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Classroom Craziness

Should these teachers be fired?

  • Yes. They should have known better.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No, but they should be reprimanded somehow.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No. They meant no harm.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No. I bet the publicity is punishment enough.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0
  • Poll closed .

ogopogo3

Gone But Not Forgotten
(ACCOUNT RETIRED)
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/education/newsid_1854000/1854261.stm

A teacher's plan to feed puppies to a snake in a science lesson has been halted after pupils became upset.

Matthew Patton keeps two boa constrictors in his classroom at Bluestem High School, near Wichita, Kansas.

And in science lessons he has shown the pupils how the snakes can devour rats.

But when a school board member gave the teacher three puppies from a local animal shelter, he planned to feed these to the snakes.

The unwanted puppies were destined to be put down, but the school board member had decided to give them to the teacher as snake food on the grounds that he "hates to see any life wasted".

But the plan sparked complaints from parents and tears from children, who were unhappy at the prospect of watching the snakes eating the puppies.

In response Mr Patton agreed to scrap the planned lesson - and is not expected to face any disciplinary actions as a result.

Head teacher Dale Harper commented that "very few people have a problem with seeing a rat go" but he acknowledged "the sensitivity of some people when it involved what's considered a pet".

"When you have soft, cuddly puppies there are people who get real concerned," said Mr Harper.

There are now plans to find homes for the three puppies.
 
This sounds like an UL, but who knows, we hear some strange stories from the land of the free.
 
Has this guy never heard of nature programmes? Or 'When Pets Go Bad'?! ;)
I resent the treatment rats get. I have had many as pets. They're intelligent, cheeky (!lol), and affectionate.
 
p.younger said:
This sounds like an UL, but who knows, we hear some strange stories from the land of the free.

As one who lives in Kansas, I can assure you this is no UL. Was in all the papers here. I saw the principals interviewed on television. Either it was a massive put-on by various public officials, citizens, etc., or it's legit. I sometimes wonder how *free* my adopted home state is, though! :)
 
I think the free part was meant ironically. If you're ever around europeans, mention America is the land of the free and watch how they start snickering.

This is a great chance to teach those children not to be so queasy. Educate them on that pets are animals, no matter how cuddly they are.
 
ISTR a story about an American family who had two pet turkeys.

One was called 'Thanksgiving', the other 'Christmas'........
 
Dont do this to me!... i just lap up stories that renforce my very low opinion of teachers.........im trying to change honestly!
 
Wintermoon said:
Has this guy never heard of nature programmes? Or 'When Pets Go Bad'?! ;)
I resent the treatment rats get. I have had many as pets. They're intelligent, cheeky (!lol), and affectionate.

As a new rat-owner, I have to agree (BTW, I am typing this with a rat up my sleeve!)

Carole
 
Oh come on sidecar-jon! Most of us teachers are evil incarnate but,
given the choice, how many of us would feed a blameless puppy to a snake
if a pupil was readily to hand? Clearly it's a Kansas thing. :p
 
Teach takes Ozzie fetish too far

http://www.channel4000.com/sh/news/stories/nat-news-130131320020313-090304.html


Bird-Biting Teacher Returns To Class

AVON, Ind. -- The Avon High School teacher who was suspended after biting the head off a live sparrow has returned to school.

Aron Bright returned Tuesday to the school where he teaches history and geography and is a wrestling coach. He received a warm welcome from colleagues and students, who greeted him with a signed petition demanding that he not be fired for the act.

Bright admitted to biting the head off the sparrow on Dec. 28 at his parents' home in Centerville. The act occurred while he and some assistant coaches, plus 15 varsity wrestlers, were attending a two-day wrestling meet.

Bright since has expressed regret and apologized.

He was suspended by the Avon school board Feb. 25 for two weeks without pay.

Animal rights activists and Avon parents' groups are demanding that he be fired and will present their petition to the school board later this month.

Bright also was suspended from his position as a Cloverdale reserve police officer. The length of that suspension has not been determined.
 
Useful safety valve for teachers, I'd say!

