I am beginning to get a rather bizarre view of teaching techniques in England. If you recall, we recently saw how teachers terrorized students with the fake murder of a colleague. Now, teachers including Headteacher Mike Richards at St. Mary’s RC told children that World War III had broken out and, using fireworks, had them cringing in a cellar as a learning experience.
The children were shown footage of the Blitz in World War II and were told that London was in the process of being bombed.
The teachers wanted students to know what it was like to live through a war — and they succeeded all too well according to parents.
Richards abandoned the dim idea in the afternoon after complaints that the children were terrified. Teachers also complained about the impact on the children — some of whom had nightmares.
Richards explained “[t]he bulk of the boys thought it was great but a few of the girls were upset and had a sleepless night. . . . The school apologises for any distress that was caused but we don’t come to school with the idea of upsetting our pupils.”
Well I guess that was a learning experience.
In the United States, it might have also introduced the headmaster to the scourge of litigation and the concept of negligent infliction of emotional distress and torts litigation.
Source: DailyMail
Jonathan Turley
I am an expert on PTSD and am working on a book about PTSD in women. Having said that, I am more than horrified at this story. If I were going to set up an experiment with the intention of inducing PTSD in vulnerable children, this is how it would be done. I am comfortable saying that the fallout from this ill-considered adventure will last for a long time. For some of the children perhaps a lifetime. Jumpy at noises, paranoid about bad people coming to hurt or kill them, and the likelihood of impairment in their academic experience and later in the workforce.
Consider this: they will be forever untrusting of those who are supposed to care for them, waiting for something horrible like this to happen again. Why the hell should they trust school teachers or school administrators in the future? These people have demonstrated to the children, beyond all reasonable doubt, that that are totally untrustworthy.
For those who say that wars happen, I reply that of course wars happen and people are traumatized. But why should a child (or adult) be traumatized when there is no threat. This is a lot different from a fire or terrorist attack drill that is announced ahead of time. This was something straight out of The Twilight Zone.
Thomas J.,
“I feel this was done the wrong way (parents should’ve known), but I don’t think the idea is bad. ”
Whatever it was, it was ill-conceived. I would agree that, if it was to have been done at all, the parents should have been involved.
We don’t disagree on “the horrors of war”…
anon nurse,
“Would you please clarify… Are you okay with this “experiment” or am I misunderstanding your remarks? (Correcting and reasking…)”
1) I don’t think this is an “experiment”. They wanted to teach the children about the horrors of war.
2) I will never think it’s the end of the world to teach children about the reality – even when it’s brutal.
3) I feel this was done the wrong way (parents should’ve known), but I don’t think the idea is bad.
I don’t understand why it’s such a big crime to subject British children to the IDEA or war when Britain (and its allies) have happily subjected the children of Serbia, Iraq and Afghanistan to much more brutality. The children in those countries went through something that was real and that actually lasted longer than 4-5 hours.
Thomas J.,
Would you please clarify… Are you okay with this “experiment” or am I misunderstanding your remarks? (Correcting and reasking…)
On a military base a few years ago, I saw some kids wearing t-shirts bearing the slogan:
“Peace Through Superior Firepower”
Have to start them young…
” Our kids don’t need to be taught what it is like to live through war because any child under 10 has known nothing but war.” (rafflaw)
Especially the children of our servicemen/women
Thomas J. wrote:
“What’s the big problem here? Maybe these children learned something, is that what people are worried about?”
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Would you please clarify… Are you okay with this “experiment” or am I misunderstanding you remarks?
Well said Thomas J.
anon nurse said: “A life-altering experience, to be sure… Who are these idiots — or should I say, sadists?”
The irony here is that inflicting the idea of damage to its own people is something done by “sadists”, while deciding to bomb Belgrade, Baghdad and other cities seems to be everyday life in the UK.
What were the reactions when these parents saw their country decide to bomb Iraq and Serbia to inflict children to real harm?
This is about as hypocritical as it gets.
Elaine,
thanks for the update on the Moscow bombing. It must have been another underwear bomber!
rafflaw,
Right! They see plenty of violence and war on the news.
Off Topic and just being reported:
Explosion kills 31 at Moscow airport
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/eu_russia_airport_blast
Excerpt:
By LYNN BERRY, Associated Press Lynn Berry, Associated Press
MOSCOW – An explosion ripped through the international arrivals hall at Moscow’s busiest airport on Monday, killing 31 people and wounding about 130, officials said. The Russian president called it a terror attack.
The state RIA Novosti news agency, citing law enforcement sources, said the mid-afternoon explosion at Domodedovo Airport may have been caused by a suicide bomber.
It seems that lack of intelligence is not just an American experience. Our kids don’t need to be taught what it is like to live through war because any child under 10 has known nothing but war.
Sick, sick, sick
As one mother said, ‘Nobody with an ounce of common sense would have put them through it.’ According to this same mother, some of the children are now afraid to leave their parents.
A life-altering experience, to be sure… Who are these idiots — or should I say, sadists?
What’s the big problem here? Maybe these children learned something, is that what people are worried about?
“We didn’t forsee these problems.” – says it all.
Good grief, there’s enough footage out there on WW1, WW2, & Korea that this bone head teach could have put together something together that would impact them a lot more. This guy get his certificate from the local asylum???
Why bother with a prank when if they just waited a bit longer some Neocon will start the real thing for them?
And if they had wanted to be accurate, they should have shown atomic test footage, not footage of the Blitz.
“The teachers wanted students to know what it was like to live through a war — …”
What does this headmaster know about living through a war???