Mom decries violent poem:

[Praxius]

Mom decries violent poem

CALGARY - A woman in a small town near Calgary is livid that a poem depicting a teacher violently attacking students was taught in her daughter's Grade 6 class just one day after the mass shooting at Virginia Tech last week. The piece called The Lesson was written by British poet Roger McGough and was published in the 1970s, apparently as a piece of satire. But Carol Watson of Crossfield said is was totally inappropriate to be read to students especially considering the timing after 33 students and staff were shot dead at a college campus in the United States. "I'm absolutely appalled," said Watson. "I can't believe an adult would think this is an appropriate poem to read out to Grade 6 class." The poem starts with a teacher coming into a class and announcing the theme for the day would be violence and it would be a lesson "you'll never forget." The teacher then cuts, hacks and shoots students. The Lesson includes a verse: "'Please may I leave the room, sir' a trembling vandal enquired, 'Of course you may,' said the teacher, put the gun to his temple and fired." The incident is under investigated according to the Rockyview School Division. "We're still gathering information," said school board spokeswoman Sally Powis. "The issue is under investigation and we will deal with the teacher directly if necessary.

Some people sure are idiots.... I mean.... that's just bad taste alone reading that in a school, not including the fact that it was read the very next day after the shootings.

What glue are people inhaling when they think these days?

Reading a bit of what I can read above in the image..... it seems to end with the teacher throwing a grenade..... so basically it's a poem promoting teachers taking out their frustrations on their students..... from what I can read, there's nothing practical or logical about this poem, except to invoke fear.... esspecially to grade 6 kids.

Who knows.... maybe he was getting fed up and figured he'd scare them a bit.

[Heather]

Quote by: Praxius Mom decries violent poem Some people sure are idiots.... I mean.... that's just bad taste alone reading that in a school, not including the fact that it was read the very next day after the shootings. What glue are people inhaling when they think these days? Reading a bit of what I can read above in the image..... it seems to end with the teacher throwing a grenade..... so basically it's a poem promoting teachers taking out their frustrations on their students..... from what I can read, there's nothing practical or logical about this poem, except to invoke fear.... esspecially to grade 6 kids. Who knows.... maybe he was getting fed up and figured he'd scare them a bit.

You're in much better shape than me if you can read that, but I'll admit, I probably need new glasses here.

Personally, this is what happens when you send your children to a public school. You allow others to interject there personal views, no matter how much you may disagree with them, into your child. Now, this is not always bad, as long as you pay attention to what your child is being taught, and point out to them, they don't always need to agree with their public teachings.

Inapropriate? Hard to say without reading the entire poem to be honest. I would also have to hear the teachers reasons for presenting this in class. I don't follow propaganda.

[ZNFYRH]

It's inappropriate.

It's suggesting violence on the part of an authority figure, which is a big no-no in American schools. Teachers can't even threaten or joke about physical punishment.

A poem like this only puts kids in the position of the children in the poem, and they attribute the violent teacher to their authority figures.

[Heather]

Quote by: ZNFYRH It's inappropriate. It's suggesting violence on the part of an authority figure, which is a big no-no in American schools. Teachers can't even threaten or joke about physical punishment. A poem like this only puts kids in the position of the children in the poem, and they attribute the violent teacher to their authority figures.

But by the same token, things that we may not like, are a part of life. We can't shelter our children forever. I would want to know in what context this teacher presented this.

I don't presume to know what the teacher was suggesting, because for all I know, it could have had a legitimate educational purpose that is being taken out of context. How would we, a bystander, know? We can't.

[Praxius]

One second, I'll see if I can blow up the pic and post the poem..... it's not the easiest thing to read at that resolution and size, lol.

