Letter to the Editor: This is utter nonsense

Syracuse Post-Standard

Sept. 29, 2009

To the Editor:

While driving home Friday afternoon, I heard radio talk show host Jim Reith’s opinion about the so-called incident in the Baldwinsville school district involving a student being made to turn his Yankees T-shirt inside out.

On Sunday, I opened the Opinion section and read Ryan Roman’s offering on this subject. Thank you, young Mr. Roman, for giving us the correct perspective on this ridiculous “incident.”

Mr. Reith’s take was that 9-year-old boys are sensitive to things like this, and that something needed to be done to stop this teacher from scarring this child for life.

My opinion, like Mr. Roman’s, is that this is utter nonsense. The young man involved needed his parents to make him understand that it was just playful banter, not turn it into a media opportunity.

I was reminded by this of an incident I had with a young gym teacher when I was in 4th grade. You may recall his name, as he is the well-known lacrosse coach for Skaneateles, Ron Doctor. He had asked me to stop throwing my football around and I wouldn’t. He told me if I didn’t he would take the ball away. To make a long story short, I didn’t stop so he took the ball, as he said he would.

I was mad, to say the least, and told him I would tell my dad what he had done — to which Coach Doctor replied, go ahead and tell him. You still aren’t getting the ball back.

I went home and told my dad, but instead of him getting mad at Mr. Doctor, he disciplined me for not doing what I was told to do. It was a lesson I never forgot.

My parents used the incident to make me understand that I was supposed to conform to what my teachers wanted, not the other way around. Coach Doctor used the incident to show me that when I was in his class, he was the authority and I was not. Isn’t that the way a classroom environment should be?

By the way, Coach Doctor, if you read this, can I have my ball back now?

Dan Fofi
Baldwinsville