05/23/2026
Let me tell you about something I saw recently that I cannot stop thinking about.
A student was handed what I can only describe as a "get out of jail free" card. The plan let them leave any class, go anywhere in the building, for as long as they wanted, with no expectation to check in, explain themselves, or even acknowledge the staff member who asked.
The intent was compassion. I get that. But the result is something else.
Here is the part that bothers me. We wrote a plan that removes the exact skill we say we want that child to build. We called it support, but we designed accountability right out of their day. And then we wonder why so many kids stop showing up, stop managing themselves, and stop showing respect.
Helping a student and expecting nothing from them are not the same thing. A real plan walks a kid toward independence. It does not excuse them from the world they will have to live in one day.
We are not failing our kids by holding them to expectations. We are failing them when we quietly decide they cannot meet any.
This is the work I love doing with schools, helping them build the kind of culture and accountability that actually moves students forward instead of writing the problem into the rules.
Parents, teachers, anyone who loves a kid: where is the line for you between supporting a child and letting them off the hook?