I had on Fox News this morning since school was cancelled. I usually keep the television on for noise when I'm home. There were two stories this morning regarding education that caught my attention. The first one was about an elementary teacher in Pennsylvania who was arrested for making terroristic threats against the students at the school she taught in. Apparentaly, this woman was upset that she had be assigned to teach fourth grade rather than fifth grade. So, she terrorized the school by making seventeen threats. She disguised her writing to look like that of a student, including misspelling words. She left signs that read "Your so stuped [sic] you should all be killed." Another one they showed on the news report was "You'll never catch me. I have a gun too." The reporters went on to say that this teacher even made bomb threats.
I guess the school had to beef up police surveillance until the perpetrator was apprehended. Four police officers were responsible for patrolling the school. Fox interview several parents who conveyed how scared they were and how scared the kids were. The parents also spoke of how upseting it was to find out it was one of the school's teachers responsible for the threats. This teacher turned herself in and has been on leave since October.
This story is insane. I think this woman needs immediate psychological help. This was an elementary school with kids ranging in age from 6-11. No one in their right mind would terrorize little children because of an issue that should have been taken up with administration. Who knows how this teacher's threats could impact those children. This woman definitely needs to be punished legally in addition to receiving mental therapy. However, I find something ironic about the situation. Parents, the community, and the media are quick to judge how terrible this act was. They are calling for the stiffest of punishments for this lady. Don't get me wrong, I totally agree. On the flip side, though if a student had done this to a teacher would there be such an uproar? I'm not so sure there would be. What do you think?
The other story was regarding a US Congressman's idea of teaching twelve year olds in West Virginia how to shoot a gun in school. Evidently, West Virginia lacks the number of hunters they once did, which is hurting the state. In an effort to boost the number of hunters, the Congressman is proposing that the school district teach a unit on how to shoot a weapon. Opponents say that given the amound of school violence today this is not a good idea. What is your take? My opinion is that this should not be a mandatory class. I would never have wanted to learn to shoot a gun at twelve. I would not have felt comfortable in doing so. Therefore, if the state thinks this would be a viable way to boost hunting in their state okay, but the course should be voluntary. As for increasing school violence, I'm not so sure a program like this would contribute to a rise in violence. I mean, look at violence in video games, on television, and in the lyrics of music. Yet, dispite the exposure to violence most kids do not go out and committ violent acts. Again, this is just my opinion. Feel free to tell me what you think.
I'm glad I turned on the news this morning. There were some really good hot topics in education today.
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What was she thinking!? How can anyone, especially a teacher, even think of doing what she did? Fortunately, she was caught. I'm glad to hear that they caught the guilty person. I'm not sure what the punishment should be. The children in the school have been, and will be, affected by her actions.
Why should the school be responsible for teaching these kids how to operate a weapon? My opinion goes like this: 1) If my dad hunts, he will show me how to operate a firearm. 2) If my friend's dad hunts, but my dad doesn't, my dad should have to grant permission for me to learn from the friend's dad. Most kids that are taught by their parent(s), have the capability of being responsible.
Personally, if I was told that I had to attend training on how to train kids to shoot guns, I'd quit teaching all together. What liability would be held on me? If the kid shoots somebody, would it come back on me and my instruction abilities. Too many people are pointing fingers and trying to "pass the buck" today.
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