*Please keep in mind while reading this, that the lesson from this presentation at Hallsville School in Manchester, New Hampshire was to show that a person cannot be put back together after you curse at them or insult them.*
Parents of students that attend Hallsville School in Manchester, New Hampshire were not too pleased with faculty and staff a few weeks ago. An anti-bullying exercise was held during school to help students understand how bullying can tear people apart. It turns out that parents did not appreciate the efforts, though! Some parents even decided to pull their children from the school. Now, you’re probably thinking, how could an anti-bullying presentation cause so many problems? Well, it’s because this presentation had students swearing.
Yes, swearing. Like bad words little tykes are not allowed to say unless they want to wash their mouths out with soap. BUT, before you become enraged like Keith Katsikis & his wife, here’s why it happened. A teacher wanted to show students how words can tear people apart, and even if a bully apologizes, it still leaves a mark. In order to do that, the teacher taped a giant piece of paper that was outlined from a man’s body on to the wall. Students then participated by writing inappropriate things on small pieces of paper; things that were said to them once before. Each student read aloud what was written on his/her piece of paper. After reading the paper, the student would tear a piece of the giant paper man. The teacher wanted to show that people cannot be put back together after you hurt them verbally.
As I mentioned before, some parents had a problem with this lesson. In particular, Keith Katsikis and his wife decided that their three children will no longer attend Hallsville School. Katsikis started an online petition to have the school’s principal terminated, and sent copies of a letter to the superintendent, school board members, and city officials.
“They’re shouting obscenities out loud, including very vulgar swear words and phrases…and then violently ripping apart a symbolic cutout of a man,” Katsikis stated. “I think parents should have the right to choose, whether they think it’s a great lesson or a bad lesson, and whether their kids should be exposed to it or not.”
Here’s the real question. If this happened in your community, do you believe that Katsikis was right in taking such strong action towards this lesson? Would you have pulled your children out of the school, as well? Or do you believe this was a great lesson for children?
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