Does this Big Brother method simply maintain order at LMS?

To the editor,

In your December 20 article on behavior at Laconia Middle School, you cited lots of statistics of the “improvements”. That sounds all well and good, but I would contend that there is another side, another set of questions that are raised.

First, it seems by the description of the program implemented at LMS that the change is a constant monitoring of the students. Don’t let them out of your sight, so to speak. All well and good for the middle school, but this bring to mind three questions: How does this prepare them for high school? Is LHS going to institute a clampdown as well? How will these students deal with the freedom of high school? It is quite possible that LMS is passing along a future problem to LHS, rather than dealing with it effectively at the middle school level.

Second, are the students learning anything? Does this Big Brother method really improve behavior or does it simply maintain order? It seems to me that the program is really oriented toward the convenience of the staff and administration, rather than the benefit of the students. Keep them orderly, keep them quiet, keep them passive. And we thought George Orwell’s 1984 never happened.

LMS administration is quite proud of their statistics, but as Mark Twain said “There are 3 types of lies. Lies, damned lies, and statistics.”

Paul Cook

Laconia