Seven yr old sent to principles office when he drew a gun

[jeil]

Only it was in art class and he had drawn a picture of a soldier in Iraq shooting a rifle.

He was told by the principle that pictures of guns cannot be drawn in school, and sent back to class; end of story.

He is my grandson, so I doubt seriously that they will have much success in demonizing guns in his mind, but you can see how the anti gun mentatility is perpetuated for children who do not have family to counterbalance the government line. You can see also why government wants to control education.

 

[IndianaDean]

You can say that again. When I was a child in school I drew tanks, and entire Civil War battle scenes using stick figures for faster drawing. No teacher ever said a word about it.

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

Only it was in art class and he had drawn a picture of a soldier in Iraq shooting a rifle.

He was told by the principle that pictures of guns cannot be drawn in school, and sent back to class; end of story.

He is my grandson, so I doubt seriously that they will have much success in demonizing guns in his mind, but you can see how the anti gun mentatility is perpetuated for children who do not have family to counterbalance the government line. You can see also why government wants to control education.

I can understand some poeple wanting to shield children from violence and the harsh reality that sometimes people hurt one another but I would feel that drawing a soldier firing a weapon is quite reasonable. Now, if he was drawing a picture where the soldier was actually graphically killing another person then I would have to question why he did that and why such a thing is on his mind. Mainly because I was a mental health professional for many years and that would be a serious red flag. Can you elaborate more on his age and what he actually drew? If it was just a soldier firing a gun I think this is ridiculous. Kids like soldiers and, I hate to break this to some people in the world, kids also love to fire guns. It is fun. I could hardly wait until I was 8yrs old and deemed old enough by my parents that I could own my first rifle. But children envisioning horrfic, violent acts and then putting them on paper at too young an age can be an indicator of other problems.

 

[jeil]

I can understand some poeple wanting to shield children from violence and the harsh reality that sometimes people hurt one another but I would feel that drawing a soldier firing a weapon is quite reasonable. Now, if he was drawing a picture where the soldier was actually graphically killing another person then I would have to question why he did that and why such a thing is on his mind. Mainly because I was a mental health professional for many years and that would be a serious red flag. Can you elaborate more on his age and what he actually drew? If it was just a soldier firing a gun I think this is ridiculous. Kids like soldiers and, I hate to break this to some people in the world, kids also love to fire guns. It is fun. I could hardly wait until I was 8yrs old and deemed old enough by my parents that I could own my first rifle. But children envisioning horrfic, violent acts and then putting them on paper at too young an age can be an indicator of other problems.

He and his brother visited us last summer for a week and to make the visit more interesting (and educational) we took them one day to the Wilson Creek Battlefield in Springfield MO. The day before I showed them some of the battle scenes on the Gettysburg DVD so that they could appreciate what had happened in the Civil War. When we visited the battlefield we pretended to fire the cannons as they had seen in the DVD. They both were very interested in the battlefield and we bought bags of toy soldiers at the Museum shop at the battlefield, which they played with for quite some time afterward. Also, his interest in guns is in part because I am interest in them and when he visits I have been exposing him to safe handling of them.

The picture he drew was of a prone soldier firing a rifle as he had seen on tv. The school personnel are the ones who are exhibiting deviant behavior, not this delightful 7 year old.

 

[USMCRotrHed]

When I was in school

In second thru fifth grades, the school sent me to a reading tutor twice a week claiming I couldn't read. The only problem was that I could tell anyone about WW2 in the Pacific theater of operations because I had read all the history books on the subject from the public and school library. I just wasn't interested in the reading text book. It was boring. But they still wouldn't giveme any credit for the books I did read.

Now you can't even draw a picture!

With all the writng of wars in the Bible, it won't be long before they try to get that out of school too!

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

He and his brother visited us last summer for a week and to make the visit more interesting (and educational) we took them one day to the Wilson Creek Battlefield in Springfield MO. The day before I showed them some of the battle scenes on the Gettysburg DVD so that they could appreciate what had happened in the Civil War. When we visited the battlefield we pretended to fire the cannons as they had seen in the DVD. They both were very interested in the battlefield and we bought bags of toy soldiers at the Museum shop at the battlefield, which they played with for quite some time afterward. Also, his interest in guns is in part because I am interest in them and when he visits I have been exposing him to safe handling of them.

The picture he drew was of a prone soldier firing a rifle as he had seen on tv. The school personnel are the ones who are exhibiting deviant behavior, not this delightful 7 year old.

