Why did some teachers have to exaggerate on suspension letters?

Going through high school was an extreme sport. You had to juggle so many things and finding the perfect balance was not easy.

Yet there were those brilliant students who effortlessly scored straight A’s in class and were captains of their respective teams on the pitch.

There were also average students who were pretty much content with their performance in class and never struggled to do anything out of the ordinary.

Then there were troublemakers, those whose names constantly featured in the ‘black book.’

I never saw the black book during my four-year stay in school so I even wonder whether it existed but that also tells you a lot about my character.

That aside, suspensions and expulsions were meant to ensure certain levels of discipline were maintained in school and although some were issued ‘on merit’ others were purely malicious.

I remember one time when my deskmate was suspended for two weeks after he was caught enjoying a nap in the afternoon.

The problem was how the offense was spelled out on the suspension letter: “Time wasting and sleeping around.”

I wonder how he explained this to his parents. Must have been the most uncomfortable conversation ever.

A friend of mine also attempted to down a test tube of ethanol in the Chemistry lab and was sent home for ‘drug abuse’.

I am of the belief that some of this wrongs should have been corrected by proper caning but then again, they are some of the incidents that made high school worthwhile.

Failing to button your shirt properly would be termed as indecent dressing and in some schools, if the teacher caught you staring at her you would be sent home for sexual harassment.

As much as students should adhere to school rules, teachers should also be rational when it comes to dishing out suspensions and expulsions.