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.
You should take your own advice and not condem the child until you have all the facts!
I’m sorry you both had to go through that ordeal. :*( I’ve had some similar fights as well that weren’t successful. Glad you finally got things right and things are working out much better for her!
When I was a computer science major at Texas A&M, if there was a problem with access to the computers, the profs actually helped us out, even if it meant turning in late assignments. They actually helped us problem solve.
In the real world, if the computer lab is closed for some reason and it is not communicated well to the people who rely on that lab heads are going to roll. If a lab has to be closed, it is posted in advance with flyers, posted on calendars, in company newsletters, emails, announced in staff meetings, etc. Computers not being available for work is a major thing. Just like computers used for school work is a major thing.
Okay. Poor widdle kid is totally innocent in the whole thing. Parents win the “BEST PARENTS OF THE YEAR” award. Teachers suck. Got it.
They’re a lot of fun if your not the butt of the joke. Some high schoolers ,not all, are mature enough for roasting type of humor but ten year olds are certainly not equipped to handle it but the truth of the matter is these types of proceeding should be held on a voluntary basis, every one knowing what to expect.
“Handwriting most resembling chicken scratch” is better than what a friend of mine got in her reading class in seventh grade. I remember “ugliest” and “greasiest hair”. I wanted to cry for her. I still wonder why I didn’t have the guts to say something at the time. There is silly, then there is just insulting.
“They’re a lot of fun if your not the butt of the joke.”
Everyone in that class was the butt of the joke. Probably they enjoyed it.
The same happened to me in 6th grade, everyone got an “award”.
I didn’t need a counselor, nor did I want my parents to call a newspaper.
“I remember “ugliest” and “greasiest hair”. “
That is way overboard, best handled with school administrators.
Read post #246 how would you like your son or daughter to be spoken about in such a way. These types of affairs always start out innocent enough but invariably get out of hand. I’ve seen it over and over. And I’ve seen careers ended with a good teacher exclaiming how they can’t believe they let it happen.
I would have died if I ever got an award like that.
I was a very sensitive child.
I don’t think it’s right.
I look at the example Christ set for us, and I don’t think he’d be giving out these kinds of awards.
“These types of affairs always start out innocent enough but invariably get out of hand.”
Invariably? That sounds like hyperbole.
“I look at the example Christ set for us, and I don’t think he’d be giving out these kinds of awards.”
Well I’d ask him, but I haven’t seen him around lately.
IME, these awards are silly and harmless—for example, I had a girl in one class who would wear different kinds of nail polish on each fingernail—she got the “Most Likely To Buy All The Nail Polish at Walmart” award, which tickled her pink. :-) Suffice to say, I don’t think she ever had to go to counseling for it. I remember once a fellow teacher had an absolutely horrible student and the teacher had a terrible time coming up with an ‘award’ for the student—the kid was always getting into everything despite directions, and finally the teacher’s award was “Most Persistent and Curious” for the kid. :-)
These teacher/s in the story crossed a line, agreed, but to condemn each and every teacher for each and every silly award is going way overboard.
But you can read about his life in the Bible, and I don’t believe he would pick on a 10 year old kid. I have a feeling he would be pretty angry with the teachers also.
Christ always stood by the little guy.
But you find no problem humiliating someone with rude insults instead of adult behavior. Feh. Too bad we can’t killfile people on FR. :-(
I have pity for any students you may teach. Tsk, tsk.
Invariably? That sounds like hyperbole.
When one stats analyzing figures of speech it is often an indication their argument is breaking down. I take it you would not want your son or daughter to have to endure what post #246 describes.
I don’t understand any of the silly awards. I’d rather reward hard work and good behavior. I’d rather reward good qualities instead of poking fun at bad qualities.
I look at my daughter who has brain damage. Someone could easily poke fun at her always being late, messiest hair, and a whole slew of other things. They wouldn’t really hurt her, but they also wouldn’t build her up. It also wouldn’t stop her from being slow. She’s always going to be slow.
Now, if she got an award for being the Hardest Worker or the award for always Trying her Best, maybe those kinds of awards would build her up and encourage her to keep on working hard.
Keep silly awards out of the schools.
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