would've been fun to me. Let's remember, I grew up when paddles were part of student discipline. This school believes spinning a wheel to determine punishment is an “inappropriate classroom management technique.” I guess it's easier to say this rather than “Our teacher with a Vanna White obsession got a little crazy with punishment for her students.”
Kemberly Patteson, 41, is a science teacher at Stevenson High School in Skamania County. The Stevenson-Carson School District put her on administrative leave and removed the spinning wheel from the classroom Oct. 9 after cellphone videos surfaced showing students in her class being pelted with soft rubber balls by other classmates after they spun the wheel for minor infractions.
I'm sorry, throwing soft rubber balls at a student or having them thrown at you is something I would have considered fun. In the video, the student is hitting the soft rubber balls with her book. Does anyone in the modern educational system have a sense of humor? Teachers are having affairs with their students, helping students to cheat on state exams and doing many other questionable things. This could've also been used as a way to teach science. What number of soft rubber balls can be thrown at a student before she complains and ruins it for everyone?
I was chewing gum in class,” Zoey Zapf told KATU-TV. “She looked over and she told me to spin the wheel and that’s like a normal thing.”
Zapf spun the wheel, which landed on “cush firing squad.” She said classmates and Patteson took turns hitting her with a Koosh ball.
Playing with Koosh balls during class is punishment? Puhleeeeze! I would like to say to this student “Zoey, tell me if you knew you weren't supposed to chew gum in class? Zoey, you broke the rules and like everyone you get punished. Were you given the option to serve detention and refused? Zoey, how many kids throw Koosh balls at one another away from class as a way to have fun? Why were you chewing gum in class? How did you want to be punished?” If you weren't chewing gum in class would this have happened?”
I think not.
“I clearly said that I didn’t want to do this, and after that I found out that you can opt out with a lunch detention,” said Zapf, a 15-year-old sophomore, told KATU. “And when I said I don’t want to do this, she said, ‘too bad’ or something, and I got pelted.”
The story has a quote from 15-year-old sophomore Zoey. Where is a quote from the teacher? Where is a quote from other students about this incident who were in the classroom? How about administrators? I would settle for the janitorial staff that possibly spent their free time in this classroom throwing Koosh balls at one another. I wonder what the "or something" is in this story.
The video shows Zapf using a textbook to shield her face as the Koosh ball is thrown at her. Her mother then lodged a bullying complaint against Patteson prompting the teacher’s suspension.
(Sarcasm Alert) This is a great lesson to teach your child. If you break the rules and don't like your punishment, file a complaint against the teacher. Include the word “bullying” to make it seem real serious. This way if Zoey breaks the law as an adult, she'll know it will not be her fault. The police and court system are just being bullies. I wonder if she believes she'll get to choose her punishment as an adult?
That ended Thursday (Teacher Suspension) when the district announced the results of its investigation. The district said the investigation found the teacher used poor judgment, but never intended to hurt or embarrass students with the spinning wheel. The statement added that the district “planned to work with the teacher on more positive and productive classroom management skills going forward.”
Students said Patteson had been using the spinning wheel in her class for two years.
I wonder what happened to Zoey. Did she ever come to realize she shouldn't have been chewing gum in class? The teacher's career now has a black mark. She'll be labeled as someone who used poor judgment. Teachers are told to be creative and innovative in their classrooms. Until one single student doesn't feel they should be punished. The student isn't considered wrong; it's the punishment. The spinning wheel had been in use for two years. How many students probably had fun with the wheel? We don't know. They were either never interviewed or quoted. We don't know anything positive about the wheel because the teacher was either not interviewed or quoted. We don't even know what other types of punishments were on the wheel. This is called an unbalanced story. I'm sure there is a lot more to this story than a 15-year-old high school sophomore who didn't like her punishment for chewing gum in class.
I wonder if there were any other complaints about this wheel during the two years it was being used? I believe the administration and students knew about this wheel and thought it was fun. If it was so bad, it wouldn’t have taken two years for someone to complain. How about we make this part of the current judicial system?
“To determine your punishment we're going to spin the federally sanctioned sentencing wheel.”
The wheel is spun and when it stops a judge takes a piece of paper from it.”
“Looks like you get six months in county lockup after everyone in the courtroom throws Koosh balls at you.”
“Your honor, could you spin the wheel one more time?”
Just then, a Koosh ball is hurled from the judge and hits the defendant in the head.
“Nope, decision of the sentencing wheel is final. Better duck counselor.”
Koosh balls begin flying all over the courtroom as people begin laughing and having fun.
The judicial system would never be the same.
Wheel of Misfortune Story
Don't forget to subscribe to READMIKENOW. The subscribe tool is to the right of this column a little ways down from the top. You can ALSO put your email address in the space provided at the top of the column. Thanks!
*ReadMikeNow is sent to subscribers every Monday. Next week it will be sent on Friday to provide a humor column celebrating the new year.
IF YOU LIKE MY HUMOR YOU'LL LOVE MY BOOKS. MAY BEFREE FOR KINDLE.