That is all he drew???? Wow....talk about school officials over-reacting...and this is coming from a touchy-feely ex-psychotherapist(well not literally touchy feely since I do not like strangers touching me...cannot even get masssages for this reason ). Seems pretty normal to me.

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

In second thru fifth grades, the school sent me to a reading tutor twice a week claiming I couldn't read. The only problem was that I could tell anyone about WW2 in the Pacific theater of operations because I had read all the history books on the subject from the public and school library. I just wasn't interested in the reading text book. It was boring. But they still wouldn't giveme any credit for the books I did read.

Now you can't even draw a picture!

With all the writng of wars in the Bible, it won't be long before they try to get that out of school too!

Probably a result of a higher intellience level causing you to be bored with structured learning. Alot of us have this same experience.

 

[odysseus]

Public schools and their teachers...

All be it this example is one of war, it sounds like the policy is the drawing of any gun. It is thus that the leftist social culture found in many public schools is found where they are implying the idea right into children's minds that guns are somehow "evil" and "wrong". Of course we all know it's all about how you use it, not the tool itself - much like a baseball bat.

It's the agenda at hand inside schools of education; it is a culture war being fought in our country that goes even beyond RKBA. Recently in the Jan.16 2006 edition of Newsweek, conservative editorial writer George F. Will writes a bit about this in the "Last Word" page "Ed Schools vs. Education". I think all should read it, and I can try to post it if that is kosher, but essentially his editorial comes down to the basic fact that liberal/leftist academia who pass candidate teachers to be certified to teach, put "social justice" as a value that now superscededs actual education and academic ability as qualifying skills for school teachers passing their certifications to practice education.

Will writes an example of a 3.75 GPA teacher to be that was not allowed to pass through after having voiced conservative views, because those in authority felt she was not "progressive" and lacked a "professional disposition" in their minds, aka a liberal left-wing view of theirs to which they demand and have influence to control.

All the while the standards of academics continue to decline.

From my point of view it's a rotten shame. However people who are "conservative" or "libertarian" are shut out, and don't even think of bringing up RKBA to thus be bannished in their view as an extremist and shut out. I am seeing this even in our Government more and more as well in urban centers obviously, but even in suburban areas now.

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

All be it this example is one of war, it sounds like the policy is the drawing of any gun. It is thus that the leftist social culture found in many public schools is found where they are implying the idea right into children's minds that guns are somehow "evil" and "wrong". Of course we all know it's all about how you use it, not the tool itself - much like a baseball bat.

It's the agenda at hand inside schools of education; it is a culture war being fought in our country that goes even beyond RKBA. Recently in the Jan.16 2006 edition of Newsweek, conservative editorial writer George F. Will writes a bit about this in the "Last Word" page "Ed Schools vs. Education". I think all should read it, and I can try to post it if that is kosher, but essentially his editorial comes down to the basic fact that liberal/leftist academia who pass candidate teachers to be certified to teach, put "social justice" as a value that now superscededs actual education and academic ability as qualifying skills for school teachers passing their certifications to practice education.

Will writes an example of a 3.75 GPA teacher to be that was not allowed to pass through after having voiced conservative views, because those in authority felt she was not "progressive" and lacked a "professional disposition" in their minds, aka a liberal left-wing view.

All the while the standards of academics continue to decline.

From my point of view it's a rotten shame. However people who are "conservative" or "libertarian" are shut out, and don't even think of bringing up RKBA to thus be bannished in their view and shut out.

I was a school teacher for a very brief period (payed even less than social work and I was horrified at how easily a grown man can be baited into wanting to punch a 3rd grader's lights out ) and I feel that teachers should not teach any view and I found that most teach neither left nor right views with some exceptions of course. I feel teachers should just teach children to have open minds and to think creatively. That way they can make up their own minds when the time comes.

 

[cracked butt]

I'm glad that my neck of the woods hasn't degenerated this far.
Last November when I spent the week at deer camp, my son couldn't stop telling his day care teacher that his daddy was was shooting deer...with a rifle!

 

[ambush]

My nine y.o. was given an assignment in art class. Make a drawing of the Monalisa using her original pose, only dressed modern for a job you might think she would have today. My son made a pretty good rendition of the old girl wearing a camo military uniform, with a hugh blue sky and a couple flying F-16's firing missles behind her off in the distance. I though it was pretty darn good. He got an A for his efforts. During back to school night, I noticed all the other kids drawings displayed on the classroom wall. Can anyone tell me why he was the only one allowed to bring his home??? By the way...he really didn't care one way or the other. He's a great little guy and an excellent shot too

 

[El Tejon]

When I was in grade school, IIRC 5th grade, my friend Benny Shipman and I invented a war game where each side had tanks, ifvs, artillery, and infantry (it was like Panzer Leader without the hexes). You moved or shot by flicking your pencil on the paper.

