|
|
Post by BadCompany on May 14, 2007 11:07:57 GMT -5
In the “oh yeah, thought this one through did you department”… www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/05/13/faked.attack.ap/index.html Teachers stage fake gunman attack on sixth-gradersMURFREESBORO, Tennessee (AP) -- Staff members of an elementary school staged a fictitious gun attack on students during a class trip, telling them it was not a drill as the children cried and hid under tables.
The mock attack Thursday night was intended as a learning experience and lasted five minutes during the weeklong trip to a state park, said Scales Elementary School Assistant Principal Don Bartch, who led the trip.
"We got together and discussed what we would have done in a real situation," he said.
But parents of the sixth-grade students were outraged. (Watch student recount incident, mother react )
"The children were in that room in the dark, begging for their lives, because they thought there was someone with a gun after them," said Brandy Cole, whose son went on the trip.
Some parents said they were upset by the staff's poor judgment in light of the April 16 shootings at Virginia Tech that left 33 students and professors dead, including the gunman.
During the last night of the trip, staff members convinced the 69 students that there was a gunman on the loose. They were told to lie on the floor or hide underneath tables and stay quiet. A teacher, disguised in a hooded sweat shirt, even pulled on a locked door.
After the lights went out, about 20 kids started to cry, 11-year-old Shay Naylor said.
"I was like, 'Oh My God,' " she said. "At first I thought I was going to die. We flipped out."
Principal Catherine Stephens declined to say whether the staff members involved would face disciplinary action, but said the situation "involved poor judgment." |
|
|
|
Post by MC Habber on May 14, 2007 18:30:34 GMT -5
My initial reaction is they should all be fired, and possibly face criminal charges. Maybe I'm overreacting, but I don't see how calling it a "learning experience" justifies it - everything is a learning experience afterall. Some teachers separate their students into groups based on eye or hair colour, for a day or a week, and treat the groups differently to teach them about racism. That is already controversial, but this seems a lot worse.
|
|
|
|
Post by jkr on May 17, 2007 8:07:19 GMT -5
My initial reaction is they should all be fired, and possibly face criminal charges. Maybe I'm overreacting, but I don't see how calling it a "learning experience" justifies it - everything is a learning experience afterall. Some teachers separate their students into groups based on eye or hair colour, for a day or a week, and treat the groups differently to teach them about racism. That is already controversial, but this seems a lot worse. Firing them was my 1st reaction too & it still is. It's hard to believe a group of supposedly intelligent people though this was a good idea. |
|
|
|
Post by BadCompany on May 17, 2007 8:26:44 GMT -5
Apparently it wasn't a drill... It was a "prank." They were taking turns telling scary stories, and they thought this would be a good one... I guess they were right... they scared the kids good. Nicely done.
One teacher has been suspended for the rest of the year.
|
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 17, 2007 10:15:43 GMT -5
I think suspending the lot of them is the first step.
Letting the kids have their say, face to face, would be the second.
Thirdly, charging them be in order, followed up by counseling.
If I were making the call, at the very least, they'd be finished in any education system.
Unbelievable lack of judgement.
|
|
|
|
Post by Skilly on May 17, 2007 22:25:10 GMT -5
hmmmmm? My post was deleted?
