No he didn't. He drew Christ on the cross after a family visit to the National Shrine of our Lady of La Salette, pictured here:
Posted on 12/15/2009 5:44:07 PM PST by Steelfish
2nd-grader sent home for crucifix drawing Dad says teacher became upset when boy drew himself on a cross
Dec . 15, 2009 TAUNTON, Mass. - An 8-year-old boy was sent home from school and ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation after he was asked to make a Christmas drawing and came up with what appeared to be a stick figure of Jesus on a cross, the child's father said Tuesday.
Chester Johnson told WBZ-TV that his son made the drawing on Dec. 2 after his second-grade teacher asked children to sketch something that reminded them of the holiday.
Johnson said the teacher became upset when his son said he drew himself on the cross. Johnson, who is black, told WBZ he suspects racism is involved. He said he thinks the school overreacted and wants an apology.
Johnson told the Taunton Daily Gazette, which first reported the story on Tuesday, that his son gets specialized reading and speech instruction and has never been violent in school.
An educational consultant working with the Johnson family said the teacher was also alarmed when the boy drew Xs for Jesus' eyes.
A call to Johnson was not immediately returned.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Well, Macy’s will get no more of my money ever again after reading this! All one has to do is go on just about any political forum on the internet, except for a handful like FR, and see the Christian bashing that goes on for sport. Few stand up to it. It makes me sick and angry to the point that I can’t even go on those sites anymore.
&100 agree my friend. It’s all bullsh*t. So what , the kid drew himself on a cross.I’d like to see some designer analyst go through some of my grammar school drawings, they would lock me away .That’s what little boys do , draw wierd stuff in school when they are bored.
>>I don’t get it ..This teacher couldn’t handle this “nothing situation” on her own? No one drew weirder sh*t in school than I did , that’s what little boys do .<<
Despite the flack I am taking, I think there are some trigger points here.
I was raised Catholic and have been a Christian all my life. Some here have said that it is “normal” to associate the Cross with Christ, thus Christmas. But, most 8 YOs, even those who are impressed with their first understanding of Christ’s sacrifice for us, don’t make that set of associations.
Most kids of that age either relate to to the secular aspects (presents, tree, lights, Santa, etc.) or the warmer parts of the Bethlehem story (Nativity scenes, Mary and the Christ Child, the Star, angels singing joy to the world, etc.)
I would posit that it is unusual — perhaps shocking — that a child would create Easter images for this AND would then associate those images with himself.
Many here have stated arguments along the line of “well, that isn’t unusual.” I assure you it is.
Teachers need to pay attention to kids. And to misread signs outside the norm isn’t a crime and may be demanded by their contract and maybe even state law.
If this was overreacting (I think it was), then I just don’t see any significant harm, nor do I see any malice. It might be CYA, compliance, over-concern or just dumb. But that is a heck of a continuum.
And we know it ain’t race.
Macy’s is mild compared to the Boston Globe-alist. But MA has its good qualities also, because it was not founded upon liberal San Francisco type morality.
I don't see the teacher or the school as caring for this child. If they had, the first thing would have been to call the parent and discuss the issue rather than jumping straight to psych evaluations. This could have been settled with a phone call.
Being subjected to intense questioning by strangers may have made the idiots in the system feel better somehow, but it almost certainly did not make the child feel better.
I understand that some parents are abusive and some parents are neglectful and that the school has to be careful. But there is a difference between being careful and treating the family unit like discarded garbage.
I'm guessing that these parents aren't abusive. I'm guessing that parents who spend days taking their children to see the Christmas decorations at a religious shrine are probably pretty decent people who care about the development of their offspring.
They weren't treated like decent people or good parents, though. No one asked their opinion, or asked for their input. They were treated with disrespect and disdain.
So... racism or religious discrimination? Possible, I guess, but probably not. This dad only has his own experience to fall back on, but my guess is that the system, like many, generally disrespects parents regardless of color or religion.
The disdain which so many school systems show for parents is worse than any racism or religious discrimination, in my opinion. Those things are usually the result of a bad apple or two and can be dealt with.
The sort of irrational disdain that allows the school to swing into action and systematically exclude parents is a much bigger problem.
The last time I got into the position you’re in here, I got my post nominated for the stupidest post of the year.
I believe a key detail left out of this particular article about this event, is that the teacher asked the students to draw a picture of what Christmas meant to them. That, combined that these are special needs kids, the kid said something weird about one of the most violent scenes in Christianity and the teacher, or perhaps her supervisor, the principal over reacted by not bringing the parents in then, or possibly many other options that none of us who are not in the profession are not immediately aware of.
I wonder why Christmas was even brought up in a MA public school. I thought it was already taboo. The teacher assigning the drawings should expect to see some Christian interpretation, and this kid’s was probably not the only with a Christian theme. What the kid said was a little strange, but adult overreaction is the heart of this problem. Not religion, not race.
