11-Year-Old Girl's Response To Class-Wide Punishment Is Pure Gold

An 11 year old shares her thoughts on modern day capital punishment for the entire class when only one person is at fault

We've all been punished for something we didn't do. Especially during our schools days, when collective punishments were the norm. Group punishments are still pretty common to this day, remnant of our elementary school days when the entire class would be put in time out because Joey didn't put the crayons away. (I haven't forgotten about that Joseph, that's why you're still in Facebook purgatory)

To date, it still doesn't make sense. Why would you punish and entire class of people for the actions of one? If you think about it logically, they can't control the actions of the violator, and it would only earn the teacher the spite of the students, which it regularly does. It also turns the violator into a target, with mean looks and phrases like 'thanks, Joey' being thrown their way as we all sit in silence, possibly even with the lights off depending on the gravity of the violation.

If a child were to go home and complain to their parents, they would simply be met with 'yea well, that's just how things are.' A damaging statement at the very least, especially to someone who's a sponge and yearns for knowledge to answer 'why' on a daily basis, only to be met with a non-explanation of an answer from their primary source of knowledge and guidance throughout their entire lives thusfar.

Imagine if we applied the group logic punishment to everything else in life. If one waiter or waitress treated a customer rudley, would it make sense to reprimand or fire the entire staff as a result? Of course not. What if one employee was caught stealing either products or money and was prosecuted for it? Do you think that a jury of their peers would find everyone on that shift guilty of the crime? Yea...no.

But why punish everyone for the actions of a minority? That's exactly what Mason Cross' 11-year-old daughter thought when she was writing feedback to her teacher at the end of the school year.

The girl, from Glasgow in the United Kingdom, decided to point out that collective punishment isn't just unfair, but could be considered a war crime...

My daughter actually submitted this feedback at school. Not sure if I should ground her or buy her ice cream... pic.twitter.com/4v8Gjb9riv

— Mason Cross (@MasonCrossBooks) May 25, 2017

Cross explained that while his daughter loves her teacher, she's just too smart for her age. 

@funsterr @newgirlbianca 11 going on 47

— Mason Cross (@MasonCrossBooks) May 25, 2017

I should clarify that she thinks her teacher is awesome - it's just this aspect of the educational justice system she has an issue with.

— Mason Cross (@MasonCrossBooks) May 25, 2017

Twitter loved the girl's honesty. 

@MasonCrossBooks @peterwsinger Not that it’s a war crime of course, but the sentiment. :)

— Ron Miller (@ron_miller) May 25, 2017

Some people even want her to run for Prime Minster. 

@GenStans she has actually considered it, but already decided it would be too much hassle

— Mason Cross (@MasonCrossBooks) May 25, 2017

@calamur @MasonCrossBooks I'm game to crowdfund her entire year's ice cream needs tbh.

— Peglet (@PedestrianPoet) May 25, 2017

@MasonCrossBooks @dhunji The ice cream. For sure.

— Kiran Manral (@KiranManral) May 25, 2017

@MasonCrossBooks @Asher_Wolf Future prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in the making

— Andres Guadamuz (@technollama) May 25, 2017

@MasonCrossBooks Buy her ice cream. She is SO right.

— Dan Smith (@DanSmithAuthor) May 25, 2017

@MasonCrossBooks @AbiWilks Serious question - why would you ground her? Teacher asked for feedback, she gave it. Can't see even theoretically what's punishable here?

— Karin Robinson (@karinjr) May 25, 2017

@NW6Penguin @MasonCrossBooks Yeah, I'm with the framed copy of the convention, but to be given to the teacher!

— █████████[redacted] (@ZacWolf) May 25, 2017

@MasonCrossBooks @angusde A glass of Prosecco. She sounds smart and mature enough to move up a notch from mere ice cream 😀

— David Clater (@SpawnofJustice) May 25, 2017

You tell 'em!

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