The teacher found out what we had done and so so impressed we had to explain it to the class. We went back to playing kickball after that.

Sorry to hear your grandson. I think the important thing to do is to take him shooting and ensure that he knows that guns are normal and when he follows the rules with guns he can have a lot of fun.

 

[middy]

Now, if he was drawing a picture where the soldier was actually graphically killing another person then I would have to question why he did that and why such a thing is on his mind.

My friends and I drew some rather bloody battle scenes when we were kids... and look how I turned out.

 

[cracked butt]

When I was in grade school, IIRC 5th grade, my friend Benny Shipman and I invented a war game where each side had tanks, ifvs, artillery, and infantry (it was like Panzer Leader without the hexes). You moved or shot by flicking your pencil on the paper

One of my high school history teachers split our class into teams and had us play the game 'Axis and Allies' for 5 minutes at the end of each class period- each team got to make one move per day.

 

[engineer151515]

I am sooooo tired of the morally bankrupt, over-reacting and self righteous public school officials here in Alabama. It has been a 15 year battle with my two kids. I am just thankful that my youngest will graduate in two months and go off to college.

I'd belabor with horror stories but I will spare you good people of THR. Just suffice it to say that I was, at the beginning, a tremendous parent supporter of my children's schools.

Now - knowing what I know - I refuse to do anything for the benefit of my child's school except pick up my daughter's diploma. Good riddance.

For you new parents - you can expect the above (gun drawing paranoia) and much worse. I pray for your good experience but fear the challenges you will face in the public school future. You are up against a powerful bureaucracy in which mediocracy rises to the top and good judgement is blunted by political correctness. Unscrupulous. Fallacious. Exploitative. And a political "protect your own" mentality matched only by corrupt politicians.

I hope things change for the better for the young ones. Perhaps consider private school.

 

[El Tejon]

Axis and Allies! I hope your teacher let you drink beer and eat pretzels. Cannot play Axis and Allies (or Fortress America) without either of those.

 

[Skeptic]

My 7yo son draws pictures of us turkey hunting in art class all the time. No one says a word to him about it...... yet.

 

[belton-deer-hunter]

When I was a child in school I drew tanks, and entire Civil War battle scenes using stick figures for faster drawing

i hope you did not put any confederate flags in the pictures because they really frowen on those in texas now something aobut them being rasict or something i am shocked they let me drive my truck on school grounds

 

[captain obvious]

Gee, I remember the endless games of Castle Risk (think that was the version, with the WWII europe map) played in 6th grade - only problem was we had to institute a "lend lease" rule cause the guy who played england kept getting his clock cleaned so bad

 

[sithanas]

You can say that again. When I was a child in school I drew tanks, and entire Civil War battle scenes using stick figures for faster drawing. No teacher ever said a word about it.

Ditto. Except my tanks had spikes and way too many turrets to be practical.

Oh to be eight, when world domination seemed like a practical idea...

 

[odysseus]

I think a lot of you here posting about your experiences when you were in school might not be aware of how much that has changed in public schools today in many areas. The politics being played out to the youth may not be something too new, I myself remember some of my teachers\professors who would go on and on about their political beliefs (both right and left) in front of class.

However it's crept into now the selection process for even getting teachers certified in front of kids these days. And if you are pro RKBA, you are not one of them. It's sad how many times I hear a kid or youth totally convinced that we are waging the "war on terror" for oil. However that was not something they determined, but was told to them repeatedly in school.

 

[SteveS]

I'm glad that my neck of the woods hasn't degenerated this far.
Last November when I spent the week at deer camp, my son couldn't stop telling his day care teacher that his daddy was was shooting deer...with a rifle!

Same here. My wife teaches 2nd grade in a local public school and her students needed some magazines to cut up for collages. I had a stack of gun related magazines from the past few years (Guns & Ammo, American Rifleman, etc.) that I donated. She said they were a lot more popular than her old issues of Ladies Home Journal.

 

[Kramer Krazy]

I'd hate to remember what I drew as a kid. I know I drew MANY battle scenes.....complete with body parts flying through the air.

