Teachers stage fake gun attack on kids

[Kadie]

Teachers stage fake gun attack on kids
2 hours, 53 minutes ago



MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - 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.

"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.

snip...
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 locked door.

more...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070513/ap_on_re_us/faked_attack_1



:wtf: :mad:

[dsc]

1. What the Hell were those fools thinking?

6th graders being terrorfied good grief.

[Dorian Gray]

32. No kidding.

That ONE teacher is stupid enough to pull of a "lesson" like that is beyond my imagination... but a whole crew of them? It's unthinkable!

[RL3AO]

2. Wow. Thats all I can say.

[Sabriel]

3. I'll add this to the "Things I Shouldn't Have to Tell My Students" list

Here it is so far:

1. Don't have sex with your students. At all.

2. Don't show Brokeback Mountain to 6th graders.

3. Don't stage mock Columbine attacks. Not even with debriefing.


I can't wait to add more!!!!!!!

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. Good list, but anyone with a lick of common sense should never

even need to be told those things. :(

[depakid]

9. How about we don't handcuff and arrest elementary school kids

for acting out in class....

[Sabriel]

12. Thanks! I forgot that one. And don't taser them, either. n/t

[Bucky]

16. How are they going to learn if you don't enforce classroom discipline?

:hide:

[sandnsea]

17. Or feed puppies to snakes

or lift high school girls dresses to check for thongs.

Where do these complete and utter fools come from.

[Dorian Gray]

33. The idea that anybody would need a list like that

is absolutely laughable... And sad... Because they do!

[shenmue]

4. What the @#&%?!

This has to be the most wrong thing in a long time.

:grr:

:dunce:

[dmost]

5. give me a break what morons

[sniffa]

7. i thought scared straight in 6th grade was bad

actuaLLy, it wasn't bad at aLL.

this is fucked up.

[slackmaster]

8. I'm going to take a wild guess here

And say this did not happen in a drama class.

[politicat]

10. And in the corporate world, we call this emergency management training.

I don't like it, but better prepared and trained to deal than caught unawares. Calling it a drill would have not been training. Drills aren't taken seriously. (ever watched a group of middle school kids during a fire drill?)

There are a lot of unpleasant things in the world, and it's better to learn to deal with them in a controlled environment with supervision than to be thrown to the wolves.

They're 6th graders, so 11 to 13. They're old enough to do the shooting themselves, so being in the position of the victim helps instill empathy.

You can't protect your children forever. You can prepare them for reality.

Anyone want to bet that the same parents throwing fits about this will be throwing fits about sex ed and condoms?

Protecting children is not the same as keeping them ignorant. Information is the first tool to keeping a child safe.

[matt819]

14. But you don't terrify them

Fear isn't going to help these kids. Discussion, practice, and then drills. Yes, it's a shame we have to do this. But if we accept it as a reality, let's at least do it correctly. Discuss it broadly among the facult and staff, school board if applicable, and then with parents. Only after you've developed a plan do you take it to the kids. This is not coddling. It's common sense.

[politicat]

29. Again, see post 18.

We do terrify them - that's what happens with a small child's first fire drill. It's heart-rending, and I hate watching them when we have to do them. The little ones cry and want their parents and we always have to send notes home in advance ... and we still end up with kids who have nightmares afterwards. They don't understand what a drill is at 5; by the time they're 11, they're blase about drills and drills don't work anymore. It has to be surprise training.

Yes, the parents needed to be warned, but the children never should have been. Otherwise, they won't take it seriously and won't learn from it. I hate that we have to be that callous, but we do.

[Dorian Gray]

34. My first fire drill in Kindergarten?

I think we all lined up and enjoyed being outside. I don't remember anybody crying or traumatized by it.

[politicat]

43. We always have at least three or four in each class of 15.

The noise, the flashing lights, the sense of urgency. It affects some kids differently than others. Fire alarms are evil sounding things, and the flashing lights (necessary for the hearing impaired) are disturbing since they key the instinctive wariness of lightning.

