<p>Even under the most charitable interpretation of what the principal is trying to do with the policy, I think assigned seating is probably counterproductive. When I was in middle school (the first time that we weren’t all sitting at a few long tables), my group of friends were known as the “nice” table that would invite the social outcasts to sit with us. Had those students been left to the mercies of assigned seating, they could very well have wound up with a crowed who would at worst have bullied and at best ignored them.</p>
<p>Granted, you can’t always rely on kids to take that initiative on their own, but I think a combination of some good hearted students and gentle prodding from teachers, who should be in a position to identify the nice kids who might be amenable to including an unpopular student works much better than an assigned seating policy, which is likely to make people more, rather than less, miserable.</p>
<p>If the child is being emmotionally harmed by the actions of the principal, pull the child from the school. I don’t know what type of school choice is available in the OPs area, but transfer to a neighboring school, charter school, private school, home school may or may not be viable options depending on the families circumstances. Not every kid is built to take on the prinicipal, even if mom and dad are up for the fight.</p>
<p>While comparisons to mainland China may seem ridiculous, let’s remember that children learn lessons in miniaturized ways. Of course this is not comparable to an abuse of power that results in torture or imprisonment, but it IS sending the message to ALL of the children in the school that dissention will result in humiliation and isolation. Children generalize lessons learned to the real world. That’s what school is for! Shame on this principal.</p>