Is Selkie trying to cheer him up, this guy that’s been such a donkey bottom to her? The 8 year old logic of the 5th panel is awesome, btw! 🙂 It’s nice to see that even when she’s in “Glee-hee-hee” mode, she doesn’t seem to be mean spirited… unless she’s smart enough to save that for when she gets home.
It seems that way. To kids, missing out on the boring stuff is always best since they don’t really understand the implications of missed work or school.
Sad to see the eight year old is more mature than the principal. But I think we all knew that he was nothing more than a child in a (sort of) grown up body.
What’s worse about this though, is that clearly he had an idea that there was something important about Selkie to the government. And rather than try to make sure Selkie was adapting to school and seeing to her needs, he saw her as a burden and dismissed her. The agents likely intimidated him. Of that I have no doubt. But in that case, wouldn’t one also strive to do better for her?
No. He dismissed her as “trouble” from the start because she was different. And that’s what’s really sad here.
A lot of people these days look at things a bit too much as “Me vs. the World” and forget other people in the process. When you start looking at everything and everyone else as actively trying to take you down, the results can end up looking a lot like Gollum here… you don’t treat others with kindness and/or respect.
That’s a relatively common attitude among school faculty: to make their jobs as easy as possible for them rather than identifying and accommodating students with special needs. There are also teachers and administrators who understand their job and are willing to do it, often within the same organization, and in my experience it’s usually just luck of the draw which one you end up with. Parents can get their children help (at least in the USA; I can’t say anything about other countries), but most parents don’t know their rights because nobody bothers to tell them, and even those who do sometimes need a lawyer to get schools to comply.
Assuming this link works, here’s an anecdote from my home state of Washington, about a kid who, due to behavioral issues from undiagnosed Asperger’s, simply got locked in a closet every day for “school”. And when a parent happened to see this and got enraged, she was told “It’s none of your business, nothing to see here, move on.” (Thankfully, she took steps… though ultimately they amounted to nothing more than a pleasant memory in that kid’s head, and a few kids who got moved to a better school.)
I didn’t have it quite that bad, but I was speaking from personal experience. I was once locked in a closet for an hour or so, and I lost count of my out-of-school suspensions. Again, due to undiagnosed neurological conditions and my own maladjusted reactions to bullying. My parents eventually took me out of the school because the environment was so toxic. But it was also the school where I’d met my best teacher ever, years before.
I can’t seem to find it, so maybe my brain is just kidding… but I’d swear I remember reading Agent Brown telling Todd that the principal was one of the few civilians that had been “briefed” about her true story. His calling her a “fish person” would back that up.
There’s an aspect of Ashton’s behavior that I haven’t seen discussed in the comments yet. He’s been called Principal Hobbit, Gollum, etc. Well, yes, he is short. He is very, very short. He is *so* short that when he was a kid, he must have been the victim of bullying himself. Perhaps what we are looking at here is an unfortunately prolonged (like, a few decades) case of Stockholm syndrome. He identifies with bullies because the alternative is identifying with the victims, which triggers unpleasant memories from childhood.
Please note I am not in any way offering this as an excuse. He could have chosen to go the other way, and used his painful experience to develop compassion and empathy.
For the record, I prefer an unfinished comic to nothing. I also occasionally enjoy seeing one because it lets me feel like I’m a little more involved in the process. (No, I’m not involved at all, but hey! It’s cool to see!)
Not that I don’t want these colored, but it’s nowhere near an unforgivable sin.
Better an uncoloured comic than no Selkie at all. Although it does ruin the delusion that art springs fully formed from the mind of its creator, but I can live with that.
I disagree. I have seen a few comics that started to post their sketches… and that they get the sketches finished so fast, and the coloring so slowly, that the comic has sketches on the front page more frequently than colored. This comic doesn’t have that problem, but a reader might still see the sketches more than the colored images if that keeps having the problem. I’d prefer him to not feel rushed, and take the time he needs to, even if it means I have to be patient.
Is that Todd in the background listening? I hope he heard most of the conversation because Selkie’s last statement can be taken badly if taken out of context.
I guess, with cable, it’s better for kids these days. I remember being home sick. Early 60s, 2nd or 3rd grade. Mama and Daddy both at work. 7 years old, home alone. That would get CPS involved today, but back then it was pretty normal. Got tired of being in bed around 11 or 12. Got up, went to the living room, turned on TV. Soap Operas. Went outside. No one to play with – they were all in school. Very boring.
“Waah! Waah! I don’t want to protect eight-year-olds from hate crimes! Waah!”
“If you didn’t want to get involved in preventing children from committing hate crimes and acts of racism then you shouldn’t have pursued a career in educational administration for children and accepted a job in a school that allows racial diversity.”
