6 Yr Old Suspended From School For Making Gun With Hand

[Muffet]

If he's doing it during class, he should lose his recess for disrupting class.

If he's doing it on the playground, leave the poor kid alone. Geeeze.

If you outlaw making guns with yer fingers, only outlaw kids will make guns with their fingers. (I'm only half joking.)

/jmo, :twocents:

 

[justthinkin]

If he's doing it during class, he should lose his recess for disrupting class.

If he's doing it on the playground, leave the poor kid alone. Geeeze.

If you outlaw making guns with yer fingers, only outlaw kids will make guns with their fingers. (I'm only half joking.)

/jmo, :twocents:

Muffet,

Thanks for making me spit on my computer. Too, too funny!

 

[Mr. E]

If he's doing it during class, he should lose his recess for disrupting class.

If he's doing it on the playground, leave the poor kid alone. Geeeze.

If you outlaw making guns with yer fingers, only outlaw kids will make guns with their fingers. (I'm only half joking.)

/jmo, :twocents:

Making a six year old lose his recess will mean much more to him than being suspended, anyway. I teach high schoolers, and many of them don't care about being suspended. It is the kids whose parents make their "day off" miserable with chores and duties that learn something, but half the time the parents go to work and the kids sleep in, watch TV, play video games, etc. What are you going to do, leave a list of chores for a six year old? The six year old would much rather be at school, playing with his friends during recess. So I agree, take away his recess, tell him every time he points a finger gun at someone he will lose another recess.

 

[Lyn1001]

Making a six year old lose his recess will mean much more to him than being suspended, anyway. I teach high schoolers, and many of them don't care about being suspended. It is the kids whose parents make their "day off" miserable with chores and duties that learn something, but half the time the parents go to work and the kids sleep in, watch TV, play video games, etc. What are you going to do, leave a list of chores for a six year old? The six year old would much rather be at school, playing with his friends during recess. So I agree, take away his recess, tell him every time he points a finger gun at someone he will lose another recess.

I think that's a perfect punishment.

 

[butwhatif?]

I'm thinking that the suspension was not to punish the boy or protect the other kids, but to get the parents attention...to make her/them take the matter more seriously.
But there are far better ways to deal with it imo.

 

[ohiogirl]

First I want to say that I've learned the news never gives the whole story, so I'm sure there is more than what we're hearing. That said, it seems like this is more about the child not following the rules rather than him making a gun shape with his hands.

If a child is not following the rules, they should be punished. Do I think he should have been suspended? No. I believe there were probably other, more appropriate, alternatives. Then again, I don't believe in suspension in general. Especially the older a child gets. It seems like more of a reward than a punishment to many of the kids.

At age 6, the child should understand there are consequences to his actions. My 4 year old is having a hard time learning that right now, but we're making sure she knows. When she gets in trouble for something, we make sure to talk to her about the fact that we asked her however many times not to do something and told her exactly what would happen if she didn't stop. Since she didn't stop, she's receiving consequences. By the time she's 6, I'm pretty sure she'll understand.

I totally agree with you that we are probably not getting the whole story. I think it would depend upon the context of his aiming his "gun" hand. If the kids were playing cowboys, cops and robbers, he obviously wouldn't have been the only one doing it. If he was doing it in a threatening manner, was warned repeatedly to stop it, then he gets the punishment, imo. Hard to discuss it knowingly without all the info.

 

[Evan's Mom]

School officials allege Mason had displayed this kind of behavior for several months, despite numerous warnings.

Were it a one or two time occurrence, I could see the parent's side of this situation. Since it was a problem for several months, I think he deserved the punishment he received.

 

[Muffet]

I agree that there appears to be more to his case than this pointing incident, but I think most of us are skeptical and annoyed in general by the over-reaction and hypersensitivity we see in schools these days against pretend guns and other zero-tolerance policies.

I remember a case awhile back where several boys in Colorado were indeed given detention for a week for playing aliens with "pretend guns" on the playground.

A few months ago, there was a 6 year old who was almost suspended and sent to a reform school for bringing his Cub Scout fork/spoon/knife utensil to school.

Examples of this insanity are rampant. Heck, just few weeks ago, a kid was nearly suspended for bringing a tiny lego gun to school... :doh:

 

[Morag]

Hmmm. I wonder if someone just tried ignoring this kid when he made his gun? He must have been delighted when he was able to attract attention so easily.

 

[akashana]

who said making that sign might scare someone...bwahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh


I never heard of such. Years ago lots of kids didn't have toys..you used what you had....wonder what they'd do if he picked up a stick and said it was a bomb?? or a sword?

He doesn't need a punishment....and using rape as an example is way over the top...if that would happen the kid would have to be put away.

Too many liberals thinking up such silly stuff.

Let the kid be a kid.

MY BOLD

I am considered to be very liberal, yet don't believe in gun control. I also think school officials were waaay over the top on this one. Yes, the 6 y/o misbehaved in class, and apparently this wasn't his first offense. Poor impulse control is a fact of life for most kids that age, and those a lot older too. Punishment should have been meted out accordingly, like the suggested loss of recess or other privileges. But suspension? I think it sends the wrong message entirely. Most 6-year-olds will relish the idea of time off from school, for any reason, and lack the perspective to view it as punishment.

And I'm curious as to why the other children became upset or frightened at the boy's pretend "gun." Did the teacher encourage their over-reaction somehow? I mean, when it all comes down, it's still only a hand sign by a little boy . . .