Posted on 06/23/2007 4:01:45 AM PDT by lowbridge
PEEKSKILL, N.Y. (AP) - He doesn't want to be an ogre about it, but the father of a fifth-grader thinks teachers are wasting time when they show movies in class - and if the film is a bootleg, he says, ''That's a really terrible lesson.''
Tim Trewhella, 46, said his 10-year-old daughter reported that her class watched the animated movie ''Shrek the Third'' on Tuesday and recognized it as the fairy-tale hit still showing in theaters.
''A friend hooked me up with it,'' teacher Lovell Quiroz said, according to the girl.
Peekskill schools Superintendent Judith Johnson issued a statement saying administrative approval is required before a video is shown in elementary school and ''if a pirated video was shown it is in violation of district policy.'' An investigation was under way, the statement said.
An attempt to meet with Quiroz at the school was foiled by a security guard who ordered a reporter off school property.
The Motion Picture Association of America says major American movie studios lost $6.1 billion to piracy in 2005, 20 percent of that in the U.S.
''I don't want to see the guy hung for this,'' Trewhella said. ''I would just like him to apologize.''
Trewhella also says that what really bothers him is how often teachers show non-educational videos in class, bootleg or not.
''I run a candy and toy store,'' said Trewhella. ''I completely understand about entertaining kids. But it has its time and place.''
He said going public ''might be making this unpleasant for the school district. But as a taxpayer and a parent, I don't want my dollars going for movies. It's the teacher's job to make the educational stuff interesting.''
Absolutely right.
They save that for the 6th graders. ;-)
Exactly. With all we have to complain about with our public education, watching a bootleg Shrek movie isn’t one of them at the end of the year. Unfortunately, this will get the most publicity.
Actually, this isnt the first incident:
Trewhella said he has long complained to the superintendent and principal about showing movies in the classroom. Since his two daughters have been in the district, Trewhella said, they have seen many videos for entertainment's sake, including "Happy Feet" and "Pirates of the Caribbean," a film that is rated PG-13. Other movies, he conceded, including "Charlotte's Web" and "The Chronicles of Narnia," have been shown for educational purposes.
Trewhella said he has complained to the superintendent and principal for a long time about showing movies in class. Since his two daughters (the other is a sixth-grader) have been in the district, he said, they have seen many videos just for entertainment, including the Warner Bros. animated film Happy Feet and Pirates of the Caribbean -- a PG-13 film. He acknowledged that such other movies as Charlotte's Web and The Chronicles of Narnia, have been screened for educational reasons. He said that he favors a policy that would create lists of appropriate films for instructional use throughout the school district: "What is frustrating to me is that in this day and age, there are so many educational videos that could be taught with their curriculum. This is just lazy."
I remember back in my day the elementary and high schools would show part or all of various famous movies as arts appreciation. If kept to a reasonable proportion that is not a problem. The big problem here was the bootlegging. There might be an educational exemption to copyright for showing it, but the media itself was illegal. The picture has not been officially released on media meant to be played by the general public.
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It was a bootleg, for free, so no taxes were involved. As a taxpayer myself I appreciate free.
"It's the teacher's job to make the educational stuff interesting."
Ummm, isn't that what just happened? They took time out for a treat to break the monotony and keep things interesting.
As a parent I appreciate a Teacher who bends the rules a bit and thumbs his nose at the govt and big industries, that the little guys can have independence here and there, that we need not be sheep.
hey romans 13 for ya
That sequel sucked. Now, Romans 1-6, those were classics. 7-12 were ok, not bad, just ok.
Actually, they did show other (non-bootlegged) movies in the past, so their taxes are going to pay, not for this incident (unless you count the couple hours time it costs to pay the teacher while he plays a movie for them), but for others.
With the teacher outed, the movie mogul pretty much has to sue. This will get uglier than the movie’s title character.
What are you a fence? The thing was stolen. But you may be the product of the same education and don't understand the concept of stolen.
Anything involving the phrase, ‘’A friend hooked me up with it’’, probably is illegal, immoral and not suitable for young children. ;)
It really is a very well done movie that illustrates that experience quite well.
Not bad when kids ask to see Shakespeare.
Damn, You beat me to it :-)
I wish you told me this way back in the 3rd grade during "Show and Tell"..... ;-)
Hell, that is how the Dem's got political control of most of the new immigrants to America.
A lesson the Republicans in Congress would do will to understand.
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