Douglas Weathers, the boy's father, told the Mail Tribune that the drawing was harmless, and that 6-year-old Ryan was punished merely for copying something he had seen on an episode of "The Simpsons" TV show.
The disciplinary report given to Ryan's parents listed the reason behind the suspension as a threat to "shoot two girls in the head," the father told the Mail Tribune.
heh.
My swansong to Pub Ed in the 90s was in re one of my daughters attending a pub ed school in California. This is so truthful a story it has only my laughter NOW, but only because we survived it, and that child of mine is grown and doing beautifully.
She had begun 3rd grade. There would be no science and no math, or very little of either throughout that school year. I knew it was time to pull her out of school and bring her home to learn.
Anyway, her teacher over a period of days read a story aloud to the classroom a story about a little girl dying of leukemia. At the end of the story, she in classic "cooperative learning" style asked her little 3rd graders how "they would choose to die". Their assignment was to draw a picture of their choice and a brief essay about "how they would choose to die".
(This was during the early media trumpeting days of George Soro's move to "legalize" euthanasia, and Jack Kevorkian was considered a true "humanitarian".)
My little 3rd grader was very upset by this assignment and was refusing to do it. She decided, on her own, to do her assignment on "how she would choose to live". She got clucked at by her teacher, rightfully so (she didn't do the "required" bill of assignment), but nonetheless she wasn't belittled or sent home with a "discipline issue" letter. Even so, she was still upset. This little girl was upset that her classmates were spending any time at all on "how they would choose to die". And it bothered her greatly. Causing her angst. So, I told her I would step into the situation, and would that help?
"Yes, mom -- that would help".
So, I did. "Back to school night" I snuck her onto the campus (kids weren't allowed) and into her classroom. Parents just kinda looked at her but went on with their purposes in being there. Sure enough, that silly essay was plastered on the walls of her classroom.
I observed, that most the boys' drawings and essays had to do with being killed with guns and knives and the big fight against being murdered. The girls', however, mostly involved being murdered by "eeeevil" males and how they fought. I guess few to none wanted to die by disease or car accidents.
Anyway, there was my daughter's drawing and essay. She had drawn herself happy on Planet Earth surrounded by Angels, flowers, trees, family, friends.
I heard some parents admiring the essays speak out "fascinating intellectual exercises", and I observed the shocked if not horrified looks on the faces of other parents.
The teacher hadn't yet entered the classroom so yours truly took the opportunity point out very loudly, getting everyone's attention, the horror of this assignment, and it's twin sister: "All males are evil, all females are victims".
The teacher caught the end of my tirade and called Security to have me removed. I told her not to trouble them or herself. I plucked my daughter out of the closet she'd been hiding herself in, and she and I left the schoolgrounds and went out for an ice cream. She could let that bad situation go. We'd done our best. And we could move on now. The parents were warned, the obvious pointed out. And, my daughter felt she'd done her very best, using all tools available to her to awaken others as to the heinousness being perpetrated upon mere children.
After that night, she never, not once, entered a K-12 classroom as a student. That was it. That night was the very last straw.
Thirty Years of "all males are evil" coming through all avenues of public attention (education, think tanks, politicians, feminists and the masochists who love them) does come with a price.
And this price has landed on the head of a 6 year old and his family.
Damned shame. I hope his family unleashes the Kracken.
If not, the results in later years of "how one would choose to die" ringing any bells with anyone thinking about VA Tech and Columbine?
Well, heah come de Judge...
4 comments:
Worse, the very people who do this are totally clueless about how the "all boys are evil" stuff can ultimately lead to a kid shooting the place up when he gets to age 16 or 17. This was a gd stick figure, fercrissakes! And the kid`s only 6 years old. But they won`t let him be a boy and feel good about himself being one.
Were I ever to become dictator-for-life, people like that teacher would be labeled as child abusers, and never be allowed within 500 feet of any kid.
Rastus, I'm so with you there. Just because a teacher/admin has a "credential" they are allowed to get away with all kinds of emotional and verbal abuse directed at children.
Egads, I wonder if some don't become teachers just because it will give them "power". Weird, and sick, but nonetheless, it's true I think.
Ever seen the flick "Matilda"? Have my own copy. I've met too many in pub ed like that head"mistress" at the school.
On another level, The Simpsons is hardly what I'd consider a cartoon for 6 year olds .... strange viewing choices for the kid at home.
And if we've ever had kids, we all know... monkey see, monkey do.
Preventing that mimicking behavior is impossible. Therefore, raising children to reconcile their visualizations and emotions with the real world is the parents' job. Disciplinary overreactions by either parents or schools merely introduces a child to a form of extremism and oppression... and allows anger and resentment fester as the years go by.
This school stuff is a hard call anymore. Kids are so acclimated to violence and sex in our commercials, TV shows and movies.
It's sure ain't the days of The Shirley Temple Storybook Hour and Bonanza anymore.
Mata, point well made.
The Simpsons however does appear during hours that children have access to TV. This then, might speak to ratings.
Just as you are I were discussing in another item re: overreactions, the school in this case OVERREACTED. The proper thing would have been for the teacher/principal to talk with the parent, explaining why the drawing was not a good idea and why their child should be encouraged to not draw such material, or talk about it, even jest (too frightening to other children, perhaps). But instead, the school hit way too hard.
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