It probably prevented him tearing the head off some bolshie student (which, as a wrestling coach, I assume he could well have done..)
 
Just don't leave them unattended on any carpet Carole (When they decide to play 'catch me' behind a wardrobe, ect.) - unless you want to try and convince visitors that holey, patchy, carpets are the new in thing! ;) Good luck with him/her though, they do make lovely pets. :)
My mum had a pet chicken when she was little, called Mummy cluck cluck, lol! My nan had a pet monkey..... Yes, we all seem to go for the conventional! ;)
 
Xanatic said:
A teacher! A teacher! Head for the hills!

I hated school.

Kill it!!!
Kill it before it gives us all fench homework!!!

(BTW< if you are a french teacher can you do my homework for me?)
 
I get queasy thinking about a snake eating ANYTHING but the fact is, they will eat any mammal they can get their jaws around in the wild so the teacher wasn't doing anything extraordinary. Also, these were high school students, not 8 yr olds for gods sakes.
Build a bridge and get over it!
 
What animals do in the wild is one thing, to feed them live creatures I think is wrong, if they cant feed on humanely killed meat, then they should not be kept in captivity, after all we dont feed our cats on live birds and mice...well most of us.
 
Ok, so then we can go with, it's better to euthanise them than use them as food for another animal? Right.....
 
James Whitehead.. teacher?... i dont realy think teachers are evil incarnate and i didnt have a bad time at school (jez i stayed on after all!)... i just think a lot of teachers are bearly one step ahead for thier pupils and drasticly limited in thier world view. i have seen Teachers round a week student and shred them aparently for fun or because they need to make a point. .. .. Sorry i realise it wernt you but some nasty tastes linger a long time..
 
after all we dont feed our cats on live birds and mice

One of the reasons I started keeping cats was to deal with mice and rats. (Believe me I've lived in places where it was esssential!) Not an original idea, I accept, seeing as that's how they made it into our homes way back.

I don't like my cats killing birds, and I like it even less when I have to kill the birds they've caught, but pusses who present me with rodents get a big fuss!

Incidentally, cats don't deliberately torture their prey. The fact is, if you're a sight hunter, and your prey have sharp beaks and claws, you're gonna make damn sure they're not playing dead before you get them close to your face.
 
Just what wrestling needs a bit of rock and roll showmanship.
 
That's wierd...only because I see kids fascinated when they see goldfish get torn to shreds as they're eaten by pirrahna. I think the kids were appalled when they saw types of animals that they consider possible friends and playmates being fed to a predator -- I could easily see how they'd get freaked out.
 
i have heard this story before, and i always thought it to be an urban legend.

is it drama? what-ever it is its in bad taste!
 
Substitute "news media" for "school chiefs" and you've got business as usual.
 
The kids in Peterborough can't be too smart if they think one nuke is going to cause the end of the world.
I admit that I was a child of the Cold War, and as such was an expert on blast radius, megatonnage, MIRVS, but this shows a worrying decline in workaday knowledge of WMD's.
Still, there's a small part of me that felt a bit cheated over the fact that Peterborough wasn't under nuclear attack.
 
I think it is more the idea that if somebody nukes somebody there will be retaliation. And then somebody will want retaliation for that. And then we could be looking at the end of the world.
 
Does anyone know where I could find a online copy of those, totally hopeless 'Protect and Survive' leaflets given out to the british public during the 1980's.
According to them the best way to survive a thermonuclear attack is to take your door of its hinges, lean it against the wall, and climb under it.
Give me a pass to NORAD anyday.
 
cheers for the info.
You can shelter under my upturned door anytime.
 
chatsubo said:
Still, there's a small part of me that felt a bit cheated over the fact that Peterborough wasn't under nuclear attack.
"Come, friendly bombs, and fall on Slough!" John Betjemann
 
Was this done on April 1st by any chance?

The 15 and 16-year-olds at Bushfield Community College in Peterborough were told the end of the world was a few minutes away.

weren't they living in Peterborough already anyway :D
 
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