Censorship in Public Schools?

ridleyman

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Subtitle: So What Else is New?!

I teach in a well-to-do Boston suburb with an excellent school system. Yes, I have griped previously about my majority gun banning staff, but today might be a new low.

I had a doc's appt so I had to miss school last Friday. Apparently, one of my students drew a gun-OH HORROR! I have seen several of my male students draw guns, and I could care less. Frequently I'll ask what kind of gun they're drawing and then move on. My job is to be impartial, although the kids hear nothing but a barrage of anti-gun propaganda so I feel I should balance the equation a bit. If there were depictions of blood and guts I would intervene, but there haven't been any yet.

Anyways, the school psychologist initiated an intervention, and had several meetings with a few boys about this single drawing. No blood or guts. Apparently, it was a "very serious matter and other kids could feel vulnerable and get upset". By this drawing.

There were emails going back and forth between the psych, principal, parent, and me. I simply stated that it was just a harmless drawing and I wouldn't worry about it. The principal demurred and has banned drawings of guns now. He doesn't want anybody to be upset. Again, BY A DRAWING!!!!!!!!! For the record, this is the same brilliant team who prohibits kids from making forts and playing on snow banks/piles, away from cars. Kids are going to grow up being big babies if they face no challenges/adversities in life!

Finally, and the most ironic part is: Our school theme this year is.........resilience!!!
 
Are you an art teacher? If so, propose a new elective drawing class featuring live sketching of nude figures.
That should get the old censorship discussion going.
 
I think this goes to a lack of Dads in people's lives.

I had a great Dad, and I miss him still. But he let me be a kid, despite getting all kinds of flack from Mom.

Now that I have kids of my own, I realize Mom isn't a pain in the butt, she's a mom. Mom's exist to nurture their child, and protect them from any form of harm that may come to them. Dads exist to invent new and interesting ways for kids to get hurt. (I know, in the old days, we kids had to do stupid stuff on our own, and those of us who survived realize that it's only by dumb luck - and maybe having a Dad within range to stop the really dumb stuff and give ideas on how to stop getting hurt wouldn't have been a bad thing. Plus, it's fun for me watching my kids have fun doing dangerous stuff that won't kill them, but will fuel their taste for adventure.)

These kids today (am I that old that I can say THAT?) either have a dad who isn't there, or has listened to the moonbats too much and may as well be a second mom. Where are the Dads who can teach the new generations how to shoot, cut, spit, cuss and fix stuff? Maybe if more kids had those basic skills, there wouldn't be as much chaos in the world.

Gotta go, I'm gonna go throw axes with my kids before my wife gets home.
 
When I was 10 , the school started “ground breaking” according to them ,

Sex Ed in health class.

Had to presented by a visiting M.D.

So the stick in the mud principle had to be standing up front with the 80 year old g.p. to make sure he didn’t go too far or something.

At one point we were asked to write any questions and pass them up.

So I wanted to push these guys buttons and watch their heads explode bart Simpson style.

I drew the nicest set of double D’s a 10 yr. old could as passed it up.

The doc opened it up ,face turned red, he gave to the principle

And I got kicked out , with a trip to the shrink as well.

I still laugh at their reaction.:D
 
Perhaps this can be worked into a lesson.

Draw a gun on the chalkboard.
Watch everyone get upset.
Add an anti message.
Watch it become acceptable.
Make a change to make it an anit-anti-gun piece and watch everyone get upset again.

Have the students write an essay as to why this imagery was unacceptable, then acceptable, then unacceptable again, pointing out that the image itself never changed so if the message changed, it couldn't have been due to the image, therefore the image is irrelevant to the message.
 
When I was 10 , the school started “ground breaking” according to them ,

Sex Ed in health class.

Had to presented by a visiting M.D.

So the stick in the mud principle had to be standing up front with the 80 year old g.p. to make sure he didn’t go too far or something.

At one point we were asked to write any questions and pass them up.

So I wanted to push these guys buttons and watch their heads explode bart Simpson style.

I drew the nicest set of double D’s a 10 yr. old could as passed it up.

The doc opened it up ,face turned red, he gave to the principle

And I got kicked out , with a trip to the shrink as well.

I still laugh at their reaction.:D

When I was in Kindergarten, we had a draw-a-self-portrait project. I drew an anatomically-correct me, and demonstrated my knowledge of the alphabet by adding in, forehead-down, "A" thru, um, "Pee-Pee"

Parents were called to have a chat with the teacher.
 
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