From Taunton, Mass:
A Taunton father is outraged after his 8-year-old son was sent home from school and required to undergo a psychological evaluation after drawing a stick-figure picture of Jesus Christ on the cross…
The boy made the drawing and was sent home from school on Dec. 2. He went for the psychological evaluation — at his parents’ expense — the next day and was cleared to return to school the following Monday after the psychological evaluation found nothing to indicate that he posed a threat to himself or others.
The boy, however, was traumatized by the incident, which made going back to school very difficult, the father said. School administrators have approved the father’s request to have the boy transferred to another elementary school in the district.
Perhaps if he had only been talking up jihad, none of this would have ever happened.
Massachusetts, you will recall, was founded by Pilgrims seeking liberty from religious persecution.
we are in the very best of hands…… as bad as the PRC is, i shudder to think of what life in Massachusetts must be like.
When exactly are enough people just going to say “ENOUGH” and demand of their local officials that the perpetrators of this madness not only be fired but run the hell out of town. When will enough people feel the outrage that simmers enough to take matters into their own hands, their elected representatives so consistently demonstrating their disdain for those they purport to represent?
The obvious question: where do people in Massachusetts go to seek liberty from religious persecution?
Um, in my case it was Virginia.
“The Death of Common Sense,” Part the Nth+~
Who keeps count any more? One a day somewhere in the US if one only looks hard enough. (sigh)
I noted the “snark” about jihad. Compare and contrast, citizens, how we bully a young man, using the authority of the school system for exercising his 1st Amendment Rights, yet, an Army Major can stand boldly and present entire “religious” ppts, and no one has the courage to call him out, let alone discipline him for his religious views.
I guess when you compute who might take you on, face to face, if you insult their religion, then…well, choose to be an able bully, rather than a person of courage.
Strange days indeed.
My son’s been pulling down solid A grade in his freshman college writing (argumentation) class. That is, until this week when he submitted a paper arguing that the military has gotten too PC and needs to be able to screen for Islamists or react to evidence of their presence in the ranks. That got him a “D-.”
PS? In this enlightened day and age? Impossible. Can’t be–must be some mistake…. plainly, you’re just making this up to make up for your son’s academic deficiencies….I know your kind…can’t fool me!
(Sadly, your son really DOES have a modern-day academic deficiency: adherence to reality)
Reality – a state of mind caused by alcohol deprivation.
Why do you think they sell so much hooch at colleges, VX?
he should tell them that, in his opinion, it’s a “solid B+”.
hey, if it’s good enough for Ear Leader…
did they gong it on quantifiable errors, or just BS?
(like i have to ask…. %-)
As I posted over at the new blog, it’s amazing these people manage to keep their jobs. Is it any wonder, with administrators like this running the show, that the education system can’t teach kids to do simple things–like read and write.
Don’t read too much into this one guys. As details emerge it sounds more like a case of moron rather than a thought out agenda.
And exactly what is the difference when the system encourages, or at least accepts, “moronic” behaviour, versus a “thought out agenda”?
Some Navy Seals, three in particular, might ask that question.
Some people at Fort Hood might ask that question.
Some …., well, you get the point; or perhaps you do not.
This is amazing, on many levels. First, Christmas is coming and we teach all about Christ in particular during Christmas and Easter. That alone makes the teacher an idiot.
But to take it a step further (warning: long comment) I have three boys. My eldest was the king of drawing stick figures being dismembered until he was probably 12. At age 6 he came home with a picture of a viking ship at sea, and all the crew on the bottom of the ocean being eaten by sea serpents. There were floating stick arms, legs, and long strings of people holding hands… all with their heads having been eaten off. Yes, there was blood. I was absolutely AGHAST. I just KNEW my entire family was going to be sent to therapy. Nothing happened. During teacher conferences I said something to the teacher and she shrugged and said, “He’s a BOY!” Turns out… she had all boys too.
And then there was the day I opened his backpack and pulled out a picture of a long haired girl with balloons, butterflies, hearts, and love love love. He looked at it and shrieked, “That’s not mine!” I took it to the teacher and said, “umm…this isn’t ours…” and she looked at it and said, “OH. DEFINITELY not yours.” Boy vs. Girl.
