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To all students required by the law to attend school:
Asking permission to use the restroom is absurd. Denying students permission to use the restroom is inhumane. Even if you never get denied, asking permission is ironic and illogical because you presume that you could be denied. Whatever the outcome, demanding students to ask permission for restroom access does not teach sound, logical reasoning. You ask permission so the faculty can maintain order, but to keep track of you they actually only need to be informed, not asked. The most effective change you can make is to stop asking permission altogether.
You are the only person who truly knows when you need to use the restroom. If you are punished for not asking permission, then the faculty is being disrespectful to the fact that your body doesn’t operate according to their agenda. The current school system is an industry designed to standardize you, but there are no standard people.
The school system has no control over you because the choice to obey is always yours. If you want to make lasting changes, though, you need to work together in large numbers. If you and only a few other people choose not to obey, the faculty will try to intimidate you and your family until you obey or get expelled while permission remains. However, if you and many other people choose not to obey, the faculty will change their ways so that the school doesn’t fall apart. Your school cannot afford to stay open without the support of many of its students because your participation represents money.
Non-violent non-cooperation is the key. No matter what anybody tells you, do not give in. Ignore them if you have to. If you are asked where you’re going, tell the truth. If you are told to stop, keep going.
Working on a simple matter, like restroom permission, will make it easy for many people to learn how to work together on bigger issues. If you want, you can destroy the school system as we know it and replace it with something you want. Education is empowerment, so if you don’t feel very empowered, something has to change, and asking for that change will not be as successful as causing it.
Respectfully Yours,
Brandon R. Farmer
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