“WAAH! Government, you’re so big and scary – why do you have to pick on MEEE?!”
“Do your job, man!”
“I don’t wanna play anymore! You keep changing the rules! I quit!”
“When did I change the -? Oh, he’s gone.”
“I’m so angry right now! Time to openly blame a child for the downfall of my career. This can’t possibly backfire in any way.”
Regardless of intention, any act of violence or contempt made by a member of a majority group towards a member of a minority group is going to be called racist, and will probably be called a hate crime if it goes to court. Considering the government is overseeing the events at the school to determine the best course of action for intergration of species, the interpretation is easy to reach.
Unrelated, but what ever happened to the plotline with Andi meeting Amanda? I was looking forward to that and am kind of curious to know when you plan on including it.
yeah, as a school administrator (principal) he’ll be lucky to even have a CLOTH parachute, let alone a GOLDEN one… I’d say that unless he’s been REALLY good at saving/investing, he’ll probably have to find a new job, because he probably won’t even get a retirement check out of this fiasco since he’s going to be “quitting” not “retiring”… though that may be an option the government allows in order to keep him quiet?
Is Selkie trying to cheer him up, this guy that’s been such a donkey bottom to her? The 8 year old logic of the 5th panel is awesome, btw! 🙂 It’s nice to see that even when she’s in “Glee-hee-hee” mode, she doesn’t seem to be mean spirited… unless she’s smart enough to save that for when she gets home.
It seems that way. To kids, missing out on the boring stuff is always best since they don’t really understand the implications of missed work or school.
Sad to see the eight year old is more mature than the principal. But I think we all knew that he was nothing more than a child in a (sort of) grown up body.
What’s worse about this though, is that clearly he had an idea that there was something important about Selkie to the government. And rather than try to make sure Selkie was adapting to school and seeing to her needs, he saw her as a burden and dismissed her. The agents likely intimidated him. Of that I have no doubt. But in that case, wouldn’t one also strive to do better for her?
No. He dismissed her as “trouble” from the start because she was different. And that’s what’s really sad here.
A lot of people these days look at things a bit too much as “Me vs. the World” and forget other people in the process. When you start looking at everything and everyone else as actively trying to take you down, the results can end up looking a lot like Gollum here… you don’t treat others with kindness and/or respect.
That’s a relatively common attitude among school faculty: to make their jobs as easy as possible for them rather than identifying and accommodating students with special needs. There are also teachers and administrators who understand their job and are willing to do it, often within the same organization, and in my experience it’s usually just luck of the draw which one you end up with. Parents can get their children help (at least in the USA; I can’t say anything about other countries), but most parents don’t know their rights because nobody bothers to tell them, and even those who do sometimes need a lawyer to get schools to comply.
Assuming this link works, here’s an anecdote from my home state of Washington, about a kid who, due to behavioral issues from undiagnosed Asperger’s, simply got locked in a closet every day for “school”. And when a parent happened to see this and got enraged, she was told “It’s none of your business, nothing to see here, move on.” (Thankfully, she took steps… though ultimately they amounted to nothing more than a pleasant memory in that kid’s head, and a few kids who got moved to a better school.)
http://notalwayslearning.com/the-opposite-of-closeted-behavior/35957
I didn’t have it quite that bad, but I was speaking from personal experience. I was once locked in a closet for an hour or so, and I lost count of my out-of-school suspensions. Again, due to undiagnosed neurological conditions and my own maladjusted reactions to bullying. My parents eventually took me out of the school because the environment was so toxic. But it was also the school where I’d met my best teacher ever, years before.
I have never like this principal. He was always taking everyone for granted and threatening everyone
Luckily for Selkie, she’s not letting the principals words get to her.
I can’t seem to find it, so maybe my brain is just kidding… but I’d swear I remember reading Agent Brown telling Todd that the principal was one of the few civilians that had been “briefed” about her true story. His calling her a “fish person” would back that up.
No, that is mentioned, Tarnagh, you’re right:
https://selkiecomic.com/comic/selkie327/
Confronting a student he victimized and laying blame on her for his doings, please let this guy get hit by a bus as he leaves the building
There’s an aspect of Ashton’s behavior that I haven’t seen discussed in the comments yet. He’s been called Principal Hobbit, Gollum, etc. Well, yes, he is short. He is very, very short. He is *so* short that when he was a kid, he must have been the victim of bullying himself. Perhaps what we are looking at here is an unfortunately prolonged (like, a few decades) case of Stockholm syndrome. He identifies with bullies because the alternative is identifying with the victims, which triggers unpleasant memories from childhood.
Please note I am not in any way offering this as an excuse. He could have chosen to go the other way, and used his painful experience to develop compassion and empathy.
