7-year-old playing an imaginary game at school gets suspended for real

[citizenzen]

Originally Posted by Renzatic

I hate to think what would happen to me if I were in elementary school in this day and age.

I imagine you would have learned how to behave.

Or perhaps you'd have been suspended a few times.

I was generally able to adhere to the rules.

YMMV.

[Renzatic]

Originally Posted by citizenzen

I imagine you would have learned how to behave.

Doubt it. I was pretty dumb. :P

The only thing I learned from events such as the fire alarm situation and apple incident was subtlety.

[DakotaGuy]

Originally Posted by SilentPanda

Two other security breaches.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...icle-1.1243635

A Pennsylvania elementary school allegedly suspended a 5-year-old girl for making a “terrorist threat” after the child told a friend that she was going to shoot her with a pink Hello Kitty bubble gun.
The unidentified kindergartener was initially suspended for 10 days following the Jan. 10 incident at Mount Carmel Area Elementary School in Northumberland County, PennLive.com reported.

“This little girl is the least terroristic person in Pennsylvania,” Robin Ficker, a lawyer for the girl’s family, told the website.

Ficker said that the girl did not have the toy gun, which blows soapy bubbles, on her at school when she suggested that she and a friend shoot each other.


Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...#ixzz2KAILip9D

After reading this I will now feel extreme fear whenever I see any Hello Kitty product. Since I am so upset by this news report over the scary Hello Kitty product can I sue the company that made it?

[Renzatic]

Originally Posted by DakotaGuy

After reading this I will now feel extreme fear whenever I see any Hello Kitty product.

What? You mean you didn't before?

[chown33]

Originally Posted by DakotaGuy

After reading this I will now feel extreme fear whenever I see any Hello Kitty product. Since I am so upset by this news report over the scary Hello Kitty product can I sue the company that made it?

They were already on my "imaginary weapons" list.

Thanks to "La Femme Nikita", so are pencils and bubble bath.

[NT1440]

Originally Posted by citizenzen

Does that rule make no sense to you?

I understand it pretty clearly.

No fighting or playing with weapons ... real or imaginary.

That's pretty straight forward.

It confuses me that they think they can lay out a rule that, given the nature of children and the nature of human play, doesn't adhere to the realities of childhood.

No child (especially a 7 year old) is going to have that rule in mind when playing. Hell they don't even have the sense not to put things in their mouth at that age.

[citizenzen]

Originally Posted by NT1440

It confuses me that they think they can lay out a rule that, given the nature of children and the nature of human play, doesn't adhere to the realities of childhood.

No child (especially a 7 year old) is going to have that rule in mind when playing. Hell they don't even have the sense not to put things in their mouth at that age.

Is it really any different from "No running at the pool"?

Or expecting your children to be quiet at church?

Children do have to learn how to behave in certain circumstances.

Here's an example of what can happen when you don't understand how to behave in certain circumstances (Yes. She's a little older than 7) ...



All she did (at the beginning) was to say "Adios" in a off-hand manner.

All I'm saying is that it's not asking to much to expect 7 year-olds to understand that behavior is conditioned by circumstances.

They'll learn that lesson ... sooner or later.

[Renzatic]

Originally Posted by citizenzen

Is it really any different from "No running at the pool"?

Or expecting your children to be quiet at church?

Children do have to learn how to behave in certain circumstances.

Yes, it is. Children are supposed to be quite at church in much the same way they're supposed to be quiet at the library. People are listening and trying to concentrate.

They're not supposed to run at the pool for safety reasons.

But to expect kids not to play pretend about certain things on the playground? It isn't like playing war is any different than playing SUPER FAST RUN MAN! How can you equate this to the others?

I mean how the hell is someone even supposed to know what the kid is play pretending about in the first place? Is he throwing a grenade and pretending it's exploding? Or is he making the winning shot in a basketball game, shattering the backboard in the process? Why is one of these actions worse than the other? Why does anyone even want to enforce one over the other?

[citizenzen]

Originally Posted by Renzatic

I mean how the hell is someone even supposed to know what the kid is play pretending about in the first place?

They can't know what the kid is thinking.

Thats why all they can do is say, all fighting real or imaginary is against the rules. All weapon play, real or imaginary is against the rules.

Otherwise you are counting on somebody to read the mind of a child.

Lastly, I don't understand why you think a child can learn to behave in church or at the pool, but not in school.

[Renzatic]

Originally Posted by citizenzen

Lastly, I don't understand why you think a child can learn to behave in church or at the pool, but not in school.

Because for all intents and purposes, the difference between a kid playing war and playing football hero on the playground are nil. The end result is a bunch of toe headed midgets running around screaming with their hands up in the air. The biggest difference you can expect are slightly different hand gestures and one kid saying "RUN FOR THE BUNKER" rather than "36 AND 2".

It's not so much an issue of behavior as much as it's telling a kid he can pretend one thing, but not the other.

[Technarchy]

Originally Posted by citizenzen

Or expecting your children to be quiet at church?

What church are you referring to?

[Hastings101]

That's ridiculous, if things like this would have gotten you suspended when I was younger I would have always been out of school lol

[citizenzen]

Originally Posted by Technarchy

What church are you referring to?

Apparently not yours.

[725032]

Only in the US

This is just crazy

[skunk]

Originally Posted by SiPi

Only in the US

This is just crazy

Stupidity is global.

[VulchR]

Does anybody else remember army or marine rifle drill teams coming to high school to recruit for ROTC? As I recall I was forced to attend the show along with all of the other males in the school. If this is still done, then it seems a little incongruous with hassling a 7-year-old kid for an imaginary game.