I fully agree with Skerlnik, from his very first words.

Skerlnik wrote:
If they "allow" the kid to wear makeup and an incident happens (in this case a fatal one), the parents will blame the school for not properly regulating things.
If the school "denies" the kid the "right" to do his thang, and enforces a hard dress code, then I guaran-damn-tee you people would get all over the school's case for being inflexible and "oppressive", etc.

It is the same in Spain, but if the school "denies" the kid "right" many people would get all over the school's case for being facists, anti gay, homophobes, ultra right wingers of the worst class and as many adjectives as this you like to use.

Skerlnik wrote:
When schools can regain control of discipline, standards and curriculums, I think we'd see marked improvement.

I never expected these similarities

In Spain, there is a lack of discipline and respect for teachers at School and High Schools. It wasn't that way when I was student.

As soon as the techer entered the classroom, we all sat down and remained quiet. The teachers' authority over me was out of any question. When I didn't behave as it was supposse, I could be expelled from the classroom and parents had to go to school to talk to the teacher to let me come in the school again. The couples of times my mum had to go to school, I was always the only one to blame by my parents.

Nowadays, in Spain, parents always believe the teacher is the one to blame. Socialist Educational Laws -you know how progresist are- from the end of the 80's, thought that the teacher was a sing of opression, of the past, once again from Franco's fascims, therefore, that situation had to be changed. Since then pupils talk to their tehachers straigh to their eyes, I mean, they disarmed teachers in front of the pupils, so teachers authority has gone fishing. As a consecuence of this fact, teachers had turn into typical "civil servants", because when they've been insulted, punch in the face and locked in a room by parents and pupils, when they day end and they see their cars with a scratch made with a key.......they don't want to risk their live and simply do nothing. If some pupils disturbs the other while having a lesson, the teacher will do nothing, therefore, those who really want to learn aren't able to.

Being a non believer, I had to send my daughter to a religious school, -in Spain Religious school are in charge of the tuition of 2.5 million pupils- because I was scared about this lack of order and discipline in the Spanish public schools.

Saludos

I think it means he's the 'catcher', not the 'pitcher'.