Haiku Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Some of you may remember that last spring, I had a conniption fit about my dd's school doing a slavery simulation with 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Well, my dd is in 9th grade this year, and she goes to a different school. I was hoping things would be better this year but ... In Language Arts the 9th graders (they call them "First Year Academy" ... ???) are reading The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens. How this relates in any way to Language Arts is beyond me, but I am committed to not making waves this year so I'm letting it go. Oh, and I'm also letting go the fact that they have no math text because the school made up their own FYA math course, so when dd comes home and doesn't understand the math homework there is no text to look at for help. I'm letting it go. :D However, my dd told me yesterday that, in her Language Arts class, they played a game where the teacher read all kinds of statements and the kids had to step into "the circle" if these statements applied to them. They started off innocuous, like "Step into the circle if you have a sister. Step into the circle if you are the oldest," etc. But they got increasingly personal, including things like, "Step into the circle if you are adopted. Step into the circle if you have ever been in a gang. Step into the circle if someone you love has died. Step into the circle if you have ever been raped." ???? Apparently, the point of this activity was to help the students "get to know" one another, reinforce the "family atmosphere" of the school, and help the students to see that "no one has a perfect life." My dd reported that most of the girls in the class were crying by the time class was over. My dd's parents died when she was young, so she spent the rest of the day thinking about them, and right after this class, she had to go to her next class and take a test. What kind of garbage is this? How is this educational? I don't want my child to think of her school as a "family atmosphere." She has a family! School is where she goes to learn academics, not play touchy-feely, overly-emotional, politically correct team-building games. I'm not going to say anything to the school, and I realize that, because I have chosen to send her to school (and will not be reconsidering this decision) that there will be some things I do not like about the schools she attends, but seriously ... every year that she has been in school (five years) there has been something nutty like this. Why can't schools just TEACH kids?? Ok, rant over. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Wow I certainly would not want someone with no training in psychology practicing pyschology on my dd. It is actually very common as the parochial school dd attended for a year had a class called peer group counseling. That and their war mongering did it for me. It is absolutely appalling that a strong emotive response is considered a "learning experience." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Values Clarification Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Step into the circle if you have ever been raped." ???? I was okay until right there. I can see stepping in the circle if you lost someone you love...maybe the kids will see each other as human and relate on some level that they may have never related on before. But rape crosses the line! That is just crazy. There are adult women who would prefer not to announce being raped...to ask CHILDREN to do it is absolutely ridiculous. OMG! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 Values Clarification Oh, like this? :glare: Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 My dd did say that the students were told that no one had to play if they didn't want to, but still ... Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Was the teacher prepared if any student had a severe emotional meltdown due to some of the questions? Imagine a student who had been raped but did not want to reveal that. Imagine the internal conflict going on inside the student. These are dangerous psychological games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineFarmMom Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 What kind of garbage is this? How is this educational? I don't want my child to think of her school as a "family atmosphere." She has a family! School is where she goes to learn academics, not play touchy-feely, overly-emotional, politically correct team-building games. Tara That's what I was thinking when I read the first part. School isn't family. Family is family! I don't like that "lesson" a bit!! That is a twisted thing to do to a group of kids. :( The r&pe part is what really got me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 My dd reported that most of the girls in the class were crying by the time class was over. Break them down then build them back up. It's a tried and true psychological tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 Yeah ... the longer I have a kid in school, the more I understand why America is so screwed up. Who is actually learning anything in school? :confused: Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 Oh, you thought school was about learning? Silly me! What was I thinking?? Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhM Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 What kind of garbage is this? How is this educational? I don't want my child to think of her school as a "family atmosphere." She has a family! School is where she goes to learn academics, not play touchy-feely, overly-emotional, politically correct team-building games. Why can't schools just TEACH kids?? :hurray: Why not, indeed? And Steve Taylor! I hadn't heard what he's been up to lately. Thanks for the blast from the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Wow I certainly would not want someone with no training in psychology practicing pyschology on my dd. It is actually very common as the parochial school dd attended for a year had a class called peer group counseling. That and their war mongering did it for me. It is absolutely appalling that a strong emotive response is considered a "learning experience." Elizabeth, your dd must have attended the same parochial school my kids went to. We won't talk about the no bullying poster the kids had to sign.:tongue_smilie: Tara, you are taking this well. There is something very wrong in this scenario. Is this a private school? They have more leeway. I can't imagine this happening at our high school unless it was led by teens themselves and there was no teacher supervision. I would think for a teacher that this strays ethically. It's not a game and it's very dangerous. To identify a rape victim to a peer group goes far beyond irresponsible. I am sorry but I would have been in someone's face fast. I'd be on the phone with every parent I knew after I had verified the information with my dd. I'm not the confrontational type of person but this piece of stupidity is unacceptable. You could take a depressed or vulnerable teen and send them right over the edge, literally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 Is this a private school? It's a charter school that is run by a local private, Catholic university. It's public, but it's not a district school. The school is specifically for kids who would not be able to go to college without intensive intervention. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsunshine Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Do you think the teacher was trying to imitate the scene from "Freedom Writers"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cin Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 :hurray: Why not, indeed? And Steve Taylor! I hadn't heard what he's been up to lately. Thanks for the blast from the past. I was thinkning the same thing. I LOVED his music. So on the edge. So controversial. So TRUE, yet Fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheWillFly Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Step into the circle if you have ever been raped." ???? I'd be livid! And I'd be making waves not to change anything for my children exactly but to prevent any child from feeling like that is something they are obligated to share openly when it is such a deeply wounding experience. On a lighter note. I do find it interesting that this was even permitted to occur in the first place after I was at school today for training in helping in my daughter's class. It is a K class and the principal gave a 10 minute speech on the right to privacy and how what we hear in a classroom while working with children is not for us to discuss except to bring any concerns to the teacher or himself. There are parents who have a difficult time not gossiping about other people's difficulties how is it realistic to not expect a group of students to not gossip about the difficulties their peers went through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 "Step into the circle if you have ever been raped." I just asked my dd about this, and now she says she can't remember whether it was "if you have ever been raped" or "if you know someone who has been raped." I'm not sure it makes a difference whether it's one or the other. It's still an inappropriate activity for a school. Dd also said today that the teacher asked the kids today whether they thought the activity was a good one, and most of the kids said no. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Do you think the teacher was trying to imitate the scene from "Freedom Writers"? That was my initial thought as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted September 26, 2009 Author Share Posted September 26, 2009 I don't know what Freedom Writers is. I did send an email to the teacher involved asking for more clarification. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 Way over any sort of boundries that ever were. Questions about death, adoption, violence...completely inappropriate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 That is beyond putting up with differences. That is just WRONG. I would be talking with the teacher. I also would insert a small recorder so that she can push "record" if something like this happens again! Carrie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 I understand your concern. The repercussions that this could have on people's lives and dealings with other students may have not been considered. For example, what happens if someone finds out something about you that makes you "off limits" to them as your friend (such as, say, your parents are divorced or you know a gang member), or may not want to discuss your "issues" with someone else. What happens if someone is bullied as a result of, say, someone deciding they are an unwanted child because they were adopted? And so forth. I think the fact that the school is specifically for those who need intervention makes it obvious that their lives are not perfect. Did the teacher "step into the circle" for any of them, incidentally? How are we assured that the teachers' lives are sufficiently imperfect to understand their students'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 WHAAAAaaaAAT!?!?!?! Tara. Go kick some butt, why are we still talking about this? Break them down then build them back up. It's a tried and true psychological tool. Sure, it's tried and true on soldiers, in prison, in therapy, NOT in a classroom. Unacceptable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillary in KS Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 It seemed to me they were trying to have students see themselves as victims. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 I don't know what Freedom Writers is. I did send an email to the teacher involved asking for more clarification. Tara Freedom Writers, here a link to the movie, based upon real life events. There was a scene similar to the circle. However there were many events in the movie that built up to the teacher's use of it, not just as a passing activity for class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 Exactly. Am I the only one that remembers doing this in elementary school? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 Oh, and I'm also letting go the fact that they have no math text because the school made up their own FYA math course, so when dd comes home and doesn't understand the math homework there is no text to look at for help. I'm letting it go. :D Why can't schools just TEACH kids?? Ok, rant over. Tara Yes, my dd is in middle school and has six different subjects. The ONLY class that has a textbook is reading? I kid you not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 Yes, my dd is in middle school and has six different subjects. The ONLY class that has a textbook is reading? I kid you not. If the children don't bring home a textbook there is less opportunity for the parents to find anything objectionable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennifersLost Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 Oh my goodness! We did the lifeboat game in 9th grade. I was voted off the boat. I was the smartest girl in the group, but one of the boys was smart, too, and strong...so I was superfluous. Overboard I went. What a life lesson, eh? No wonder I was such a mess by college. Boy, I'd forgotten all about that. School bites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 Oh my goodness! We did the lifeboat game in 9th grade. I was voted off the boat. I was the smartest girl in the group, but one of the boys was smart, too, and strong...so I was superfluous. Overboard I went. What a life lesson, eh? No wonder I was such a mess by college. Boy, I'd forgotten all about that. School bites. WEll, at least my class figured out that we only needed one boy. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 Merciful heavens. How about this question for the teacher........ Step into the circle if you want me to rip you a new one for messing with my baby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 WEll, at least my class figured out that we only needed one boy. :tongue_smilie: To borrow the question asked by a boy in my 10th grade health class, "If there were an earthquake and we were all trapped in the classroom, would you let us just have sex with whoever we wanted?" (I think all the girls were horrified at the idea, given who asked the question.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 I'm glad you emailed the teacher. I do understand about not wanting to make waves, but this was completely over the top. I hope you just let her know what an innapropriate activity this was, and that she should stick to teaching her subject. There's a difference between letting irritating things go, and letting someone emotionally manipulate a group of vulnerable kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krystal70 Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 As soon as I read about the questions that were asked, the movie "Freedom Writers" jumped to my mind...even the scene where those questions were asked. Now that you have mentioned that this is a school for children who need intensive help to get to college, the idea that it is taken from "Freedome Writers" is even stronger! It is a great movie about kids who are not expected to make it through high school alive..let alone to go to college and how a teacher believed and fought for the kids. These kids were killing each other over differences that did not exist except for on the skin and she used that game to show them some really important things about each other that is deeper than skin and that they have more of a bond than they realize. I am not agreeing with the teacher but did want to share with you the info on the movie. It had a huge impact in our home in the way we look at "at-risk" students. K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma23peas Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 Tara, I have not read all the replies or know what has been done but on your OP..I would have IMMEDIATELY had the principal on the phone and demanded a meeting with this teacher and the principal...there is no giving her/him the chance to explain themself, they need to do it in front of their superior AND you...this is outrageous and I realize your need to feel like you're not overstepping but YOU are the parent, this is abuse in my mind and needs to be dealt with harshly and firmly. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amsunshine Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 I'm not sure how your dd's school compares to the one at which Erin Gruwell taught (she was the "Freedom Writers" author/teacher). Gruwell was dealing with a class full of tough kids, many of whom were either gang members or associates. When she first started teaching the class, they were completely non-responsive to her. She used the game to finally try to connect with them. Prior to that, she was making no headway in being able to teach them. Also, because there seemed to be an air of gang rivalry in the classroom between the kids of different backgrounds and ethnicities, she was having difficulty getting the kids to interact with each other in a constructive way. I suppose desperate circumstances call for desperate measures, so the game kind of fit her situation. However, even she admitted she went too far by asking whether any of them were gang members -- even she could recognize there were some questions which were inappropriate. I would have a hard time with a teacher using this game in the classroom unless it was the sort of desperate situation Erin Gruwell was facing. Even then, I don't think there is any way that questions about rape, gang affiliations, etc., are ever appropriate in the classroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 Oh, like this? :glare: Tara The lyrics sum up the exercise quite well. I'm sorry your child had to endure this. Very cruel and meaningless for education. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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