Chaos rules OK in the Classroom As Bravely the teacher walked in the hooligans ignored him his voice was lost in the din "The theme for today is violence and homework will be set I'm going to teach you a lesson one that you'll never forget" He picked on a boy who was shouting and throttled him then and there then garrotted the girl behind him (The one with the grotty hair) Then sword in hand he hacked his way between the chattering rows "First come, first served" he declaired "Fingers, feet or toes" He threw the sword at a latecomer it struck with deadly aim then pulling out a shotgun he continued with his game The first blast cleared the backrow (Where those who skive hang out) they collapsed like rubber dinghies when the plug's pulled out "Please may I leave the room sire?" a trembling vandal enquired "Of course you may" said teacher put the gun to his temple and fired The head popped a head round the doorway to see why a din was being made nodded understandingly then tossed in a grenade.

Some words might be screwed..... you can only blow up a low res file so much.....

But that's it as I could read it...... quite a sick little thing to be making your students read, that's for sure.....

I am not sure what the teacher was trying to get at, but I don't see any use of this poem being taught to grade 6's... esspecially a day after VT..... whatever he/she was trying to express, it was the wrong time, wrong place, wrong grade..... I can't even fathom a teacher thinking they could go ahead and teach that to those kids...... I went to a public school, my father taught in a public school, and public schools here are run by the proviencial governments and their teacher unions.... what is taught is pretty much 90% regulated.... since they are funded by tax payer's dollars....

This poem being taught in the situation is has with given information would at least see this teacher getting disiplinary action, if not fired.

[Arawn-ap-Hywel]

The teacher and class no doubt fully comprehended the joy and diversity of humour, which when ebbed with a our darkest less diverse nature brings a truth so cold all we can do is shiver and laugh.
The timing could not have been better, for I doubt any in a class of six yearolds related to the events which have horrified many.
Some parents need to be much less protective and trust those whose profession enables our youth to be ready for the world

[Rinoa]

Quote by: Heather But by the same token, things that we may not like, are a part of life. We can't shelter our children forever. I would want to know in what context this teacher presented this. I don't presume to know what the teacher was suggesting, because for all I know, it could have had a legitimate educational purpose that is being taken out of context. How would we, a bystander, know? We can't.

There can't be a legitimate purpose that couldn't have been taught with another, less violently graphic poem. I agree that we can't protect our children forever, but he was reading this to ten year olds for christ sake, they were still in elementary. What we expose our children to needs to be age-appropriate. Something like this should not be read to them til they are in at least 9th year.

[Praxius]

Yeah I'm all for teaching our kids the reality around them at a young age, but within reason.... as I read this poem it was actually a bit worse then I was expecting......

People complain about what our kids see and hear on TV, in Music Videos, Movies, Games, the Internet.... and most of those have age requirements to each respectivly and are somewhat regulated.... I don't believe this poem was age appropreate..... nor was it regulated..... I highly doubt this poem was approved by the school board.

[gw120]

People should understand that it's a poem, not a death threat! I guarantee it was also meant to be completely metaphorical. Also these kids were twelve, old enough to understand the meaning of a metaphor. The parent's over reacting.

[Rinoa]

Oops, I thought it said fifth...but some of them would still only be eleven. And up until that second to last paragraph I'd agree with it being over reacting, but that was just too much. It's not the teacher's place to decide when my kid is ready to hear that kind of satire.

[Osborn F Enready]

Heather said: Personally, this is what happens when you send your children to a public school. You allow others to interject there personal views, no matter how much you may disagree with them, into your child. Now, this is not always bad, as long as you pay attention to what your child is being taught, and point out to them, they don't always need to agree with their public teachings. We can't shelter our children forever. I would want to know in what context this teacher presented this. I don't presume to know what the teacher was suggesting, because for all I know, it could have had a legitimate educational purpose that is being taken out of context. How would we, a bystander, know? We can't.

I agree with Heather on this one in all points quoted.

[Praxius]

I feel it's sending mixed messages and confusing them at that age..... first you got your parents and society telling these kids what they can watch, play and learn because of their age and what's appropreate..... then you got your teacher making you learn a poem in class that goes against most of what you're restricted in viewing, learning........

A poem is a poem, indeed..... but the details in the poem are something that I wouldn't want my child reading at that age.... if they are going to learn about senseless violence such as in this poem, I'd rather teach them myself, so I know how they are understanding it.

There was a big stink about a year or two ago about teachers teaching grade 6'ers sexual education, and was shot down because parents thought it was too young..... yet this is allowed?