Sometimes we FReepers let our passions overrule our reasoning.
Present company excluded, of course.
>>The last time I got into the position you’re in here, I got my post nominated for the stupidest post of the year.<<
Always nice when you are digging a deep ditch to have a helpful neighbor stop by and yell down “How ya doing???? Do you need me to toss down another shovel???” ;)
>>I believe a key detail left out of this particular article about this event, is that the teacher asked the students to draw a picture of what Christmas meant to them. That, combined that these are special needs kids, the kid said something weird about one of the most violent scenes in Christianity and the teacher, or perhaps her supervisor, the principal over reacted by not bringing the parents in then, or possibly many other options that none of us who are not in the profession are not immediately aware of.<<
Agreed there are a lot of possible scenarios. My point is knee-jerk responses are not the best.
>>I wonder why Christmas was even brought up in a MA public school. I thought it was already taboo. The teacher assigning the drawings should expect to see some Christian interpretation, and this kid’s was probably not the only with a Christian theme. What the kid said was a little strange, but adult overreaction is the heart of this problem. Not religion, not race.<<
Yes. You summarized my posts quite nicely. Here is your shovel — I used it to create steps.
>>Sometimes we FReepers let our passions overrule our reasoning. Present company excluded, of course.<<
No, I will plead guilty to that charge :) What is the point if we don’t pursue our thinking passionately?
What you said.
Maybe we have a new buzz word for discrimination; parexclusionism?
No, I will plead guilty to that charge :)
++++++++++
Same here. ;^)
If Christianity wasn’t taboo enough before, they will try to use this to make it more so. State-sanctioned secularism. Search The End of Secularism By Hunter Baker
LOL!
LOL! I must have been freepr target #2 for you today ;)
Not that it means a lot, you just underlined the point I made about you. If it bothers you that much then change it, if it dont, then live with it, thats all.
Hell!!!! How old is the teacher????
Now don’t tell me she’s twenty years old...but I’m not far off. Maybe SHE’s still a baby!???
Just because a teacher goes to college doesn’t mean she doesn’t have to use her brain...all that child psychology BS needs to be taken w/a grain of salt...hell just teach the class and love the kids.
How could a 2nd grade teacher look at a drawing of the cross which is forever..everywhere especially at Christmas time...and think something was wrong w/the child.
X’s on the eyes represents dead...he’s a smart kid.
Unfortunately...CPS will be out to the house...the child will be moved away from the parents for observation for a year...or until the parents confess to...anything and be put on probation for 5yrs.
When CPS has ruined their lives finally....they say”Job well done”..and move to the next case.
Hell!!!! How old is the teacher????
Now don’t tell me she’s twenty years old...but I’m not far off. Maybe SHE’s still a baby!???
Just because a teacher goes to college doesn’t mean she doesn’t have to use her brain...all that child psychology BS needs to be taken w/a grain of salt...hell just teach the class and love the kids.
How could a 2nd grade teacher look at a drawing of the cross which is forever..everywhere especially at Christmas time...and think something was wrong w/the child.
X’s on the eyes represents dead...he’s a smart kid.
Unfortunately...CPS will be out to the house...the child will be moved away from the parents for observation for a year...or until the parents confess to...anything and be put on probation for 5yrs.
When CPS has ruined their lives finally....they say”Job well done”..and move to the next case.
I hope I get this posting down pretty soon...I’ve never had any trouble before a couple days ago.
Sorry folks...I don’t seem to recognize that it has been posted. the first time.
The Apostle Paul said it, in Galatians 1:20, but that's beside the point.
The boy only said that, according to ABC News' online article, AFTER they had dragged him down to the principal's office and they had worked him over a little bit.
See post 21 above.
Here's the ABC article: Link
"The teacher brought him down to the principal's office and they asked him why does he have Xs on his eyes, and the student said his eyes are closed because he is dead," said Toni Saunders, an educational consultant who was brought in to counsel the boy's family.According to Saunders, school officials began to quiz the boy about the meaning of the Xs on the eyes and about his understanding of death. At one point the boy said he was actually showing himself on a cross. They called his father.
They took one utterance, made by a special-needs eight year old in a highly stressful and anxiety-inducing situation, and ran with it.
The fact that they're hanging their hats on this claim strikes me as a steaming pile of bull and a frantic CYA effort by these school officials.
If you're sitting in a smelly concrete interrogation room in the police station getting "quizzed" by police who think you committed a robbery you didn't commit, are you absolutely certain that you'll be able to say exactly what you mean in exactly the right way the entire time and that nothing you say could be misinterpreted? And then consider how much older than eight years old you are.
Bull! That's the feeble little piece of Kleenex around which the school officials are circling their wagons in a craven effort to avoid the withering condemnation that is righteously raining down upon them from religious people from around the world.
See post 98.
No he didn't. He drew Christ on the cross after a family visit to the National Shrine of our Lady of La Salette, pictured here:
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