Also... self-reporting of the memory of events at age 5 more than 15 years later is notoriously unreliable. Memory is just flexible and we self-edit. I honestly don't remember my first fire-drill, but I do remember my first tornado drill, (which was only part drill - we were under watch conditions). It was very scary and I do remember having nightmares afterwards.

[uppityperson]

44. Who is this "we" you speak of? Thank you.

[Dorian Gray]

48. Well, I've been present

for fire drills in schools as an adult, as I was a teacher. None of our young children freaked out, though one kid would cry every time he had to use the bathroom.

I guess different strokes. :shrug:

[uppityperson]

39. My 1st fire drill, my child's 1st fire drill, of course we were warned what to do

we followed what we had been taught, quietly and seriously. No, you don't have to instill panic and terror to teach people to not panic.

Who is the "we" you speak of?

[politicat]

45. Professional workplace.

I'm getting my doctorate in psych, and our building has a Montessori. We have 12-15 5-6 year olds in a class, 4 classes. I'm not including you. You're no part of my we.

We've done the explain the drill and have the children follow directions process, and we still have kids who panic. We have kids who panic when we have our second drill (which is not warned.) We have kids who miss the first drill and panic on the second one. We always see it, every year (and I have for the past six...) It's just part of the process.

[uppityperson]

51. Thank you for the info on which "we" you meant. You do this to Montessori kids?

Wow. Montessori school I was involved with had fire drills of course, but trained the kids, practiced what to do, and none of them were traumatized during their first drill. Or subsequent ones. They got in line, followed teacher outside to safe place and waited. If this happened at our Montessori school, there would have been hell to pay. Not part of our process.

[srulifsonmiles]

42. Yes you may be a thickened hardened piece of dead flesh

Showing no sympathy or emotion. Nurse Ratchet.

Have you considered perhaps community service?

A life? Or should we suffer your 'safety committee' orange vest orange warning approach to being human?

Not us thanks.

[sandnsea]

18. You know what

Get Therapy. Don't have children until you do. This is completely insanity.

[politicat]

27. You know what?

Get a degree. Don't dx until you do.

It is sane. I don't like the process, but I don't have to like fire drills, either. Fire drills are scary to kindergartners, and I've seen the exact same behaviors - crying, begging for help, and wanting their parents - at their first fire drill. Many kindergartners are traumatized in similar fashion by fire drills - nightmares, clinging and regressive behaviors. They're scary to a five year old but they are necessary because fire kills and people have to learn to manage their panic in the face of accidental fires.

We don't have to like the fact that fire drills scare children. We do have to teach them to move quickly, calmly and efficiently in the case of fire, and the only way to do that is through drills. However, by the time they're in 3rd grade, fire drills have lost their danger, and are just a break in the daily boredom.

Now we have a new threat. It is just as rare as fires in public schools, (and in fact may be slightly more common since there's not much that causes fire in a school) and just as deadly. It's a reality. You don't have to like it, but until we manage the gun laws and the mental health practice and law in the US so that no one ends up through the cracks and with a gun in hand, we're stuck with people using guns in public places to kill others. Since we have this reality, we have to teach our children to react appropriately if they're in a situation where someone is trying to hurt others with a gun. That means teaching them to keep quiet, keep still, stay low and not panic. Yes, it's traumatic. Yes, it's scary. Yes, it's unlikely they will ever be in a situation where someone is firing a gun at them. However, it's also unlikely they will ever be in a burning building. But teaching them to handle themselves is better than putting them in the situation without training.

Guess what? The world is a scary, unpleasant, dangerous place. No amount of wishful thinking or protectiveness will change that. Better to be prepared.

[sandnsea]

30. This was not a fire drill, or anything like a fire drill

The teachers don't tell kids the building is on fire during a fire drill.

I simply cannot say what I think of you without getting thrown off the board. That was abuse and every one of those so-called teachers need to be charged.

