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

[ummmm]

I wouldn't say poor parenting but maybe over parenting. Wrapped up in cotton wool springs to mind.

[kvalidir]

Yeah that was what I meant Ummm, I can't imagine any scenario where my younger siblings would ever be terrified of anything like that and I don't think any child should be under normal circumstances.

[Svejk]

as per yesterday's thread. some people scramble to be offended by something.

[EcclesCake]

It sounds like a lot of fun to me.

Every school is going to have a couple of kids who are more sensitive to new discoveries and get upset at the slightest thing. Cosseting them is not the answer long term though.

[ummmm]

Mine would have found it fascinating. They aren't sensitive souls, funnily enough :-)

[kvalidir]

No funnily enough our family aren't known for it either Ummm :)

[Mamyalynne]

I think it's a wonderfully creative project, most children love a mystery.

Some will have nightmares about anything , one of our couldn't sleep for two nights after a visit to one of those shops where you can stuff your own teddy bears and add a message. She settled once she had it all fully explained.

Parents are sometimes more hysterical than the children.

[rockyracoon]

My daughter is stupidly sensitive but she would have loved this, her imagination runs wild. Good on the school for thinking outside the box and I hope it doesn't put them off doing something similar in the future.

[Kromovaracun]

If teachers go by the book, their lessons are dull and fail to reach many students. If they try to reach the students who aren't stimulated by the by-the-book approach, they're accused of "dumbing down".

If they get creative, over-protective self-entitled parents turn it into a moral crusade.

They can't win, really.

[naomi24]

Children often glean a negative perception of aliens from television programmes - Daleks were scary in their day. This project might have been okay for older children, but these are little ones - some would be as young as four. It would have been far more sensible to present the egg as a ‘What if we found this in the school grounds? Where do you think it might have come from?’, etc., etc. Just as ‘creative’ in my opinion. An ill thought-out lesson.

[Svejk]

kids can have nightmares about anything and everything. I know I did.

[ummmm]

Even if my child got upset I wouldn't complain.

[kvalidir]

Yeah exactly. this in my opinion was creative, inspiring teaching obviously created by people for whom teaching is actually a vocation and not a chore to earn them money. they then find that they are castigated by a group of hysterical parents, and when you look at the parents responses its easy to see why their children are such a quivering bundle of worry, poor little mites.
I hope the school stands it's ground on this and continues in the same vein. It's not fair the majority of kids should be deprived of excellent teaching in order to placate the odd parent who thinks it's okay to bitch and whine about everything which doesn't suit them.

[kvalidir]

I think most 4 year olds would be delighted and excited to find a 'Dragon's Egg' or an 'Alien's Egg' Naomi, exactly the age rage I think it should be aimed at, and indeed most were, it was their parents making a huge fuss about things instead of taking the time they spent moaning explaining to their poor children that there really was nothing to worry about.

[naomi24]

Young children shouldn't be exposed to things that worry them in the first place. If they hadn't been, the parents would have had no cause to complain - or to explain.

[ummmm]

You can't predict what will worry a child.

[jim360]

Perhaps the school could have let the parents know about it beforehand, so that any panicky children could be reassured at home? Otherwise it seems a bit of a fuss over a fairly creative attempt to provide something interesting for the children to think about.

The most creative teaching I can remember from school was during an A-level Physics class. To demonstrate the power of a step-up transformer the students took it in turns to clasp two loose wires and the teacher would then use the transformer to deliver a hefty jolt. The aim was to see how long we could last before letting go. Some of us barely lasted one before dropping the leads in surprise; others gamely managed ten or so before succumbing.

One hundred shocks later, I was jerking about uncontrollably to the rhythm of "Leeds, Leeds, super Leeds".

[inksplotter]

Has any of teachers claimed ownership? It's very remiss leaving their children on the premises.

Could have been worse, they could have popped out of a teacher's stomach.

Just a bit of silliness, really...

[Sqad]

A Primary School?.......an Alien Egg Project?.........Creative teaching?

Would it not be better to teach them to read, write and possibly be taught good manners?

Just a thought!

[ummmm]

They can't do both, Sqad?