Education: Can We Teach Common Sense Now?



Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2009/03/13

 



The stories in the news of late have me wondering whether schools have lost the ability to think or teach critically. Teachers and administrators have gone so far over the top in their response to perceived danger that even our friend Calvin would have a hard time imagining such atrocities were imminent. For example, a 5^th grader from Philadelphia was recently suspended from school for having a paper gun. The piece of paper was crafted by the little girls’ grandfather and was reported by another student who saw it as the girl unfolded it on her desk. The teacher reportedly yelled at the young girl and threatened that he should, “Call the cops” and also was said to have warned she could be arrested for her paper gun. I am certain had she had a permit to carry this would have been a moot point.

Also in the great state of Pennsylvania we had a kindergartener recently suspended because she told a friend while waiting for the bus to go home, that she wanted to shoot her friends and herself with her Hello Kitty Bubble gun. She did not actually have the gun in her possession and posed no immediate threat, if any. The following day the 5 year old was taken into the office by the Mount Carmel Area Elementary officials and questioned for over three hours. As a former law enforcement officer, I have witnessed actual criminals being interrogated for less time! It is also worth noting that the criminals had access to representation, something this 5 year old minor was denied.

This list of insane incidents with over reactionary responses does not end with the first two cases but continues and includes more stories like the one of a 7 year old student who was suspended for playing with an imaginary grenade. The young man was playing alone on his schools playground and was witnessed to have thrown what “appeared” to be an imaginary grenade at an imaginary bad guy, in an imaginary game he called, “Rescue the World”. The school declared this was a violation of one of their absolute rules which state among other things, “No fighting, real or imaginary; no weapons, real or imaginary;”(and should have a disclaimer that states No thought, real or imaginary was put into these ridiculous rules) Upon finding out his punishment the young Alex responded, “I was trying to save people and I just can’t believe I got dispended.” No Alex and neither can the rest of the sane world!

Anyone ever read Calvin and Hobbes? The above clip is a classic example of Calvin behavior. He isn’t really a spaceman about to zap an alien with his ray gun. However, it is apparent that Calvin would be deemed a dangerous young man with violent tendencies and potential terrorist proclivities by teachers and administrators at these schools. His imaginary scenes would be considered hallmark signs of trouble as outlined by the latest homeland security watch list now being published by these educational imaginary thought police, the list “When Kindergarteners go bad”.

If I am to accept the alarmist over-reactions of these schools, teachers, and administrators as valid then I should be concerned that yesterday my 5 year old ran around the house with a clothes hanger stuck in the back of his shirt. He was pretending the hanger was actually a bow and arrow. As he darted from room to room making swishing noises to imitate the sound of arrows flying, he was carefully seeking out evil goblins intent on attacking our home. However, now that I see the real story behind his actions I see the menacing nature that lies just below the surface. OK, actually I don’t…I see a healthy 5 year old boy who happens to think Lord of the Rings and Legolas in particular, are super cool. Something his 40 year old Army officer dad tends to agree with wholeheartedly.

Edmiston (2008) says, “When adults confuse pretend fighting with violent behavior, stop children from playing, and lecture them about not pretending to be bad, they can actually become oppressive while believing that they are being virtuous” (p.189). If instead of reacting to these moments with anger, punishment, or distaste, adults responded with a mature approach, then these could be teachable moments. We could properly question, answer, and guide them to ethical decisions, not confuse or frighten them with over reactions and negative responses to natural child development. Lastly, as adults we could remember that we were all once children with imaginations who I suspect fought our own monsters and villains. I challenge any adult who says they never used their imagination to act out a violent scene.

 Let’s focus on restoring common sense to our schools and stop creating problems where none exist. Teachers and administrators need to focus on reality and let kids focus on imagination. Look for trends in behavior and question those that seem to create a real threat to safety. Seek to understand what is going through a child’s mind rather than to control what goes on in that mind.  Finally, let’s allow kids to be children without crisis management 101 requiring that every stick turned into a weapon by a wayward child is a sign of imminent danger.

Edmiston, Brian. (2008). Forming Ethical Identities in Early Childhood Play. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.