Desensitizing children to trauma is not the way to teach them the kind of empathy they need so that they don't become the children committing the violent acts. You do not expect people to grow up with empathy while teaching them they need to shut down because the world is too violent to tolerate otherwise.

Take your degree and wipe your ass with it, that's the most constructive thing you could do with it.

[uppityperson]

35. I've never seen kindergarteners terrified after first fire drill.

Teachers teach them ahead of time what to do and explain why they are doing it. First fire drill is usually not unexpected for kindergarteners, so they just get to practice. Terrifying kids like this is not necessary. They need to be taught what to do and drilled in what to do so they can do it without thinking or worrying. Better to be prepared but no, you don't have to terrify them. Kids who have been terrified like this will have a more difficult time just following what they were supposed to do next time. Train them what to do, keep it simple, and they can do it when they need to.

Terrifying them does not lead to training them to "keep quiet, keep still, stay low and not panic". By definition, by any sort of reality, being terrified leads to panic.

[Dorian Gray]

37. As I recall

as both a student and a teacher, fire drills were explained in detail before they happened. They did not suprise the students, and I, unlike you, have never seen a child traumatized by a fire drill either. We were told that we would have them, and we were told to hurry up when they occurred. No trauma. No tragedy.

[Telly Savalas]

40. You're a big fan of that "War of the Worlds" radio show, aren't you?

[piesRsquare]

56. I sincerely hope YOU are NOT granted a psych degree

You are seriously fucked up, politicat.

[beyurslf]

23. You tell them it is a drill so they know when it is real.

If they get used to having "drills" that are unannounced, then they will begin to take those less seriously. If the real thing happens, some students will think it is another "drill" they weren't told about. I remember fire and tornado drills. Sure, you make fun of it and talk and laugh. But, I knew where the fire exit was and can still tell what to do in a tornado if I can't get to a basement.

[WinkyDink]

24. Are you NUTS? These were CHILDREN who thought they were going to DIE.

And terrifying ADULTS is pretty damn dim-witted, also. I'd like some heart-attack victim's survivors to sue THAT Human Resources a*****e.

[Telly Savalas]

26. Does the school board simulate a visit from an angry parent with a baseball bat

as part of emergency management training for its teachers?

Because that's the sort of unpleasant thing in the world they can expect to have happen if they try to pull that shit around here.

[woo me with science]

66. It was a PRANK.

School website Friday said teachers always play a prank on the students during this week-long environmental field trip. They said the students were expecting a PRANK and this is what the teachers came up with. The emergency training story was the second "cover your ass" story.

Idiots can't decide which story will be less damaging to them.

[jollyreaper2112]

11. Wow.

That has to be the stupidest thing I've read all day. Haven't caught any of the news so maybe Bush might have trifecta'd on us but damn, this is dumb.

[immoderate]

13. ARE THESE PEOPLE FUCKING NUTS?

This is terrorism! How can these "teachers" work with students after this? This is fucking unbelievable! They should all be fired, and fast.

--IMM

[EFerrari]

58. I can't believe anyone, let alone A GROUP OF ADULTS would

do this to children on purpose.

[immoderate]

62. Outside of the White House, of course.

--IMM

[Bucky]

15. Worst field trip ever.

In Texas we have to fill out these lesson plan forms every week and document what learning objective we're trying to cover with each activity. For the life of me I can't figure out what the targeted learning was here, since "Stay the fuck down and don't make a peep" isn't in Maslowe's heirarchy.

[silverojo]

19. What's next?

A fire drill where teachers tell the kids that a classroom of children has already been burned, and that the fire is spreading? :mad:

A drill is just that--a DRILL. You don't have to scare the hell out of kids to teach them what to do in case of an emergency!

[gollygee]

20. Who thought of that?

And who approved it?

Absolutely crazy.

[file83]

54. Mr. Dumb Fuckerstein, that's who.

I sent Fuckerstein the memo that "mock terror drills" were not to be conducted on students K-12. He didn't get it because his secretary, Mrs. Goofy Poopybrain, shredded it with the junk mail. What are you gonna do, you know?