Since when was violence something better to teach our kids over sex? Oh yeah.... since forever..... good to know we got our priorities straight, lol.

Here's a tangent question for all:

If you had a child in elementary and you had the choice between two options.... #1 - Teaching them violence... or #2 - Teaching them about sex..... what would you rather your kids learn about?

[Rinoa]

Assuming you mean teaching them about violence...It depends on how the curriculum was taught. I'm all for maturation classes in elementary. Girls as young as eight are getting their first periods, and they need to understand their changing bodies. In Junior High I would actually object to abstinence only classes because they aren't effective. I want mmy child to know how to protect themselves, but I also want a motif of sex being an adult activity that should be waited for because it's the mature thing for them to do.

As for teaching them about violence, later in elementary a brief overview of war, and examples of things that we regret having done(a bomb), and things that were achieved(hitlers death) would be ok.

[ZNFYRH]

Quote by: Heather I don't presume to know what the teacher was suggesting, because for all I know, it could have had a legitimate educational purpose that is being taken out of context. How would we, a bystander, know? We can't.

As a parent, I find that teaching this poem to children is inappropriate. There is a certain documented difference in roles and awareness between 11 year olds and 16 year olds.

An 11 year old still possesses that fear of authority as they learn to rely less on their family social circle and expand to that of their friends.

What was this poem supposed to teach children? Consider that these children are aware of enough of the world to understand that a lot of people died the day before, and those people died in a school. And now they hear a poem about a teacher doing the same thing.

It's bad enough kids have to worry about stuff today that I didn't dream of in my day, but now they have to fear their teachers?

No way.

As a parent of a student at that school, I would push for that teacher's suspension. My child doesn't go to school to learn to be afraid.

[Osborn F Enready]

All of the studies on this negate exceptional individuals, who aren't within the norm. Those individuals have the right to learn at a rate which is commensurate with their ability to learn and become mature.

There is no reason as a parent, I couldn't decide if my child was mature enough to deal with this type of material, or should be subjected to it, better than the state or fed, based on "collective studies".

Once again, they want to dumb everything down to the lowest level, so the slowest kids don't feel "left behind" in the terrible public school system we have devised. The system is more at fault than any individual in this case, I think.

[Rinoa]

Osborn, your post has left me a little confused. What studies?

Also the last two paragraphs seem to contradict a little. The one says that you want to be the one to decide as the parent, the other says that not teaching that poem would be dumbing it down for the slow ones in the class. Which is it? Should the parent decide, or is it universally acceptable for that age level?

[Osborn F Enready]

Rinoa said: Osborn, your post has left me a little confused. What studies?

The ones hinted at by ZNYFRH.

Rinoa said: Also the last two paragraphs seem to contradict a little. The one says that you want to be the one to decide as the parent, the other says that not teaching that poem would be dumbing it down for the slow ones in the class. Which is it? Should the parent decide, or is it universally acceptable for that age level?

The parent has the choice, I don't support public schools, though I am FORCED to pay for them, and this is the type of damage that can be done when public schools measure as they do, a childs ability to learn, and maturity based on collective studies, as opposed to INDIVIDUAL studies.

[Rinoa]

Public schools are in place to make sure that every child receives some kind of education. Kids would be much worse off if it was left up to parents to fund their childrens education. They're underfunded, and the American system certainly needs to be redone from scratch, but it's alot better than what most parents would be able to afford privately.

[Osborn F Enready]

Rinoa said: Public schools are in place to make sure that every child receives some kind of education. Kids would be much worse off if it was left up to parents to fund their childrens education.

I know the "claims made" for public theft via taxation by government, for education. I don't agree, for many reasons, but I don't think this is the thread for that debate.

Rinoa said: They're underfunded, and the American system certainly needs to be redone from scratch, but it's alot better than what most parents would be able to afford privately.

Well, thats all pretty subjective, and to me, seems biased. I personally disagree.

[Slevin57]

Perhaps if our children are taught that poems like this are not literal, we would not end up with so many schizophrenic psychopaths shooting up schools...