So there are so many angles to take this story and I’d say the first angle would be… this teacher is inept as is the administration and they should all be ashamed. And I’m tired of our turning our boys into girls in our society. And ftr, my son is now 14 and is a tremendous musician and has not a sociopathic bone in his body.
Our schools piss me off.
Bou, as a young 4th & 5th grader I can remember whiling away the time during boring periods by drawing pictures of fighters attacking ground positions with the AA guns firing back. Then I would close my eyes and play my version of “battleship” by using my pencil to randomly spray the paper with pencil dots representing AAA fire, then opening them to see which jets survived and which were hit, etc. Wonder what today’s current PC administrators would make of that? LOTS of counseling at the minimum I’m sure…
And right before First Holy Communion (my kids go to Catholic school, although I am not) they had to draw a book dealing with the Hail Mary, every page for a different segment of the prayer. At the part that had “And this in the hour of our death” EVERY.SINGLE.BOY drew some ghastly picture of dying. My son had himself in a casket with crosses over his eyes. Some kid had a kid flying through a windshield of a car, lots of blood. Another boy had someone bludgeoned with a hockey stick in a hockey goal. All the girls were love love love rainbows and butterflies with Mary and Angels. Not one boy ended up in therapy and let me tell you… those pictures were GRAPHIC. I will add… they never did that exercise again…
Virgil, I did the same, along with my peers, while in church. Sunday service is, for young boys, a rather boring time and so we’d take pencils and draw on the back of the service bulletins. Mine were invariably an air attack on infantry or a supply column.
After taking up the collection, we’d start anew on a fresh copy. After service, and after the adults quit chatting in the foyer, was the real meaning of Sunday to be found — dinner with the grandparents, ice creme or hot apple pie as the season directed, the chance to explore the basement where all the Cool Old Stuff is located.
They’re kids. They’re bored, they invent. There is a reason homeschooling is becoming more common, and that is because parents are tired of normal behavior of their kids being treated as a disease. If a school recommends drugs to control your brat, find a new school. The problem isn’t likely with the kid.
– Max
More likely confinement so wouldn’t be able to hurt yourself, or anyone else. I’d be in the next room beside yours. I think all kids that went through grade school in the 50s and early 60s were warped. We all wanted to be WW2 heroes and bomb those despicable Huns and Japs into the stone age, and shoot down the entire IJN FAA, with half the Luftwaffe before a short afternoon nap, after which we would down the rest of the Luftwaffe.
That’s just normal boyish behavior, IMHO. Only a warped boy wouldn’t want that sort of thing.
(pulls on fire retardant clothing, body armor, goggles, and piles the sand bags high)
For their sect only. Any others were dealt with rather severly. And religious images and celebrations were, um, discouraged, shall we say.
On the other hand, this is chicken fecal matter of the highest quality. My wife and I had to fight to get her kids to be allowed to fast in school during the Great and Holy Lent, especially on Wednesdays when the Liturgy of the presactified Gifts was served. They were ridiculed “Oh, no one fasts anymore!’ and “That is so out of date” and “What screwy religion does that?” All by the lunch room ladies and teachers. We had to threaten legal action against the individuals, the school, and the district. (we did send food with them so they could eat if they wanted too, but the school should not have tried to force them to eat. And, we included a detailed note in with their lunch for the adults to read).
Was it John Winthrop or Roger Williams who warned away all those who did not cotton to their brand of theocracy with a famous statement that ended with something like (from hazy sinful, gin-full, rum-soaked addled memory) “…and all those of a different mind a fair warning to take care to remain far away!” ? (Or some such warning
with the implication that dire results would attend to those who stayed and didn’t “get with the program.”)
And then there’s the Mormons who fast on the first Sunday of the month. The cruelty of it all, making their kids go hungry…
Shall the State, any State, intercede there also? Remembering the old standard of separation between Church and State, shall the twain now be merged and made inseparable?
Wow. What overreactions by most all personally involved, on all sides including some comments here.
With a paucity of details and facts, it seems everyone wants to rush to judgment. Worse, they seem to want to extrapolate a small incident into a national crisis. Yikes!