[sam sarrha]

21. this should be first on a list of things where you lose you teachers license for life. Zero Toleranc...

[WinkyDink]

22. OMG. These adults need to FIRED, SUED, and ARRESTED for ASSAULT.

[Ekirh]

25. NOT COOL!!

Not fucking cool . .


I hope said parents raise fucking hell and get results from it.
"The children were in that room in the dark, begging for their lives, because they thought there was someone with a gun after them,"

Sick and Wrong doesn't even cover it.

[conspirator]

28. If its a drill you have to TELL the children otherwise you are just CRYING WOLF

and they wont believe you if the real thing happens

[Dorian Gray]

38. Exactly! NP

[babydollhead]

31. a teacher did something like this to us, 8th grade

he had a friend come in in a mask and hold up the teacher, knock him to the ground and left the room. The teacher stood up, and instructed us to write everything down we could remember to describe the guy. I was in a cold sweat and freaking out. None of us thought it was funny. Nobody needs to rehearse trauma. geez!

[proud2BlibKansan]

36. OMG!!

:wow:

[LWolf]

41. I hope they find the brain cells they misplaced

somewhere on that trip in time to recognize that terrorizing children is not a "drill." :dunce:

While the kids won't forget that experience soon, having the adults who perpetrated it admit, face-to-face, that they were wrong, and apologize, and then reassure them that their safety is always the first priority, might ease them somewhat.

If they did it without admin knowledge or permission, their careers have just taken a swift dive. The admin will be in trouble anyway, since it happened under his/her watch, with or without permission.

:wtf:

[gatorboy]

46. Tennessee explains it all.

I guess they were hoping twelve year olds would jump the attackers in unison, like good lil soldiers. :eyes:

Howzabout a surprise attack on the teachers. Shouldn't they be the ones preparing for this sort of thing?

[Name removed]

47. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Dorian Gray]

I somehow triple posted. Sorry.

[Dorian Gray]

49. self-edit

[Dorian Gray]

50. Now that's just a statement filled with bullshit

Most teachers I know (including myself, though I am no longer working as a teacher) are not sadistic assholes. Many of us actually care about the well being of the kids we teach. Go figure. :eyes:

But, I will grant you that in this particular case, the teachers do indeed sound like sadistic assholes.

[uppityperson]

52. As Dorian Gray said, I would like to repeat, at least 3 more times...

look and see, that is bullshit.

[lolly]

55. No, no. Not most.

But I'll have to agree with you, Tomreed, that there is a significant number of people who go into teaching, especially of children, as a power trip. Maybe 10-15% of all teacher.

Don't believe me? Think of your 7 years in elementary school--or your child's. I'll bet almost everyone can come up with one sadistic power tripper.

Mine was in 5th grade. Used to love to make everybody in the class stand outside in line for 20 minutes after class began in the morning and/or after lunch. We had to stay in line, or we'd be in big trouble. Meanwhile, since we lined up outside the window, we could see her chatting and laughing with her handful of teachers' pets, who were let in the classroom early. This would be in the rain, in the searing heat, cold, whatever. G-d, I hated that woman. She loved to humiliate us in front of the class if we did something she thought was wrong--not behavior issues, just giving the wrong answer or something.

[Richard Steele]

60. Dude, you've got serious issues. Seek help. nm

[Name removed]

64. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

65. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[JI7]

53. they need to fire every single one of them

disgusting. and hopefully the children are getting help.

[La_Fourmi_Rouge]

57. Great Idea!

FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DU IS ON FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[StarryNite]

59. Duck and cover drills

Remember those? But we always knew they were just drills. Thank god they never tried to convince us planes were coming to bomb us.

[Rev. Mother Ramallo]

61. Yikes! Whose bright idea was this?

Those parents are gonna throw a fit--I would! Esp. telling the kids it 'wasn't a drill'...

[Initech]

63. I hope that school district gets sued into oblivion.

No one should have to go through with that, staged or not! :grr: