Me and the schools Here we go again

[gdcpony]

My younger daughter just got home from school and informed me that they were to draw a picture of their favorite things. She says she was going to draw me and her out hunting, but another kids got yelled at for drawing a gun (something similar I gather).

So I am going to be on the phone tomorrow to ask about this. Probably to tell them that if my daughter (or any child) wishes to choose a shooting sport as their favorite thing to do, and get in trouble for expressing it, I will be happy to pull my kids out.

This is not the first time this kind off a problem has come up. Here is a good list.
1- My oldest drew a picture of me with my rifle when asked what I do for a job. I am a Marine Reservist (just selected SSgt too!!!! Yeah!!!) and was on military duty at the time. I went to the principal and got her detentions reversed, an apology, and a promise it won't happen again.
2- My oldest bragged about getting out squirrel hunting and I got a call saying I needed to interest her in different hobbies. It was apparently not an "appropriate hobby for a little girl" I took her out early the next morning got 4 more tree rats and we gutted them just before the bus arrived. She got on after handing me the shotgun and with me holding up her prizes to show hem off. "She didn't have time to clean up her hands, or to change clothes," I explained when they called and said that deer season was coming and asked how much gore do they want next time they complain? They hate it when she shows up in hunting clothes too.
3-My younger was pulled into the office to receive a long lecture on not using the word kill to describe her first deer hunt, which was successful. I told them that they needed to go back to school themselves and learn about the word context.
4- When my oldest was declaring her preference of a bow over a shotgun for deer hunting she was pulled in for discussing deadly weapons. I asked if I could go through the school and look for any deadly weapons I could find and ban the discussion of those things too (go back to the Marine part). A broom was handy and a pen was on the desk.

My stance with them has always been one that accepts that threatening is wrong. It should be dealt with sternly. I wish they could spank again and have no problem with strict discipline. I would agree if my kids so much as threatened an @$$whooping. But they are more likely to receive one and not fight back.

It hurts and confuses them that something they enjoy and Daddy says is a good thing can get them into trouble at school. It seems to them that video games are more acceptable, which I argue against vehemently.

Sorry just had to vent. We are going out to cut some firewood and do some work which is probably child abuse. Be back at sunset.

 

[Officers'Wife]

Hi gdcpony,

The more I hear of this particular sort of idiocy the more I see the wisdom of my Dad deciding I should be home schooled.

 

[erichtmobile]

The schools are out of control. Earlier this year my sons kindergarten class was asked draw something that makes them happy, he drew a picture of the family in front of church. On the church he drew a Christian Cross. The teacher admonished him, explaining to my very confused 6 year old that we can't draw a cross because it might hurt someones feelings

 

[HGUNHNTR]

As idiotic as it is, they are following the rules. Focus you energies on policy change. You may just provide another valuable life lesson for your children.

 

[gdcpony]

As idiotic as it is, they are following the rules. Focus you energies on policy change. You may just provide another valuable life lesson for your children.

I think that the number of letters WE have wrote should have had some effect by now.

 

[HGUNHNTR]

As idiotic as it is, they are following the rules. Focus you energies on policy change. You may just provide another valuable life lesson for your children.

 

[Golden_006]

What part of the country are we talking about?

 

[mljdeckard]

I love Utah.

I took hunter's safety from faculty members of my local schools, in the school building. My father was faculty, and they made it an annual event to have a 'fire drill' the day before deer season to let everyone out early. My principal was a gunsmith, and when we brought guns in as shop projects, he insisted that we take them into his office for inspection upon completion.

That last item probably wouldn't fly anymore, but I can still carry to schools. I'm about to go get my kids now. I am seriously considering starting a shooting club in the high schools my kids attend.

 

[ForumSurfer]

GDCPony,

I feel your pain, brother. But those are the least of your concerns. Public schools can be a nightmare. My ex girlfriend worked with juvenile delinquents. I got to see the worst of what society has to offer. People who are lousy excuses for human beings do not teach their children respect, manners or anything for that matter. They let the TV, video-game system or internet babysit day and night.

That is why our court system has 9-year-olds up on rape charges. That is why our youth, starting in elementary school have criminal records that resemble violent, habitual felons.

Many of society's parents, regardless of financial, life or whatever status, are still not active in their childrens' lives and do not instill discipline. Then your kindergartner comes home asking what the four to six letter word of the day means or why do those mean kids keep picking on little Billy? These parental weenies tick me off to no end. They are the ones who put their spoiled little brats in timeout 5 hours after the child slips up, then the child doesn't fully grasp why they are being punished...or time out simply doesn't work. Discipline, discipline, discipline...I can't preach it enough! :banghead:

Every child acts out, but some do it often because they get zero discipline at home. I'm sorry, but a soft spoken no and the occasional timeout doesn't cut it for every child. Sometimes punishment has to be swift and stern.

Good luck and God bless...

 

[wishin]

gdpony , it looks to me like you're raising your kids correctly and just the way I raised mine. Unfortunately, our government run school systems are suffering from the same strain of idiocy that's afflicting our leaders. Keep them on their toes............

 

[Manco]

One aspect of this pathetic state of affairs is that school officials and faculty are allowing fear to dictate their behavior, which of course translates to ridiculous rules for pupils to follow. When I was in elementary school, kids wrote stories involving murder, gore, guns, and even bombs, and there was never a school shooting, nor did anybody fear that there would be. It's all those large-scale, highly-publicized school shootings that have people cowering behind new rules that make absolutely zero difference in whether there is going to be another such tragedy. As usual, they've abstracted their fear toward things they believe they can control, such as the presence of firearms (i.e. gun-free zones) and even harmless references to firearms, because they can't deal with or figure out the real causes of the problem. That's bureaucracy--or rather bureaucrazy--at its finest. If foreign terrorists were so successful, the whole country would already be on its knees by now.

 

[cassandrasdaddy]

my kids principle is a koolaid drinker. shrine to obama . unions are the best thing that ever happened to america etc.she leaves me alone after i helped my kid do a paper on lincoln and slavery. it was a painful experience for her. other than that she runs a decent school. she does get a lil strained smile when i whistle dixie while i wait to get the kids.

 

[Shung]

gdcpony.. I kinda love your way to deal with them !

 

[ming]

Congrats on making E-6. Semper Fi!

 

[rswartsell]

I'm no fan of over the top teachers and school administrators that cannot seem to handle common sense. I had my troubles with them when my kids were young.

I do however see a problem with sending a kid to school with bloody hands and clothes. Maybe you should start your pre-school hunting a bit earlier and finish sooner so the kid can clean up. A school asking that you not send a student with bloody hands and clothes seems reasonable to me. You might also see this as a message that school is important, rather than a PITA interruption to hunting. Not a big fan of the how much gore do you want next time approach either. When as a parent you decide to stop reasoning and go hostile don't expect much good to come from it, including the example your kids take from it.

 

[DCR]

Addressing the teacher alone only keeps the truth from escaping the classroom. Similarly, addressing only the principal only keeps it in the building.

If your school district is like most in this country, you need to take your complaints over their heads to the real policy-making body - the popularly elected school board / board of trustees. Write whichever trustee(s) represent your area, with cc's to all the other trustees. Request to be placed on the school board's public meeting agenda so you can address your concerns to the board and ask that they review the district's policies on these matters, because in your opinion the policies are being misconstrued and applied in an over-broad manner.

You'll find out in a hurry if it's the teachers and principals who are taking things overboard, or if they're only doing what the elected board has told them to do. If the board is complicit in the problem, you can gather support in your community and initiate recall proceedings or vote in new board members/trustees who reflect your community's values and opinions and put an end to the nonsense.

If that fails, well, I guess you'll have to keep doing the right thing with your children, find a private school, start a charter school, home school, or move.

Best wishes to you.

 

[chutestrate]

I wish you were in my district in Pa. I am on the schoolboard, and I haven't encountered one of these problems yet, but am waiting. I believe in common sense which is largely missing these days. I would suggest that you approach your school board and push for policy change. I am laughing at the way you handle it because I think it is great.

Good luck.

 

[Jumping Frog]

People need to recognize that public school systems are not run for the benefit of students, they are run for the benefit of teacher unions. The students are just a cog in the public gravy train.

Every child acts out, but some do it often because they get zero discipline at home. I'm sorry, but a soft spoken no and the occasional timeout doesn't cut it for every child. Sometimes punishment has to be swift and stern.

It makes it difficult when we have to worry about having our idea of appropriate physical punishment getting construed as domestic violence. Potentially losing your gun rights for the rest of your life is a big club to worry about.