Without all the facts, I cannot make a judgment. Nevertheless, these are some observations:
1. It is very unusual for any child to depict the crucifixion. Drawing crosses might be common, but not crucifixions.
2. It is very unusual in the season of the Christ-Childs birth to depict His (if it is indeed meant to be) Christ’s violent crucifixion and death.
3. It is very unusual for the artist/child’s name to be above the crucified person depicted on the cross.
These should and do raise small but real flags for school officials.
Most schools rightly so have protocols to follow whenever a child – especially one with “special needs” – depicts what is indeed a violent act, regardless of symbology, motive or what others interpret it to be. Schools have the required responsibility to do that, whether or not parents or public likes that. Fortunately, there is usually no serious problem found. But if further examination does identify one child in hundreds or thousands, it not only saves that child, but also may thankfully save others in the future.
As more facts roll in, we will have more information to judge (and/or condemn). As Paul Harvey used to say: “The rest of the story.” Like was this the drawing a child felt persecuted and indirectly seeking help?
With all the animosity towards lawyers and tort law here, I also wonder why no one yet questions the father’s motivation. . . . Especially when he is quoted in the Boston Globe as saying: “They can’t mess with our religion; they owe us a small lump sum for this.” LINK
A small lump sum, eh?
Like aircraft accidents fuel speculation this does too. But eventually the facts will emerge. And some will be disappointed.
[Sorry to be the perennial antagonist; but somebody has to around here.]
But the Incarnation and Crucifiction & Glorious Ressurection are, and must be, closely linked. Without the Cross, the Incarnation would be usless and meaningless.
And without the reality of God manifesting Himself in His Incarnation According to the Flesh, His death on the Cross and the Rising form the dead as a prefiguring of the New Birth of all Creation, would likewise be meaningless. That the Creator would humble Himself and become that which He created is what gives it meaning. At every Liturgy, even on Christmas, we experience His sacrifice on the Lifegiving Cross.
Joe certainly has it right. In the traditional liturgical churches the death of Christ is inextricably linked with the birth. The idea of Christmas is the “Light of the World” breaking through to save humanity, and it is his death that saves.
It is not that unusual for a Catholic boy with artistic ability to draw pictures of the crucifixion.
He’s been looking at them since he could focus clearly.
They are a major part of his (and the Presbyterian kid one desk over, and the Mormon kid two desks back etc.) cultural, historic, and religious heritage, and a major theme in christian art for the last two millenia. Protected by the constitution.
The numbskulls here aren’t the boys. It’s the perennial antagonists to christian literature, art, history, mythos, music, theology, belief or simple inoffensive private prayer.
GB – “It is not that unusual for a Catholic boy with artistic ability to draw pictures of the crucifixion.”
I challenge that statement. And I wonder how you think you know that?
I was the product of a Catholic elementary education, taught 100% by the kind (and a few not so kind) Sisters of Mercy nuns.
Never in my 8 years of elementary school did I draw the crucifixion, nor did I know any who did. And I certainly never inscribed my name above a dead body.
What I did do, a lot, was to draw airplanes. I think my favorite was drawing the B-36 Peacemaker. I loved to draw it not only because of its six “backward” props and four jets, but also mostly for all the excessive greenhouse glass on the nose and cockpit. I exaggerated them. I also drew it dropping bombs… lots of bombs and big explosions perhaps with bad guys dying. I wasn’t the only kid who did that, and the nuns considered it normal. And it was. Nevertheless although as nuns they might not have objected if I depicted a Man crucified, that nevertheless would have been abnormal. Especially if I put my own name on the cross!
As an Irish- Catholic, I am very sensitive to religious persecution. But I don’t think this incident passes the smell test. And ironically, although the massive B-36 that I loved to draw as a kid never did drop a bomb or fire a shot in anger (good thing too, since it would have meant thermonuclear war) I eventually did lob some bombs and fire some shots… a lot. Go figure?
I certainly don’t challenge your experience, but I can easily see the confusion a young boy could have about it all. Remember, in many Catholic churches (particularly the most traditional), Christ is depicted 99% of the time on the cross.
