Just in case you missed this nugget:
Actually, he was “threatening”:o
Was it just me, or was that article written really bad. It was hard to read because the sentences where so short and had no point.
As for the issue, I think it is rediculous to have suspended him. He did not threaten her with any weapon at all. He pointed a damn peice of chicken at his teacher and said “pow pow pow.” He is only 8 years old. It was probly frustration with the teacher. If he was frustrated with the teacher, that is probly the reason she had him suspended from school. He may have been a burden of a student to her.
In a weird way, I can sort of understand this one. I’m not saying that I think the suspension was right–I don’t. But the boy should definitely have been given a good talking-to. I mean, this was in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and they did have a deadly shooting there a few years ago. They aren’t going to put up with any violence there, pretend or not.
My first thought is that the suspension is ridiculous and absurd.
However, playing the devil’s advocate for a moment, there really is no way of knowing from our vantage point the general behavior of the boy accused. Suppose he was always seen as somewhat disturbed and morally unbalanced? Then wouldn’t his behavior now be seen as another ‘red flag’ of the macabre development of his behavior?
I still think it’s absurd. But I was a journalist once, too. When writing news articles, you usually don’t get enough space to tell the -whole- story.
I don’t agree with the punishment. While it was noted that this was in Jonesboro, the child was 5 when the shooting happened. We don’t know if he remembers, understands, or even knows about the shooting or its impact. Due to the terse sentences and lack of information contained in the article, I can’t really develop my opinion further.
I’m a teacher, and I can tell you that most of the time when a kid is suspended, even for seemingly silly reasons as this appears to be, it’s because the kid has a history.
I would guess that the kid had a history of poor behavior and disrespect toward the teacher. Of course, the teacher could also have been a moron and not known how to handle him.
The point is, we weren’t there and we don’t know.
This part seriously bothers me. Since when does anyone have the right to tell me what I can and cannot think? Unless and until I do something that actually harms someone, I have done nothing wrong. Apparently this conecpt is now beyond some people…
Despite my nearly irrational fear of revealing too much about myself on the Internet, I must post here. Let’s just say that I have close ties to Jonesboro, Arkansas. (OK, I LIVE there … are you happy now?? :D)
I have no cite for any of this, because it’s local gossip, more or less, but I’ve heard it from several trusted friends who are within the school system.
Grok has it right, apparently. This was apparently something of a “last straw” situation for this child. It’s also said that his older brother was actually suspended previously for actually bringing a weapon of some sort (knife or firearm, I can’t remember) to school. Again, insert allegedly before all of those statements, because I don’t vouch for the truth of those rumors.
Believe it or not, Jonesboro schools don’t seem overly preoccupied with security – at least not to the point that it interferes with the educational process. We have excellent schools, and as someone who is in the schools often, I can say that with some certainty.
So there’s my two cents.