Just speculating.
Actually, I think the Hobbit references are being made in response to Todd asking if he was out of his Hobbit Mind back when Selkie was suspended.
Yeahhhh that’s pretty much where it started. Todd called him Hobbit – WE ran with it.
Good luck with your new job as Wal-Mart greeter.
Does Jessie becomes instated as principal, completing the cycle?
Oh, I hope Jessie is his new boss!
Ah, if only the cartoons were better these days…
I see your desire, and raise you Steven Universe.
I’m really super intrigued by Steven Universe but haven’t gotten around to binging it yet. Is it available online in it’s entirety anywhere?
For the record, I prefer an unfinished comic to nothing. I also occasionally enjoy seeing one because it lets me feel like I’m a little more involved in the process. (No, I’m not involved at all, but hey! It’s cool to see!)
Not that I don’t want these colored, but it’s nowhere near an unforgivable sin.
Better an uncoloured comic than no Selkie at all. Although it does ruin the delusion that art springs fully formed from the mind of its creator, but I can live with that.
God I would love for that to happen. Just place my forehead against the screen and Selkie leaps out like Athena.
If it worked like that, everyone would do it.
Well, I certainly would.
Instead, since I convinced myself early on that I couldn’t draw and thus never practiced, I’m stuck writing.
I disagree. I have seen a few comics that started to post their sketches… and that they get the sketches finished so fast, and the coloring so slowly, that the comic has sketches on the front page more frequently than colored. This comic doesn’t have that problem, but a reader might still see the sketches more than the colored images if that keeps having the problem. I’d prefer him to not feel rushed, and take the time he needs to, even if it means I have to be patient.
Is that Todd in the background listening? I hope he heard most of the conversation because Selkie’s last statement can be taken badly if taken out of context.
Well, if his wide open eyes are any indication…
He’s been in CYA for such a long time I don’t think he remembers how to do his job.
I guess, with cable, it’s better for kids these days. I remember being home sick. Early 60s, 2nd or 3rd grade. Mama and Daddy both at work. 7 years old, home alone. That would get CPS involved today, but back then it was pretty normal. Got tired of being in bed around 11 or 12. Got up, went to the living room, turned on TV. Soap Operas. Went outside. No one to play with – they were all in school. Very boring.
Well he was just a sad little man in the end. Can’t say I care for him at all.
WAITAMINUTE I THINK I SEE TODD AROUND THE CORNER IN THE BACKGROUND BEHIND SELKIE LAST PANEL
*and then I realized he’s already tagged anyway… D’OH*
“Waah! Waah! I don’t want to protect eight-year-olds from hate crimes! Waah!”
“If you didn’t want to get involved in preventing children from committing hate crimes and acts of racism then you shouldn’t have pursued a career in educational administration for children and accepted a job in a school that allows racial diversity.”
“WAAH! Government, you’re so big and scary – why do you have to pick on MEEE?!”
“Do your job, man!”
“I don’t wanna play anymore! You keep changing the rules! I quit!”
“When did I change the -? Oh, he’s gone.”
“I’m so angry right now! Time to openly blame a child for the downfall of my career. This can’t possibly backfire in any way.”
Hate crime and racism? This was bullying. None of that happened.
Regardless of intention, any act of violence or contempt made by a member of a majority group towards a member of a minority group is going to be called racist, and will probably be called a hate crime if it goes to court. Considering the government is overseeing the events at the school to determine the best course of action for intergration of species, the interpretation is easy to reach.
If that’s Todd around the corner I hope he got his camera out, or whoever is around the corner.
I hope he at least heard it. By now and with how Ashton reacted in the meeting, if he recounts what he hears they´ll believe him.
Making sure she’s well cared for, the horror. How did the poor guy put up with that? *eyeroll*
Principal Agent Brown perhaps? Easier to keep an eye on the integration.
That was my immediate thought as well. Would that create an opportunity to bring more refugees and orphans from the war to the story?
Unrelated, but what ever happened to the plotline with Andi meeting Amanda? I was looking forward to that and am kind of curious to know when you plan on including it.
It’s been impacted a bit by this story arc going longer than I thought it would, but it’s still on the docket.
I really hope expression is the result of hearing what the principal said, not “Oh sh*t, what is my daughter saying”
CEOs aside, nobody get’s that good of a separation package, miss Selkie.
yeah, as a school administrator (principal) he’ll be lucky to even have a CLOTH parachute, let alone a GOLDEN one… I’d say that unless he’s been REALLY good at saving/investing, he’ll probably have to find a new job, because he probably won’t even get a retirement check out of this fiasco since he’s going to be “quitting” not “retiring”… though that may be an option the government allows in order to keep him quiet?