So imagine this… 8-year-old boy hears at Church that “Christmas isn’t about gifts and trees and commercialism; it’s about Christ!” He hears that part loud and clear, but misses the point that it’s about his birth and not his death.
So, school teacher says, “Draw what you think of when I say Christmas.” Child thinks, “Christ!” And how does he see Christ depicted 99% of the time…?
Ah, glorious reason at work!
Yes, the beautiful logic of an 8-year-old boy…
Fliter, that you did not ever draw a crucifixion may indicate you were beyond such copying and instead doted on your more favored airplanes. It might also mean you had an aversion to the image. It could also mean you preferred to draw dynamic, active things like bombers and not A Dead Jew on a Stick ™.
The nice thing about psychology is there is no one answer, only therapy at a per-hour rate.
Question here isn’t one of what a kid drew on paper or where he got the idea, the question is if the State has any authority to question the drawings a kid made and attribute to them a danger to others. Drawings of a major event in the history of Christendom being seen as a threat to others is, of course, complete bunk.
You keep on drawing those B-36′s. You nuclear war-monger you…
– Max
I did 9 years in Catholic School. I did little ‘flip book” drawings in the corners of most of my books, usually an air strike on a building. Fun to run it backwards and watch the bomb fall up to the plane.
Even if the kid identitfied the person on the Cross as himself, that isn’t out of line for RC thinking – how often were we told that we should strive to be on the Cross with Christ? The nuns didn’t use the word ‘theosis’ but that is basically what they were talking about.
This incident is a small part of the larger picture of what is, and has been, happening in our schools and society. The attempts to train out any thoughs or images of violence or aggression (while at the same time having movies and games getting more graphic and violent), demonizing Christianity. Demonizing competition. Demonizing firearms (a few years ago in Los Angeles, a kid about 8 years old was kicked out of school, and his parents threatend with action by CPS because a teacher saw in his back pack photographs of him at the range. He was being taught firearm use and safty by his aunt, who trains cops LA. Those photos were considered threatening and disturbing, so obviously the kid and family needed treatment and conunsiling).
Max, you failed to qualify your statement about the “nice thing” about there being no one answer in psychology and there being only therapy at an hourly rate. It is “nice” only for the therapist and his banker–not so much for the anguished and/or bored patient whose shelling out.
If you look into what a shrink eval costs, it will curl your hair. I’ve looked into it for both of my grandkids,a dn the full monty costs on the order of around $4K. Even a partial is a budget buster.
One of the benefits of psychobabble is that one can come up with the answer that one likes or prefers. Kind of like global warming & climate change.
What the childs father chooses to do has no/none/zero/zilch/nada bearing on what the State Sanctioned Educational System did.
They don’t call it Masshole for nothing…
“The first duty of every Catholic father to the public school system is to keep his children out of it.” I remember this quote every time I stroke the check and every time I read a story like this. I also say a silent prayer of thanksgiving for my Presbyterian father — I’m issue of a mixed marriage — who saw it as his duty, too.
Two words-
HOME SCHOOLING!
Not that I like to defend this embarassment of a State, but this mornings news has the following:
1. The school claims the class was never given an assignment by the teacher to draw anything reminding them of christmas.
2. The teachers claim the student identified himself on the cross, not Jesus, was confirmed by the student.
3. The teacher discovered the drawing, she didn’t ask him to draw it. It was apparently drawn at home and brought to school.
4. The mayor of Taunton, who previously had asked that the school apologize to the family has now reversed his position and standing behind the superintendent, based on published reports.
5. The dad is now asking for money in the press over the incident; saying things like ““They can’t mess with our religion. They owe us a small lump sum for this.’’ and “I also think they should give him a fully paid scholarship to the school of his choice. We should be compensated for our pain and suffering.’’ don’t make you look too good.
Dad has learned the liberal “victim” routine well, and we have knee-jerked an opinion minus the facts.
Jump Ball.
If you understand a little bit about Catholic doctrine and their emphasis on the sacrifice of the cross and the daily, personal sacrifice by belivers that act demands, I don’t find such a picture too alarming, but it would cause me to ask why he drew himself on the cross. Was he, perhaps thinking about how his pastor preached on “taking up your cross”? [1]
As for the father, by his fruit he is making himself known….
