School is having "freedom day" to discuss 9/11

@sozobe,

Sounds pretty heartless. You know the sub, right? Does she generally come across as heartless?

@JPB,

I don't know her very well. One of those people I've seen around since our kids were in kindergarten, but I don't think I've ever talked to her beyond general pleasantries. She comes across as frazzled and disorganized more than heartless. (Before I saw this I'd added an edit to my last post about that sozlet wasn't actually a witness to that part. But sozlet doesn't like this sub, and she likes almost all of her teachers.) (She's had this one as a sub many times, I'd say something like 20 times total over several years.)

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@sozobe,

That's messed up.

I think you did the right thing by writing the letter. I'd be really interested in the "tone" of the documentary. Some of them are downright awful.

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@boomerang,

Yeah, I'm curious which documentary it was. I should've asked in the email, maybe I will in the follow-up (if I get a reply and if that's not part of the reply).

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@sozobe,

sozobe wrote:

Do you know what ended up happening with this?

"Freedom week" doesn't start until Monday, and that's when the assembly is.

That documentary sounds completely inappropriate for that age of kids.... I remember how traumatizing that was to see at 30.

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Traumatized... I was always scared of heights, but now I have vertigo. I can't even watch helicopter shots of high buildings anymore. I have several shots of that day that I can't erase from my memory.
As an aside, 25 yrs ago or so, there was a devastating tornado that ripped through our city. I'd say the vast majority of residents had that was even possible in our far northern city. My kids, who were born yet, have heard their entire life about this tornado and are unreasonably scared of them. It doesn't take much to make an active kid's mind do double flips..
I'd say this docu was totally uncalled for.

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@sozobe,

IMO, this is a rather self-centered need on the part of the adults to re-process what happened on 9/11/01. Personally, I see no need for kids to be exposed to these images until they're old enough to seek them out (if they so choose).

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@DrewDad,

DrewDad wrote:

IMO, this is a rather self-centered need on the part of the adults to re-process what happened on 9/11/01. Personally, I see no need for kids to be exposed to these images until they're old enough to seek them out (if they so choose).

In my opinion, these "kids" will be adults in no time at all, and if we are showing them why the U.S. needs to be vigilant to maintain its freedom, I would think it a portent of where the U.S. is going.

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@Foofie,

In my opinion, you are an idiot.

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@Foofie,

What the hell do you mean by "maintain its freedom"??? How does that even enter into this? A bunch of terrorists bombs some high profile areas and this is about 'maintaining your freedom' how, exactly? So some kid beats the crap out of you at school and you have a memorial every year to 'maintain your freedom'?

That's just pure babblespeak. And idiotic babblespeak at best.

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@DrewDad,

I agree.

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@sozobe,

I saw photos of Dachau when I was ten, some government pamphlet, something like 1951 that I saw it. I suppose I've never been the same, and that was in my own house. I don't remember the circumstances, whatever my parents might have said, or even how I saw it. I was a nosy kid. Just remember the pamphlet, that I still have.

All in all, I'm glad I knew that - sort of a grounding.

On the other hand, the thing in your daughter's class seems what I would call iffybody - no parental permission.
That there was not counsel before or after, unforgiveable.

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@ossobuco,

Too late to edit - I might do one of my numbers on the school for that.

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@DrewDad,

DrewDad wrote:

In my opinion, you are an idiot.

You are being too kind, since I am not an idiot, you should say what you really think of me.

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@Foofie,

Anyone who puts quotes around "kids" when discussing six to ten year-olds is an idiot.

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Got a super-nice and concerned email back from the principal (today, Sunday -- sent it yesterday). He said he wasn't informed ahead of time that the documentary (National Geographic) would be shown, and that I wasn't the only one expressing concern, and he would be watching it himself tomorrow.

He said he spoke to the teacher about it and she felt that it didn't "focus" on the gruesome parts, and I believe it didn't, the question is more whether there were gruesome parts at all (and it sounds like it).

He seemed unhappy about the whole thing, wrapping up with: "I am very sorry, again as it is never my nor my staff's intention to cause distress for a child." Aw. He's a nice guy.

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@sozobe,

It's good to know that. Good for you, Rosie . . .

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@Setanta,

Thanks.

It looks like it might have been disc 2 from this documentary.

http://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Inside-11-Commemorative/dp/B000FUF6QI

From one review:

Quote:

This is not "easy" to watch. Any person with a heart and conscious will cringe at alot of what you will see and hear. Whatever your politics (and/or conspiracy theories), just watch this to appreciate your fellow everyday Americans. You really feel like you are "there" when you see this.

I don't recommend younger children watch this alone, and I would strongly encourage parents to discuss this with their children, no matter the age.

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@ossobuco,

There is no shortage of gruesome and inflammatory photos available to support just about any political position.

Showing elementary school children horrifying pictures of people leaping from the WTC, the video of the beheading of Daniel Perle, scorched bodies after a napalm raid in Vietnam, or even the beaten and disfigured corpses of black men hanging from a lynching tree is more propoganda than education.

Children don't need to see these images to understand that there are brutal consequences to certain actions.

At the very least, the school should have required permission from the parents of the students.

I do think that there are plenty of adults who need to see these images though.

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@DrewDad,

DrewDad wrote:

This is extremely bizarre to me. Granted, we live in Texas, but seriously?

They're going to have an assembly. To talk about 9/11.

They don't do this for, say, December 7th.
Or February 23 (or would March 6th be more appropriate?) for the Battle of the Alamo.
Or any other historical turning point, major or minor.

These kids have grown up in a post-9/11 world.

Is there something rong
with holding a historical seminar in a SCHOOL ??

1 Reply

School is having "freedom day" to discuss 9/11

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