Mentioning about games we used to play, when I was 12-14 and on rainy days, I had a bunch of the little, plastic army men, and even some of the Japanese ones that you used to be able to get. I had an army tank, deuce and a half, jeep, and a cannon, too. I'd set up two sides and take turns "shooting" at each other. For firing, I had some plastic, metal-tipped darts and would throw them at each side. The darts would stick into the tank, jeep, deuce and a half and the cannon....effectively "taking them out". Anywhere the dart hit, it would also "kill" the soldiers within a 4" radius of where the dart landed. I couldn't tell you how long I'd play that on those rainy days.......you have to remember.....we didn't have any video games and only rabbit-ear antennae on the TV. I had to find something "constructive" to do.

 

[jason10mm]

When I was in grade school, IIRC 5th grade, my friend Benny Shipman and I invented a war game where each side had tanks, ifvs, artillery, and infantry (it was like Panzer Leader without the hexes). You moved or shot by flicking your pencil on the paper.

Damn, my friends and I used to play the same game at about that age!

We had another one where you each would draw all of your "forces" on half of a sheet of paper (the same sheet, each of us covered half of it). Then we folded the sheet in half along the "DMZ" the drawn side on the inside. We took turns "firing" by making a dark dot on the reverse side of the enemies sheet, then holding iit up to the light to see if the dot covered part of a tank, plane, etc. If it did, then that vehicle was destroyed. You kept going until you were the last man standing, kind of like a poor-mans Battleship. Heck, takes longer to explain that to do. It was fun as hell though.

 

[Robert Hairless]

It's always interesting to watch educators make fools of themselves, even more interesting when they make complete fools of themselves. Fortunately some of them make complete, utter fools of themselves, which can provide priceless entertainment for the rest of us and some good learning for students about what can happen when people try to impose their prejudices on others.

Me, I would start with friendly letters to the school board, principal, and teacher explaining that the teacher's and principal's actions are bad for the young person's "self-esteem" because they have singled him out for following the examples set by historical figures approved by the schools. I would then ask that either the school board, the principal, and the teacher apologize to the student for singling him out that way or apply its policy consistently and in a non-discriminatory way. Because I am a reasonable person I would be satisfied with either course of action, but one of those two needs to be pursued immediately.

If those notable educators choose to implement its policy there are some obvious ways to begin and I would request that they begin the implementation immediately so that the young people, their parents, and all interested observers can understand the policy and comply with it.

First, the school needs to ban all graphic representations of guns. That must be done immediately and, fortunately, it is easy to do. Start with having all teachers and students empty their pockets before entering school each morning and confiscate all Massachusetts and New Jersey commemorative quarters because they have graphic representations of guns on their obverse. The Massachusetts quarter seems to be particularly offensive:

But the New Jersey quarter should be troubling too because it was derived from the Emmanual Leutze painting of "Washington Crossing the Delaware" and if you look carefully at the third figure from the rear in George Washington's boat it will be seen that he is carrying a long gun. (Washington, by the way, is wearing a sword--which for consistency should be banned too.) Here is the New Jersey quarter:

And here is the painting from which it is derived:

Part of the school's initial phase of imposing a consistent policy should also be the exclusion of George Washington and other Presidents who are depicted with or associated with guns. That list includes most U.S. Presidents, I believe, including Andrew Jackson (U.S. Army), Harry S Truman (U.S. Army), Dwight D. Eisenhower (U.S. Army), John F. Kennedy (U.S. Navy), and Jimmy Carter (U.S. Navy). The school should not inform students about those Presidents because there are graphic representations of them armed: pupils are likely to see at least some of those representations and believe that the school approves of those gun toting Presidents.

Your own imagination should be able to supply other parts of that stage and of the stages to follow. The school should immediately stop teaching anything associated with war, for example: no Revolutionary War, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, and so on. The history of this country's founding and expansion obviously have no place in the school either because firearms and other weapons are major parts of that history. The teaching of Mathematics should cease: math is used in ballistics and engineering, both of which are essential to ammunition and firearms construction. Reading is a no-brainer: pupils can find stories about firearms everywhere, so the school must not enable students to read those stories. Particularly offensive, I should think, would be anything about the Missourians Lewis and Clark: they carried guns.

As a substantial fringe benefit, by the way, the school would have little to teach. That means your district should be able to slim the payroll of the excess principals and teachers and reduce the number of school days each year to perhaps one. That day could begin by welcoming pupils to the new school year and could conclude by wishing them a happy vacation for the rest of the year. Pupils could get their entire educational career in a few weeks and be high school graduates before others leave Kindergarten. The school board, principal, and teacher will have begun a revolution in education for which they will be widely known.

This opportunity is too good to be allowed to pass silently. Don't fight the school: help it achieve the consistency required by good pedagogy. Have some fun too. Helping schools can be fun if you have the right attitude.