Thornton Fractional North High School: A Lesson in Wokeness Gone Wild

Thornton Fractional North High School, located in Calumet City, Illinois, has become a battleground for the latest in woke ideology, and it's not pretty. In 2023, the school decided to implement a series of changes that have left many parents and students scratching their heads. The administration, in a bid to be more "inclusive" and "progressive," has introduced policies that seem more like a parody of political correctness than genuine educational reform.

First up, the school's decision to eliminate traditional grading systems. That's right, no more A's, B's, or C's. Instead, students are now assessed on a vague scale of "mastery" that supposedly encourages learning without the pressure of grades. But let's be real, this is just another way to coddle students and avoid holding them accountable. How are students supposed to prepare for the real world if they can't even handle a simple letter grade?

Next, the school's new dress code policy, or lack thereof. In an effort to promote "self-expression," students are now allowed to wear whatever they please. While this might sound liberating, it's led to chaos. Classrooms have turned into fashion runways, with students more focused on their outfits than their education. It's a distraction, plain and simple, and it's doing a disservice to students who are there to learn.

Then there's the curriculum overhaul. Thornton Fractional North has decided to prioritize "social justice" education over traditional subjects like math and science. While understanding social issues is important, it shouldn't come at the expense of core academic skills. Students are being fed a steady diet of activism instead of arithmetic, and it's setting them up for failure in a world that still values hard skills.

The school's approach to discipline has also taken a turn for the absurd. In an effort to be more "understanding," the administration has adopted a restorative justice model that focuses on dialogue and mediation rather than punishment. While this might sound nice in theory, in practice it means that students face little to no consequences for bad behavior. It's a recipe for disaster, as students quickly learn that they can get away with just about anything.

And let's not forget the school's new policy on pronouns. Teachers are now required to ask students for their preferred pronouns at the beginning of each class. While respecting individual identity is important, this policy has turned into a bureaucratic nightmare. Teachers are spending more time navigating pronoun preferences than actually teaching, and it's creating an environment where everyone is walking on eggshells.

The school's obsession with diversity and inclusion has also led to the creation of numerous affinity groups. While these groups are meant to provide support for students of different backgrounds, they've ended up fostering division rather than unity. Students are being encouraged to see themselves as part of separate tribes rather than as members of a cohesive school community.

Thornton Fractional North's attempt to be a beacon of progressivism has backfired spectacularly. Instead of creating a nurturing educational environment, the school has become a cautionary tale of what happens when ideology trumps common sense. Parents are frustrated, students are confused, and the quality of education is suffering. It's a mess, and it's time for the school to wake up and realize that their experiment in wokeness is doing more harm than good.