Suspended for Illuminating Reality

BillBingham2

BillBingham2

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While perhaps she's not a "Photographer", she is in my book, perhaps a "Citizen Photojournalist".

So many of the moments that help us understand what goes on in the world beyond our purview are captured and shared by people like her. I used to wonder about the impact on society/culture of thousands of good cameras everywhere, I don't any more. Yes, seeing what people had for lunch is a bit silly (IMHO), I'm OK as the value that some of these same people are bringing to the world is one thousand times more valuable and worth a bit of silliness.

I carried a camera everywhere with me in High School, never had the opportunity to get into such "Good Trouble". My hat is off to her and all the others for showing us what is going on, for having the guts to stand up for what they think is right, and for helping us to move forward.

Thoughts?

B2 (;->

https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/07/us/georgia-teen-photo-crowded-school-hallway-trnd/index.html
 
More of this is needed, I don’t care about the gear the training the framing the purity of tones. It’s in the lineage of documentary photography, and surely Lewis Hine, Dorothea Lange, Jacob Holdt would approve of the aim (before Lewis and Dorothea started recommending bigger better gear).

Indeed, the USA could use another version of Holdt’s American Pictures , a sprawling messy encyclopedic documentation of the current social ills, extremes, corrosions and corruptions. Or like the work of his socially engaged forebear and model, Jacob Riis.

I suppose one already exists among the millions of iPhotos on the web, if someone visionary and exacting with a museum or university budget behind her was willing to spend a year culling and curating and cataloging and writing a booklength essay.

As for this young woman, God bless her—and God help her, because she’s in Georgia, where the governor is leading all white ninny lemmings (including a lot of the parents of the kids in that image) toward a cliff on Stone Mountain, where presumably he’ll lead them in singing I’ll Fly Away after they jump.

Documentary photography forever. With whatever device is handy.
 
I think that school's principle had some rather weak justifications (at least as reported in the article). He probably had some less strong he could have used instead of just trying to circle the wagons and use punishment beyond talking to her and reminding her of the rules. Of course, we don't know of any other conduct issues she may have had.

As for the student, despite her high sounding excuses, I suspect somewhere in the school's records is a form with her signature saying she understood the school's rules, to include the ones mentioned by the principle. So she must have had some inkling that she might be sanctioned.

I do applaud her for the photo. How fortunate that all but one student was looking away from her, and that student had a face mask.
 
Completely agree Bill.

My two were supposed to start back in-person at their high school and it was causing me no end of stress. I spent years working with high school kids and love their energy and spirit. But I also know that "following the rules" doesn't rate very high on their rebellious radar. And with 3000 of them in one high school building, all supposed to be wearing masks and social distancing, I imagined many scenes like what Hannah Watters posted above.

Fortunately the school board realized last week that it was just too dangerous, so they'll be starting the year with distance learning.

Best,
-Tim
 
rhl-oregon said:
More of this is needed, I don’t care about the gear the training the framing the purity of tones. It’s in the lineage of documentary photography, and surely Lewis Hine, Dorothea Lange, Jacob Holdt would approve of the aim (before Lewis and Dorothea started recommending bigger better gear).

Indeed, the USA could use another version of Holdt’s American Pictures , a sprawling messy encyclopedic documentation of the current social ills, extremes, corrosions and corruptions. Or like the work of his socially engaged forebear and model, Jacob Riis.

I suppose one already exists among the millions of iPhotos on the web, if someone visionary and exacting with a museum or university budget behind her was willing to spend a year culling and curating and cataloging and writing a booklength essay.

As for this young woman, God bless her—and God help her, because she’s in Georgia, where the governor is leading all white ninny lemmings (including a lot of the parents of the kids in that image) toward a cliff on Stone Mountain, where presumably he’ll lead them in singing I’ll Fly Away after they jump.

Documentary photography forever. With whatever device is handy.
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I got to see the Dorothea Lange show at the MoMA earlier this year (when museum-going was still a real activity). Her Farm Security Administration photographs are so spectacular, especially to see them up close and in print. The show has been reformatted and moved entirely online as an experiment. I recommend it very highly!

https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5079
 
I saw an article about the student this morning and just shook my head.

Always kill the messenger.
 
Timmyjoe said:
Completely agree Bill.

My two were supposed to start back in-person at their high school and it was causing me no end of stress. I spent years working with high school kids and love their energy and spirit. But I also know that "following the rules" doesn't rate very high on their rebellious radar. And with 3000 of them in one high school building, all supposed to be wearing masks and social distancing, I imagined many scenes like what Hannah Watters posted above.

Fortunately the school board realized last week that it was just too dangerous, so they'll be starting the year with distance learning.

Best,
-Tim
Click to expand...

