Creative Teaching Or Irresponible Prank?

[kvalidir]

Something which I consider to be wonderful , creative teaching has taken place at Trinity School, however some children's parents appear to have taken umbridge about it saying their children are 'scared', 'terrified' and 'having nightmares'. Is this a case of the school not having thought things through or of poor parenting in the sense that the parents seem unwilling or unable to adequately explain to their kids that there really is nothing to worry about and happily jumping on the bandwagon of criticising the school?



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2685677/Teacher-apologises-parents-alien-egg-project-leaves-children-tears-scared-school.html

[inksplotter]

Well, let us know if you think of one.

Meanwhile, back at the story...

[mikey4444]

I really can't see the problem here. If it was Creationist Teaching I could understand !

[Hypognosis]

I'm wondering if some kids got upset because they thought that eggs were just things you eat and didn't realise they had something living inside them?

Either that or they're putting two and two together and working out that Santa may be 'pretend' as well. ;-)

[black_cat51]

ANYTHING can frighten children, so no need for the school to apologise i reckon. My nephew (10) is frightened of tornadoes, and if it gets windy always asks his mum of there is a tornado coming. When i was young myself, when my mum told me (after an enquiry) what a cemetery was for i thought and had nightmares for a very long while, that somone might jump out from behind a tree and bury me because "that's where they bury people"

[naomi24]

Actually, I don’t know why the OP would think this might be a ‘prank’. I would hope that people teaching children as young as four would be intelligent enough to rise above puerile ‘pranks’, especially those that have the potential to worry little children. The concept of basing an educational project on an alien egg found in the school grounds is a good one, but bearing in mind that parents of young children entrust their offspring for most of the day to supposedly sensible and responsible adults, for those trustees to lead children to believe that a scenario such as this is real is worrying in the extreme. I’m really surprised by some of the responses here. ‘Wonderfully creative’ it might be - but it could be just a creative without the ill-considered and completely unnecessary subterfuge. Common sense, it appears, is at a premium.

[sherrardk]

From the info in the article, it would seem that this involved the whole school at some level or other - that's a head teacher, deputy head and about 7 class teachers, not including any TA's (that's 36 years of training/higher education minimum + extensive experience). Some people just need to get a grip.

[naomi24]

Indeed they do. All that experience ... and still they're getting it wrong. How sad.

[sherrardk]

Wrong in your opinion, absolutely spot on in mine.

[naomi24]

So you're happy for some of the children to be frightened and worried. Can't agree with you - and I make no apology for that.

[sherrardk]

Of course, the Daily Mail always reports all the facts. Any child who was likely to be upset would have been supported in an appropriate manner. Have you met today's little people, not an awful lot upsets them. I would be over the moon if our school did something this creative and interesting.

[237SJ]

"I don`t know why the OP would think this might be a prank". I don` think the OP is implying it is a prank but they are quoting from one of the messages on that link which says "Prank too far"?

[Mamyalynne]

It is regrettable that out of a full school a few pupils were upset for a short time , I have seen children panic on coach trips,zoo visits, nature walks and during science experiments, we don't say these should be dropped, do we?


Must we now explain that the slightly scary fairy story we are about to tell is not real, only pretend, the bad wolf is lovely etc etc

[sherrardk]

I think it is a fabulous idea - boy #2 would act all bored, girl would research it intensely, thing 2 would play along whilst knowing it was nonsense and thing 1 would be planning where the alien would sleep, what it would eat and naming it (although she has confidently told her teacher this week that she is actually a secret fairy, which I think is lovely).

[kvalidir]

Naomi I don't think it's a prank or even think it's a term acceptable to us, I used it because it was a direct quote from one of the hysterical parents.
They said # prank too far.
As I said yesterday I think it's superb teaching and creative learning.

[naomi24]

Ah, right. Maybe he/she thought the decision to lie to the children for no good reason was stupid too – and I wouldn’t consider a parent’s concern at having to placate and reassure a distressed child that school was still a safe place to be ‘hysterical’ or ‘bitching’ or ‘whining’ or ‘making a fuss’. This project could have been just as creative without the added drama. Completely unnecessary.

[kvalidir]

And that would have taken all of the fantasy and fun out of it and made it just another dull boring lesson. Mkes you wonder how the child will feel when it starts reading great literature, assuming it's ever allowed to by its overrotective parents, because a child of a nervous disposition with a nrevy parent to back them up could die of fright at some books people consider classics, not to mention books aimed at children written recently like harry Potter. Whilst you are entitled to your opinion Naomi, it is in the minority here, like the parents who complained are also in the minority.

[naomi24]

My opinions stand on their own merits, kvalidir. I don’t crave the endorsement of others.

[kvalidir]

We've noticed ;-)

[naomi24]

Good - and collectively I see. :o)