Posted on 06/14/2007 8:18:08 AM PDT by TornadoAlley3
INDIANAPOLIS -- Sixth-grader Matt Porter didn't enjoy getting "Most Likely Not To Have Children" and "Sir Clowns-a-Lot" awards from two teachers at his school.
His parents aren't pleased, either.
Matt said he received the awards in front of classmates during a ceremony at the Decatur Intermediate Learning Center at the end of the recently finished school year. His mother and his stepfather have asked the Decatur Township school system to reprimand the teachers, and they want an apology.
"Words cut deeper than any knife could. They hurt," said his stepfather, Joseph Sims. "When you hurt a child like that, you not only hurt him mentally, but it does hurt physically because you withdraw within yourself. That is what Matthew has done."
The certificates were signed by the teachers who distributed them. Matt recalled what the ceremony was like.
"I was standing in the middle of (the two teachers), and they (were) reading them off," he said. "Everyone was laughing."
Matt felt humiliated.
"They (were) putting us down and everything," he said. "That is not what their job is for, to put kids down. They are supposed to teach us."
Amy Sims, Matt's mother, said she met with a school official over the matter but was not satisfied with the response.
"She just told me that the teachers would call and apologize to him, and we've not heard anything at all," Amy Sims said.
Gary Pellico, spokesman for the school system, declined to say whether the teachers have been disciplined. He said system officials regret the incident.
"We don't feel like it was an appropriate awards ceremony at all," Pellico said. "It wasn't part of the school's award ceremony, and it will not happen again."
Amy Sims said her son needs counseling because of the awards. The school has offered it, but an agreement on who will provide it has not been reached, Thomas reported.
If it had be a spontanueus remark in class I would agree with you,
However printing up awards and holding a ceremony was malicious and petty.
The teachers need a slapping
There's more to being a teacher than not caring.
"I am a reading specialist, thankyouverymuch. " [pillut48]
Do you have a point to make here?? [puzzled]
How old was your daughter? I think most seniors in high school can handle it, but a 10 year old is pretty sensitive.
The “Brave Sir Robin” award. That’s hilarious.
I'd say you handled that perfectly! :-) When people say "shy", they usually mean "nice, quiet girl." It's definitely a "most" to be proud of.
“Most Likely Not to Have Children”? What does it even mean?”
The only thing I can even come up with is ... when he matures he will remember what he was like as a kid and choose not to have any.
(I’m sure mine wasn’t the only mother who wished I’d have four just like me ...)
Well, I can’t argue with that, altho if teachers are willing to speak so personally of a student in private, it’s no wonder it came out in private.
I for one think that teachers should be far more respectful of differences in their students - not that that means bad behavior is excused at all, but that bad behavior is disciplined and corrected and behavior directed in a positive manner. Even private words that are humiliating to someone have no business being spoken to others. I still believe in the Golden Rule.
That said, I think the parents, after asking the school to discipline the teachers in question, now need to tell Jr to suck it up, life isn’t always fair, and rise above the teachers’ extremely poor example and be a better person than they are. The idea that sueing or counseling is necessary is just another poor adult example for Jr.
I don’t think sueing or counseling is necessary, but I can see why they are taking it up a notch.
Our school district is very unresponsive. It’s very frustrating.
When our district closed our daughters’ school, we told the district that they would be losing more money by closing the school (it would cause kids to leave the district). We even tried to split our district over how bad out district is. We went to news, the state, etc. It didn’t work.
Our district is also horrible with special ed services. Lots of people are starting to sue our district to get services. We’ve thought about it. It just cost a lot of money to hire a lawyer, and you don’t know if you will win.
Schools are bad, and I think some parents are starting to revolt. Now, I think not educating kids is more worth the battle than getting a poor taste award.
I get the pitcher, har har har
Yes, by far academics are worth the battle, maybe even with lawyers, but I’d also submit that the ability of this kid to improve and learn has been shut down to a large degree by these teachers’ idiotic award and he deserves better than that.
Kids are merciless - they’ll never let the kid forget it unless he has a strong group of friends. Maybe he does - the article doesn’t say. But, if this serves to further isolate the kid from a positive relationship with his teachers and classmates I’d say his ability to thrive at this school is a lot lower than before.
So yes, as a parent I’d protest this award and ask for the school to publicly rebuke the teachers. Environment is important. I don’t mean that the kid shouldn’t suffer some knocks that are appropriate - I just don’t think the “not likely to have kids” was deserved. Would I hire a lawyer over this ? No.
No, no, she got an award for “most creative with facts”.
You are making a big assumption that the school WANTS to have any resolution. Knowing the way most public school administrators think, I’d bet they are just blowing off the parents and kid.
I won’t disagree with you.
What a sorry state our education system is in!
Are you calling me a liar? Because I don’t appreciate it.
If I am in a room with shaded windows and I hear the pounding of rain on those windows and I see flashes of lightning in the room periodically, guess what? I don’t have to get up to to look out the window to see if it’s raining. I stated what my experiences in the classroom over a couple of DECADES has been, and the story had the most basic of clues hidden in it by the MSM.
Y’all want to hide your heads in the sand and play “OH HE’S A VICTIM! HE’S A VICTIM!” go right ahead, no skin off my nose. Likelihood is that if he follows that lead, his future’s screwed because he’s going to expect LIFE to bend over backwards for HIM because OH, YEAH, HE’S A VICTIM.