I was a high school teacher for a short time, and what you said is 100% true. Also, parents would send their kids to school when they were visibly sick all the time. I have always been prone to infections, and used to tell my students to PLEASE stay home if they're sick. A lot of them said their parents made them go to school anyway. I suspect that it is even worse with younger kids because parents would need to take off work to stay home with them (at least teens can stay home by themselves).
 
Chriscrawfordphoto said:
I was a high school teacher for a short time, and what you said is 100% true. Also, parents would send their kids to school when they were visibly sick all the time. I have always been prone to infections, and used to tell my students to PLEASE stay home if they're sick. A lot of them said their parents made them go to school anyway. I suspect that it is even worse with younger kids because parents would need to take off work to stay home with them (at least teens can stay home by themselves).
Click to expand...

A young single mother I work with told me that the school she is sending her daughter to starting Monday has several children in her class whose parents do not believe C-19 is real. They think it's all a hoax. No need to masks, social distancing, or worry.

It's scary 5hit out there thanks to the politicization of everything.

I was one of those goody-two-shoes in High School and would have worn a mask and social distanced. But then I loved and believe in math and science even then.

B2 (;->
 
Please, please, could someone please post a link to the original story?

To many of us who don't live in the USA, the origins of this post is a complete mystery.
 
If the teachers were doing what they should be doing - enforcing social distancing and the wearing of masks etc, rather than punishing a young woman for some supposed infraction then this would not be an issue. What she seems to have been punished for is pointing out the school's laxity. We all know that bureaucracies protect their asses by filling rule books with rules that they can pull out every time they wish to punish someone for doing something they disagree with. So the issue is not and never was the school's rules. Perhaps the schools has "rules" about COVID precautions. If so they are clearly ignoring THEM - and if so the question must be asked "Why?". Could it be that like in many states and countries the teachers want the reopening to fail because they prefer the lockdown and perhaps its political implications? So they are being passive aggressive. I do not know, but USA is so divided I have my suspicions. The simple fact is that the world cannot stay locked down forever - remember when lockdowns were supposed to only be to "flatten the curve" and stop medical facilities from being over run. Now we are being told we all must lock down till everyone is immune from COVID (though how that immunity is supposed to occur absent "herd immunity" caused by people catching it and getting over it (as 98-99% do) or absent a vaccine is a mystery).

The point needs to be made too that as we have known for many years now, schools in most western countries are useless and too many so-called teachers are simply not worth the name. In my locale, in the face of declining student performance, billions of extra dollars have been pumped into education over the past 25 years. And yet, every increase in spending has been accompanied by yet another a fall in student test scores. This creates in me (and many) a powerful distrust in the public education system as it stands. In relation specifically to COVID it's not too hard to do what many businesses have been forced to do during shutdowns - set up barriers and police them so large numbers of people do not congregate in close proximity at the same time (such as in hallways), and enforce rules that require wearing of masks and washing of hands etc. Hell, my local hardware store does this. And during the height of lockdowns I could not go into many pharmacies without someone at the door checking my temperature first with one of those IR thermometers. If they can do it so can schools. It is not rocket science! If teachers are too limp and clueless to do this then they are too limp and clueless to have the jobs they hold. In short - I blame the school, not the young woman who posted the photo and not the policy of reopening class rooms - which needless to say is something which cannot be put off forever. I have heard teachers say "Oh we cannot enforce rules, students do not like rules'. Seems teachers do not either - unless those rules benefit them. Yes I know there are many dedicated and well meaning teachers - but institutionally and as a professional group - Spare me!
 
peterm1 said:
If the teachers were doing what they should be doing - enforcing social distancing and the wearing of masks etc, rather than punishing a young woman for some supposed infraction then this would not be an issue. What she seems to have been punished for is pointing out the school's laxity. We all know that bureaucracies protect their asses by filling rule books with rules that they can pull out every time they wish to punish someone for doing something they disagree with. So the issue is not and never was the school's rules. Perhaps the schools has "rules" about COVID precautions. If so they are clearly ignoring THEM - and if so the question must be asked "Why?". Could it be that like in many states and countries the teachers want the reopening to fail because they prefer the lockdown and perhaps its political implications? So they are being passive aggressive. I do not know, but USA is so divided I have my suspicions. The simple fact is that the world cannot stay locked down forever - remember when lockdowns were supposed to only be to "flatten the curve" and stop medical facilities from being over run. Now we are being told we all must lock down till everyone is immune from COVID (though how that immunity is supposed to occur absent "herd immunity" caused by people catching it and getting over it (as 98-99% do) or absent a vaccine is a mystery).

The point needs to be made too that as we have known for many years now, schools in most western countries are useless and too many so-called teachers are simply not worth the name. In my locale, in the face of declining student performance, billions of extra dollars have been pumped into education over the past 25 years. And yet, every increase in spending has been accompanied by yet another a fall in student test scores. This creates in me (and many) a powerful distrust in the public education system as it stands. In relation specifically to COVID it's not too hard to do what many businesses have been forced to do during shutdowns - set up barriers and police them so large numbers of people do not congregate in close proximity at the same time (such as in hallways), and enforce rules that require wearing of masks and washing of hands etc. Hell, my local hardware store does this. And during the height of lockdowns I could not go into many pharmacies without someone at the door checking my temperature first with one of those IR thermometers. If they can do it so can schools. It is not rocket science! If teachers are too limp and clueless to do this then they are too limp and clueless to have the jobs they hold. In short - I blame the school, not the young woman who posted the photo and not the policy of reopening class rooms - which needless to say is something which cannot be put off forever. I have heard teachers say "Oh we cannot enforce rules, students do not like rules'. Seems teachers do not either - unless those rules benefit them. Yes I know there are many dedicated and well meaning teachers - but institutionally and as a professional group - Spare me!
Click to expand...

What you point out rings true but one specific issue in Georgia is the stupidity and ignorance of the politicians and many Georgians. As the school principle said in the article, wearing masks is NOT mandatory, yet he says they're doing all they can to protect the students and teachers. Right :bang:.

Georgia is so backwards it's an embarrassment to our entire country.
 
Saul said:
What you point out rings true but one specific issue in Georgia is the stupidity and ignorance of the politicians and many Georgians. As the school principle said in the article, wearing masks is NOT mandatory, yet he says they're doing all they can to protect the students and teachers. Right :bang:.

Georgia is so backwards it's an embarrassment to our entire country.
Click to expand...

Not that I am disagreeing with you, but this is the kind of statement that gets too political and will likely get the mods on this otherwise measured thread fairly quickly.
 
Saul said:
What you point out rings true but one specific issue in Georgia is the stupidity and ignorance of the politicians and many Georgians. As the school principle said in the article, wearing masks is NOT mandatory, yet he says they're doing all they can to protect the students and teachers. Right :bang:.

Georgia is so backwards it's an embarrassment to our entire country.
Click to expand...

Yes I agree about the school (though I am not qualified to comment about Georgia). And I think it kind of reinforces the point I made about teaching as an institution and a profession at this point in history (for surely the Principle is a teacher too). It all kind of indicates that those in positions of power at this school at least are a bunch of irresponsible, gormless fools who are either just not taking their responsibilities to the community seriously (which sadly seems to be an all too common criticism of many in the teaching profession) or are incompetent.
 
Or are following the directions of the school board (which almost certainly isn't made up of educators), or following the state guidelines which only 'strongly recommends' masks in public.

Shawn
 
shawn said:
Or are following the directions of the school board (which almost certainly isn't made up of educators), or following the state guidelines which only 'strongly recommends' masks in public.

Shawn
Click to expand...

Shawn, I have worked for a long time in public policy so I guess I know how policy makers and implementers are supposed to think and act. Any prudent administrator will take a "strong recommendation" by state guidelines as a signal that there is an expectation that in appropriate circumstances institutions will require people attending, to be masked (although it is not just about masks - it's also about other measures such as social distancing which clearly they were not doing). Its a matter of "horses for courses" - some situations will require it while some will not. So official guidelines tend to cater for this and allow some leeway - that's why they are guidelines not hard and fast rules. But it still does not absolve people from being sensible. Schools are "in locus parenti" as regards the kids. You would expect that there might be a stronger argument to act prudently in those circumstances than say, someone running a normal business where clients are adults and can choose for themselves whether to visit or not and whether to mask when they do etc. It should be up to those in authority at those institutions to act accordingly bearing in mind the "strongly recommended" action proposed by the government. I know I would - even in the face of some evidence that kids are not so severely affected as well as anecdotal evidence (for which read "hearsay") that they tend not to pass it on to others so much as infected adults do. I would do it because it is prudent given there is still not very much actual hard scientific evidence to base decisions on and the game keeps changing and the "experts" keep telling us different things. I would do it also because teachers are adults who might be adversely more affected by contracting the disease and as a prudent administrator I would need to anticipate a potential lawsuit from any staff member who might wish to claim the school's policies were lax............oops!

In relation to the school board it is possible of course that they decided not to require prudent measures and may have even been actively opposed to them. If so, shame on them - and hopefully it would all be minuted in the records of the relevant meeting and hopefully the principle will have made a cogent case for the pros and cons and a strong recommendation that stands up to scrutiny. And even more to the point hopefully the school principle now has the good sense (and the evidence) to go back to them and recommend they rethink their position if this is what happened.

Not being critical of you of course. But please understand - people in these positions have to take their responsibilities seriously and it is never a good look when things foul up to try to blame others for their own failures.
 
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