To echo 25Zulu above, here is on article on the subject of what may really have happened.
When you really think about this – in today’s P.C. world, what teacher would give out that kind of assignment?
When I was in 10th grade, my Drafting teacher gave me a copy of the blueprints for the school. I’ve lost track of the number of Study Halls my friends and I killed looking at those prints and trying to figure out where to place explosive charges so they would do the most damage. I became very good at reading prints as a result of this and have actually worked as a Draftsman before going back to school a few years ago. I shudder to think what would happen if a child was caught doing the same thing now. I also worked as a Blaster’s Assistant for a few years.
Jim,
You’d be surprised (or not?) at how many chemists and chemical engineers (mostly the male ones) I work with who were first drawn to chemistry as teens because they wanted to know how to blow things up. Better living through Chemistry!
Flit,
B-36? One of the coolest of all time. It captured my fancy as much as kid. Part of the reason I caught the A&P disease. Strategic Air Command with Jimmy Stewart. I worked closely with a tech rep on my first WESPAC who’d started as a radar tech aircrewman in the B-36. Great sea stories about riding the sled over the tunnel and keeping all the tube gear running.
Hmmm,
Nuclear bombers not unusual, religious art pathological, data sample size, one.
If the kid drew nothing but crucifixes, cause for concern about kid.
The school saw one, repeat one, drawing of a crucifix, by a Catholic boy, and they freak. Grave cause for concern about school.
Dad REALLY pissed at school. Should be.
Boys draw. A lot. They draw whatever crosses their mind. They push limits. What ever limits exist. Catholic schools have different limits than polit. correct
public schools.
12 years of Catholic school doen’t necessarily make one an expert on the progression of subjects drawn by artistic boys in public school.
I cede your expertise on the effect of nuns on boys who would rather be flying.
The effect of pol. correct non catholic teachers on boys who would rather be learning to draw and paint, and who see a lot of religious art, let’s just agree to differ.
Point is religious drawings by boys are a legitimate form of self expression, not a pathological behavior.
This site might be heavily weighted in the direction of former boys who dreamed of flying.
Might affect the discussion. A tad. Maybe.
Happy generic non-denominational winter holiday!
Groovy!
Since when is “unusual” behavior grounds for suspension or psychological evaluation! This is the same demented approach that put a generation of unusually active little boys on psychotropic drugs in order to make them as average as possible. Outrageous!
Agreed! Amen to that, Flat!
Today’s follow-up was just a wee bit different.
The boy was never suspended and this is a quote from his father:
“It hurts me that they did this to my kid,’’ Chester Johnson, the boy’s father, said in an interview with the Globe. “They can’t mess with our religion. They owe us a small lump sum for this.’’
The truth will out…regrettably it appears that most of the Mass-holes… are the lynch mob… rush to judgement As*holes, you know who you are, who posted/commented above…an apology to the citizens of the Bay State is in order… Best
Snake/
Having read the article Shira linked, and the comments section, I can see how both sides could be talking past each other. Granted the Father was evidently inarticulate and perhaps confused (thinking the term “cleared to return to class” by the clinical psychologist tatamount to indication of a formal suspension. But still, as one commenter pointed out, if one can’t return to class until one has had a formal psychological exam isn’t that the functional equivalent to a temp. suspension? Whether worded as such or not?) but much doesn’t add up from the schools explanation, either. As one commenter pointed out: “OK, Where’s the other picture the school refers to?” And while since Columbine schools are perhaps understandably over/hyper-sensitive about perceived indications of mental stress/confusion/”crie de coeur” from their charges, the possibility of a “cya” over-reaction on the part of school staff is not to be discounted–especially if it includes secular “progressives” who think almost everything assoc. with religion is abherrent to begin with. Somehow, I think there is yet more to this story, and the “truth” is all not out there yet–although I remain very “catholic” as to the ultimate explanation of the “facts” one way or another.