You want that kind of future for your kids, you go right ahead. I think it’s disgusting. [spits]
I didn’t call you a liar - I just said that you took a few facts and manufactured a scenario with them. Are you correct ? We don’t know, do we, yet you are absolutely convinced that you have the only interpretation that is correct. In your many posts you then go on to demonize anyone who disagrees with you. You work around too many liberals and their emotionalism obviously has rubbed off onto you.
I’d have to say it’s the attitude of teachers and administrators like you who, instead of finding out the facts, rush to judgement and make assumptions leading to a probably erroneous verdict, who cause as much pain as the original problem. Then you pillory anyone who disagrees with you, blame them, and sport a very self-righteous attitude.
I’ve dealt with teachers like you and I deplore your attitude. It’s not productive, it doesn’t solve any problems, and you simply make matters worse.
Clearly, you are a “legend in your own mind”.
Next time, try the “seek the facts” approach and use less of the “kids and parents conspire against poor victimized teachers” attitude. You might find it goes over a lot better than the “holier than thou” posts you’ve displayed here.
Ok, I am a teacher and I soooooo can not let this one go.
My question is first of all the article ONLY gave the parents’ and student’s side of the story. We got no direct quote from the teacher regarding the incident.
Any nincampoop (sp?) can tell you what “sir clowns a lot” means, but what does “likely to never have children”? Give her a chance to defend herself for pete’s sake. By the sound of it, it’s strange.
NOW, for all you “let’s attack the teachers” clubs, listen up: You all expect us to do our jobs, get the highest test scores in the nation, praise your kid from the time he/she enters the school until they leave, not grade their papers in RED ink because it is too harsh, don’t criticize and tell them what their doing wrong without first giving them a popsicle and telling them 100 great things about them before we get to the actual correcting the things that need to be corrected, protect them from the bullies, and if they are bullies then give them a million warnings, deal with their moodiness because mom and dad can’t give them 5 minutes of their undivided attention, provide them school supplies cause mommy was too busy at YOGA or getting her nails done to buy PENCILS AND PAPER, set a perfect example, talk to you on the phone in parent conferences all hours of the night, AND be prepared for the next day’s lessons, make perfect judgement calls at every turn, don’t tell your child to stop talking if you are not going to tell every child in the school to stop,because as we all know LIFE IS FAIR (sarc)all the while with parents breathing down our necks, and we are expected to DO IT ALL WITH A SMILE ON A PAUPER’S SALARY BECAUSE THE REASON WE DO IT IS FOR THE MONEY ANYWAYS RIGHT???? GIVE ME A BREAK. Our love for kids couldn’t be why we are teaching. Some of you forget that it takes just as many college hours (some more) to become a teacher as it does to get a B.S./B.A. degree in any other well paying field. And we are expected not to develop relationships with the kids where we can jest a little because after all we are with CHILDREN (no matter if you teach kindergarten or 12th grade) for 8-9 hours a day. How could any teacher not have a sense of humor?? I would be willing to bet you that IF THIS KID DID NOT RECEIVE ONE OF THESE “playful” awards and the other kids did, this article would be about him getting left out. Guarantee!!!! Bet you anything. Teachers can’t win either way. I agree that all us teachers do stupid stuff and make bonehead decisions sometimes. But we are raising a generation of WIMPS!!!!! Crybaby kids. Don’t keep score at their ballgames cause they might “lose” and all that crap. Please. Toughen up. Hard lesson learned for the teacher. I learned a long time ago their are some kids you can’t be humorous with. So I don’t. I have a great relationship with most of my students bred on fun, humor, knowing when to be tough on em. The wimps who can’t take it, don’t fare very well ANYWHERE,,when they get to college, jobs, marriage, etc. BTW, I teach high school and coach a 7-8 little boys’ base ball team and I see wimps like this in all age groups. PATHETIC. My little 7 year old first grader was cutting up in class last year and I told the teacher to put him in the corner. She said well, that would embarrass him-—and I said “great, because in real life if you act like an idiot you should be embarrassed....” too bad for him. It took one time in the corner, and his classroom behavior greatly improved. I’m done. You all may let the darts fly. I am tougher than this kid,,,,,so bring it.
I can assure you that the "bullying" you see portrayed on television is nothing compared to what it's really like.
Trust me, I know what it was like. And I'm female. :-)
For some reason bullying isn't taken very seriously. It's this whole "boys will be boys"
I have three sons, and boys tend to be more physical with the roughhousing, etc. So there is a certain truth to "boys will be boys." But, the key is to make sure they don't cross the line. It's easy to tell the difference between "roughhousing in fun" and "picking on someone." And, when the line is crossed, the adults should step in.
The problem is, too many parents don't step in when their own sons go overboard. They'll even defend their sons even when their sons are clearly in the wrong. My husband and I lay down the law with our kids, but too many other parents don't do that. A lot of parents are teaching their sons to push everyone else around. Sometimes I even wonder if we should be raising our kids to be nice guys when they're living in a world run by the not-so-nice guys.
And bullying isn't limited to boys. I set what I thought were very clear groundrules with my sons, and one of them was never to hit or push a girl. But, a lot of parents seem to find it "cute" when their little girl walks up and pushes or hits or kicks a boy.
And I agree with you: Bullying is not a conservative thing to do. We live in a blue state, and we're surrounded by Democrats. Many raise their kids to be bullies. Considering the rhetoric you hear from the Left - the name calling, throwing food at speakers on stage, etc. - the Left is where the bullies are.
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