It may be the worst case of refusing to let kids grow up that I've heard in awhile. A high school in Oklahoma is refusing to give the valedictorian of the Class of 2012 her diploma because she use a bad word during her graduation speech way back in May.
That bad word, by the way, was "hell." Apparently Kaitlin Nootbaar had originally handed in a speech with the word "heck" in it, only to use the quasi-curse word when she was actually talking to the crowd about choosing a career path.
Well, you know what I think of that?
So friggin' what!?
Nootbaar is a high school graduate. She deserves her diploma. The administrators who are holding the piece of paper hostage until she writes a letter of apology are clinging to some notion that teenagers can be treated like children forever. Instead they're the ones who are acting childish.
Parents, take note: you don't want to be like these idiots. But every time you start treating your teenager like they're 5, that's exactly what you're doing. You can't keep your teenager under your thumb forever!
It sucks seeing our kids grow up. It's bittersweet putting our blood, sweat, and tears into helping them get there only to realize that everything we've done means they will be leaving us. My daughter is only 7, and I'm already dreading that day.
But at some point, we have to suck it up and start treating them like adults. If we don't, we really can't complain about the 28-year-old still living in Mom's basement, smoking a bowl every afternoon and playing video games until 3 a.m.!
The folks at Prague High School should be proud of all that they put into making Kaitlin Nootbaar a smarty pants valedictorian who is college-bound with a full scholarship. Maybe it's time they show her that ... instead of treating her like she's a baby.
Do you think this school is treating this girl like a child or an adult?
Image via gadgetdude/Flickr
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Comments 10
They are being uneasonable, if the word was used in a manner that did not offend anyone there should be no problem?? the young lady must have been full of adrenaline and excitement and the "bad word" just popped out. Can she request her diploma to a higher education authority??
"hell" is not even a curse. This is bs
Hell is a place.
I don't care if she stood up on stage and uttered a stream of horrible cursing until being escorted off the stage still screaming. She earned took the classes, earned the credits, and thus should get her diploma. End of story. This is ridiculous.
Original article says, "Kaitlin doesn’t plan on writing an apology letter because she doesn’t feel she did anything wrong." Good for her.
I don't know. I would say she may have fully have intended to use the word "heck" but I can imagine being very nervous up there "hell" may have come out instead. I think of the words she accidentally used this one is pretty minor. Let her graduate dang it! Its not like the workplace is all allergic to curse words LOL.
THIS is what they have their panties in a wad over??? Please, if that is the worst thing to ever happen in a graduation, let alone high school, they have it easy.
Iff we want our children to grow up into respectable, accountable adults, shouldn't we be the first to tell them there are consequences to our actions? Sure, using this particular curse word may seem to be a pretty small misdemeaner, but as another poster pointed out, she knew the rules and she didn't abide by them. I think a letter of apology is a very reasonable punishment in this case and she is only digging a further hole for herself by refusing to accept accountability.
In the adult world we will always have to yield to authority and our parents will not be able to come coddle us when we face something we deem to be unfair. Just because she's book smart does not exempt her from having to obey the rules the school set out.
Teddysmama09, that's crap. What they're doing is illegal, and it is the school and Superintendent who will have to accept the consequences of their actions. Kaitlin did NOTHING wrong.