As for the Father talking about money? Crass from a PR standpoint, perhaps, but understandable if he feels his view is basically correct (whether so or not) and feels he is owed “damages” for his son having been “wronged”–however wrong about the state of the law he may be. Further his request for a change of schools is certainly not unreasonable. Given the general uproar, his son will only have a tgt on his back from now on at his present school–especially if the administrators are as petty as many can be and often are. Would you take that risk with your own child? I wouldn’t, and I speak from experience. My wife is a deeply committed Catholic and we had our son enrolled in one of the finest Catholic H.Schools in Louisville where he fell afoul of the administration despite being in the right–all the worse because he was proved to be in the right when we took the school to court when the administration wouldn’t back down to save face and the administrators lost both face and the school system money. Needless to say we had him transferred to one of the best public schools (where he flourished) despite my wife’s Catholic beliefs–in fact she insisted on it for the very same reason this parent in question has. Been there. Done that. Public or Pvt–doesn’t matter–administrators can be asses. Parents are not ALWAYS wrong just as they are not always in the right. And as the son of two teachers and an aunt who taught school for 32 yrs in the secondary schools in Ill. and Calif, and who myself grew up on a teachers college campus and went to it’s Lab school, I’ve seen and heard it all from both sides–both while growing up and as a parent. There is ALWAYS “more” to the story than meets not only the 1st eye, but the second and third one as well…
PS: I forgot to add one of my father’s brothers was first a HS Principal, then Superintendent of Schools in a major metro system in Ill for some 30 odd yrs and one of my father’s brother-in-laws a Superintendent in yet another for a like amount of time, so I am not unfamiliar with administrator’s “take” on things in general…
You talkin’ to me, Grampa?
Having been born and raised an Episcopalian in Massachusetts (back in the 1928 Prayer Book and 1940 Hymnal days, mind you) I got a good dose of Pilgrim and Puritan history. I also took a course on the history of Plymouth Plantation and the early colonial days my freshman year at a private engineering school on the Charles River.
The Pilgrims left England looking to escape religious persecution, true. But their motivations weren’t to establish religious freedom. They settled in Holland, a hotbed of religious freedom. When their progeny (and some of the younger members) started to take advantage of that freedmom they feared for their salvation. So they left Holland for what was supposed to be what is now Virginia figuring that in the wilderness there’d be no temptations. Of course their navigation was a bit off.
Once ensconced in Massachusetts the last thought they had with regards to religion was freedom or toleration. When Quakers came around their first punishment was to be tarred and feathered, driven through the towns and then dumped over the border to Rhode Island. A second offense was a capital one. These folks were fleeing intolerance of their religion, but they hardly believed in religious toleration or freedom themselves.
Ron F, Many thanks for the 6th grade and its equilivent first year MIT Roundhead history review..lets hope Lex…our resident Cavalier takes note. Best
RonF/
Yes, the Pilgrims were so prickly and disagreeable that the only people they could get along with were themselves. Their “escape” to America ranking, as one wag put it, “only slightly higher on the social scale than that of the convicts forced voyages to Australia.”
The Pilgrims sound oddly like the current Threat to Civilization: another control-oriented exclusivist faith, but lacking the moderating effect of Christ’s pacifism, or Judaism’s antiquity, small numbers, and long Diaspora.
Wonder what your country would look like if Mayflower had foundered enroute?
You’d be surprised (or not?) at how many chemists and chemical engineers (mostly the male ones) I work with who were first drawn to chemistry as teens because they wanted to know how to blow things up.
In junior high I was popular with the high school kids around Halloween because I knew how to make stink bombs from my chemistry set.
5% Sodium Bisulfite + powered Iron –> H2S, and probably H2O and FeSO4 ….
Justthisguy:
“You talkin’ to me, Grampa?”
If possible. Did you have something on your mind?
Art? Religious History? Leadership? Military History? Modern times? Shoes?
Ships? Airplanes? Rocket Science? Industrial Management? Naval Tactics?
Tea pot tempest du jour?
RonF covered the points I would have made about the Pilgrims/Puritans.
As far as the father, the man is largely uneducated and appears extremely naive. I think more attention should be paid to his original statements than those made after all the media attention. People are getting the man riled up and he is not bearing up all that well under the scrutiny. Despite that fact, I believe he is still the victim.