 

[2000Yards]

She didn't have time to clean up her hands, or to change clothes," I explained when they called and said that deer season was coming and asked how much gore do they want next time they complain? They hate it when she shows up in hunting clothes too.

Seriously? Would you show up at work unshaven, with body odor and out of uniform? I sure wouldn't, nor would I show up with gore on my hands and bloody clothing. She's your child and I guess you have a particular message to send, but I wonder what's coming across when you probably spend some measure of time making sure your grooming and dress standards are up to snuff before work.

Aside from the above comment, sounds like you're doing a great job raising your daughters.

 

[ChaoSS]

I have to agree about sending her to school bloody. This seems to me like a good way to get CPS called in to investigate.

It doesn't matter what your hobbies are, guns and killing animals shouldn't be special. If your hobby was 4 wheeling, would you feel it appropriate to send her to school after some offroading without washing up, all muddy and scraped up? If your hobby was painting, would you feel it appropriate to send her to school covered in paint, without giving her the chance to clean up first?

This isn't about you. Have you even thought about the teasing that she might endure going through a day of school soaked in blood and smelling like dead animals?


The school needs to relax about guns, but don't let your daughter be the casualty of your own personal war against them, even if you feel that it is to protect her.

 

[danprkr]

As idiotic as it is, they are following the rules. Focus you energies on policy change. You may just provide another valuable life lesson for your children.

Seems to be that's what he's doing. By not accepting stupid policies he's putting pressure on them to adopt more intelligent policies. Maybe not the way I'd attempt to apply that pressure, but certainly one way to go about it. After all Rosa Parks didn't just whine that bus seat segregation was wrong. She REFUSED to accept it.

And now that I think about it, I'd like to think that would be EXACTLY the way I'd start. Of course I'd follow it up by running for school board and/or campaigning for candidates that would officially change those policies, but the first step is NOT ACCEPTING idiocy!

 

[brucey44]

Unreal, its almost as bad as the police these days. I was reading this morning about a guy that had been to a range, and he road his motorcycle there, he had his rifle (with trigger lock in place) in a case around his back. He gets home and there are cruisers and about 8 cops surrounding his house 10 minutes later. They told him 'concerned' motorists called to say there was an armed man driving around the streets.

They wanted to search his house and everything. Soo unfair this day an age.

 

[wrs840]

Homeschooling is way easier than you think, and very effective... you'll know it when you see your kids' test scores when you satisfy the State's end-of-year requirements with their Woodcott-Johnson (or whatever you choose that is accepted) results.

Best part is, you get your kids back. Mentally, not just physically. Mommy and daddy's values are no longer secondary and too often represented as "wrong".

Public and even private schools today are a social wolfpack, and there's very few adults left there who have their heads screwed-on straight either. The "good" kids are beaten down, not encouraged.

Les

 

[Zack]

We are going out to cut some firewood and do some work which is probably child abuse. Be back at sunset.

I am telling on you...

No really, I know this kind of junk they do not want to talk about guns but other things are ok. Never mind guns are part of history too....... Its like you can not say bomb or gun at government places. Never mind the fact they talk about video games with killing in them, but you can not draw a picture of a gun :/

 

[twofifty]

What follows has to do with the attitudes that schools have toward hunting and the responsibility we have for our personal safety.

A few weeks ago I twice accompanied a friend's 6yo kid to his taekwondo, and watched with other parents while the practice went on. The classes take place in the local grade school gym, but are taught by a private instructor. Kids range in age from 5yo to 12yo.

The instructor used language and concepts that I found very refreshing in these PC times:

- he told the kids that if someone hits them, to hit them back twice as hard.
- he told the kids that at the upcoming competition,
he wanted them to fight hard and be aggressive.

btw, this took place in a rural area where hunting plays a significant role in many peoples' lives, and where one of the biggest clubs is the R&G.

To my surprise, there were a number of let's say 'liberal' parents in attendance...I later asked a parent about the hitting thing and he said that it is important his kids know how to take care of themselves.

The school not only allows taekwondo, it also allows kids to draw pictures that have hunting themes.

You guys need to take control of your school boards...shooting sports and hunting will carry on or disappear through the kids. Mis-educating kids is the Anti lobby's most powerful way of permanently doing away with our sport.