|
|
|
|
Post by Cranky on May 18, 2007 7:15:38 GMT -5
hmmmmm? My post was deleted? Huh? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As for the teachers...... No problem. The teachers should teach the yongsters what it is like to be in jail. They should spend a night in jail, nesting with Big Bubba, Big Joe and ALL their friends. When they can stand straight, then they can tell all about it to the class write a book.....  |
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 18, 2007 9:41:08 GMT -5
hmmmmm? My post was deleted? Huh? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As for the teachers...... No problem. The teachers should teach the yongsters what it is like to be in jail. They should spend a night in jail, nesting with Big Bubba, Big Joe and ALL their friends. When they can stand straight, then they can tell all about it to the class write a book..... I think they have a program like this in place here in Ontario, HA. Dis Jr. is in the same class as a student whose currently in the "Student In Need Attendance Program" or SNAP. It's an eye-opener for youths who have been suspended from school and might be making one too many wrong choices at an early point in their development. If I heard right, the kids are even shown what local cells look like near end of the program. It works for some, not so with others. What I find positive about this is that everyone, including the school, still shares some responsibility. Though the student has been suspended he/she is still responsible for getting their regular amount of homework done though it's done in another enviornment less negative distractions. And I believe the program is designed to re-integrate the student back into school after the suspension and the program have been completed. At least there's something in place to at least try to curtail early behaviour problems. It's too easy to write off youngsters as being "just plain bad." And it's a lot more positive of an approach than staging a reoccurance of the Columbine massacre. Cheers. |
|
|
|
Post by Doc Holliday on May 18, 2007 13:45:55 GMT -5
Another fine chapter of education was written in Quebec this week when a school principal decided to punish two 4th grade kids by making them produce a paper on the subject of fellatio (origins, how to perform, etc..) a word they were apparently found guilty of uttering against a classmate. Parents filed a complaint, no words yet from the school or school board.
|
|
|
|
Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 18, 2007 14:35:21 GMT -5
Another fine chapter of education was written in Quebec this week when a school principal decided to punish two 4th grade kids by making them produce a paper on the subject of fellatio (origins, how to perform, etc..) a word they were apparently found guilty of uttering against a classmate. Parents filed a complaint, no words yet from the school or school board. Read that earlier today too, Doc and I just closed my browser. But, I do disagree with this approach being used by the teachers. There are other ways of promoting appropriate conversation amongst 4th graders. One can ask, where did they hear it from? Well, it is a schoolyard and I think it's naive to think that they didn't possibly hear older students discussing it. However, if they stay up long enough at home and are unsupervised they are exposed to it on TV and I'm not talking about porn per se. Kids learn from shows like the Sopranos, Sex in the City and even commercials. I have friends in Denmark and their attitude towards sex is vastly different from ours. Over there it's taught at a very early age. Kids talk about all aspects of this topic to their parents when they're only youngsters. Over hear it's practically avoided by parents until it becomes absolutely necessary. As we get older over here it's something a lot of people feel uncomfortable talking about. As you get older over there it's a celebration. If nothing else it might raise a debate on whether or not we know how to handle these situations properly as they come up and I still think it could have been handled better. Yet, judging by this resolution it looks like there might be some immaturity out there ... on both sides. Cheers. |
|
|
|
Post by franko on May 18, 2007 16:26:02 GMT -5
I have friends in Denmark and their attitude towards sex is vastly different from ours. Over there it's taught at a very early age. Kids talk about all aspects of this topic to their parents when they're only youngsters. Over hear it's practically avoided by parents until it becomes absolutely necessary. This is North America. Sex is bad. I have too much to say on this matter that but can't give it justice as I sit here with my wife yelling at me because we need to leave. The Christian Church is somewhat to blame -- more later. Interestingly enough, we were very open with discussions with our children when they were young (they asked; we told). However, they are so embarrassed about hte issue (at least with us) that I can't believe it. If they catch my wife and I in a lip lock they turn beet red. Say the word "sex", they run. Oh, and as far as the three of them are concerned, we've "done the deed" only three times in the last 28 years. |
|
|
|
Post by habmeister on May 18, 2007 16:46:27 GMT -5
only in america...
|
|
|
|
Post by Skilly on May 21, 2007 19:26:06 GMT -5
a word they were apparently found guilty of uttering against a classmate. Parents filed a complaint, Nothing wrong with calling someone a "rooster"-sucker is there? ;D All jokes aside, this has nothing to do with sex, and more to do with self-respect and respect for others. Instead of doling out assignments and detentions, maybe making the riff-raff do community service (ie, spend time with AIDS awareness groups, or old age homes, etc) is the way to show these kids a little about how to treat the worlds around them. |
|
|
|
Post by Skilly on May 21, 2007 19:27:39 GMT -5
hmmmmm? My post was deleted? Huh? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I could have sworn I posted something to the effect that psychologists and psychiatrists are salivating and going to red flag these kids and wait to see of they end up in their offices .... |
|