The child who is special needs would likely have a thought process somewhat different than those commenting here. He had just visited Lasalette Shrine which is a huge draw around here at Christmas.
So let’s start with that premise that a special needs 2nd grader who has recently been exposed to an intensely religious atmosphere draws a stick figure on a cross. A teacher finds the drawing – did he do it in class, did he do it at home? Does it matter? If it does, let me point out it took days for the school to say that. If someone accused you of wrongdoing, would it take you days to correct them on something this hot?
So, by whatever method, the teacher has the drawing and begins a process that results in the child being assessed by a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist? Over a stick figure on a cross? Further, the child needed a note from said mental health professional before being allowed back in class. Some commenters are mentioning the bombs and rockets they drew when young. Imagine someone seeing those and deciding you needed to be evaluated to see if you were a danger to your classmates.
So now you have a child who has been pulled from class and subjected to a lot of hoopla. Remember this is a child who already has problems. An independent education specialist has said that the child has been traumatized. He will likely require further help.
Now you have a father who out of his salary as a part time janitor had to pay for the psychiatrist’s visit and is upset.
Add some media attention, some well meaning friends and neighbors advising him and stir.
At the very least the father should be re-imbursed his expenses; the child should have independent counseling available to him; he should be transferred out of that school as the parents request and the education specialist recommends….no matter who asked or didn’t ask the child to draw anything.
As far as the Mayor of Taunton, he is calling in his apologies and rescinding them from his vacation. Nice hands on job there, Mr. Mayor.
Put aside the father’s “Al Sharpton” moment, this family has been wronged.
Very nice post, Maggie. I had somehow skipped over the fact that this incident involved a special needs child when I posted. Sadly, this incident is all too reflective of the insensitivity of school systems in general–from classroom teachers to the Superintendent of Schools and the Board of Education and all stops in between. And it seems to be hit or miss–and to infect Pvt and Public schools pretty much equally in my (our) own experience as the parent(s) of a special needs child. We saw the gamut–from very bad to very good in both Public AND Pvt schools–becoming totally frustrated and worn out by the time our child was out of school. And we were both professionals who knew how to talk the language and work the system. God help people like this poor man…
Seems that I hooked a Snake whilst trolling. Feeling the love
Snake? No apologies coming to the majority. Condolences for the few.
A cheap shot… the refuge of the lazy minded…is still a cheap shot… no matter the self-satisfaction of its smarmy originator. Best
As to the topic du jour…
I feel for the kid. Dad doesn’t sound entirely “together,” while the school (and the district) seem to need a little reality check. Kids do weird but non-significant things all the time, and special-needs kids more than the rest.
Speaking generally, a young fellow who identifies with Christ crucified in this way seems odd, but entirely non-threatening, especially if this is an isolated expression. Something you might take note of, but otherwise dismiss. Specific to this case, a raised-RC special needs student who has just been to visit a site quite likely laden with that most RC of symbols producing a copy of same certainly shouldn’t warrant a shrink!
Generalizing again, but as far as worrying about violence from the under-ten set, but violent tendencies (and all other tendencies) manifest fairly actively in that age group. High school age kids get angsty and dark and then commit a violent act: your violent pre-teen usually just hits (bites, kicks, whatever) people. They, certainly, might also produce some truly worrying art at the same time.
Agreed with whoever said “overreaction all around.”
Too much to read on the internet
This topic fascinates me. I had a similar incident in Jr Hi drafting. (Public School) The assignment was to draw something realistic copy a picture etc, so I drew Robert Johnson’s P47. “Thunderbolt!” was the book for those too young to have found it. (sorry all you SAC fans out there but I was never interested in any BUFF’s ….) I guess I got TOO realistic. I picked the wrong picture to “copy”. I included the name on the side of the bird “All Hell”. The Industrial Arts teacher sent home a sealed envelope telling me that he wanted my father’s comments the next day. His comment was – So what is your problem. The picture is in a book in yoiur library. All he did was copy it like you asked. – I guess I got “lucky”. I found out later that some parents were not as liberal about language as my parents. Nowadays language seems to be a difficult problem. Even I am offended by some teenagers
Thanks for letting me kibitz.