I never realised

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I never realised

by tylluanpenry @ Wednesday, 27. Feb, 2008 – 22:35:29

I never realised just how mad the world has become.... in the wake of a number of teenage suicides in Bridgend, South Wales, two schools (one in Radyr, the other in Treorchy, neither a million miles away) decided to set their pupils the following homework:

In Radyr the children were asked to write suicide notes as part of an English literature class. See : http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/02/27/year-9-pupils-told-to-write-suicide-notes-in-class-91466-20529543/

In Treorchy the children were asked to plan their own funerals as part of their RE work. See:
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/02/27/pupils-given-funeral-planning-task-for-homework-91466-20532117/

I just think it's sick.
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27 Comments to I never realised

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- Mrs_F
- Wednesday, 27. Feb, 2008 @ 22:45:30
Yes it is sick, no wonder they are all so morbid. That is just unhealthy. The thing is if the authorities blame it all on social networking sites and rock music, I think perhaps they are looking in the wrong place. The only thing is maybe the teachers are trying to get the kids to express their concerns about it and bring it out into the open in some way. That is the only thing that would make this excusable.
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- - tylluanpenry
  - Thursday, 28. Feb, 2008 @ 16:49:02
  I was astonished when I read those articles - it's just unhealthy, as you say. And since the exercises were part of other lessons (English and RE) I don't think the schools can reasonably claim they were trying to bring anything out into the open. It was just ghoulish.
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- miramaze
- Wednesday, 27. Feb, 2008 @ 23:14:42
I wonder what the thinking is behind these assignments ?

During my training I remember writing a lists of things to do with one year left to live .. then 6 months ... then .. a week .. then a day. That was to help us get in touch with our priorities.

A suicide note is a goodbye .. and why would you want youngsters to say goodbye to life ?

Puzzles me .

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- - tylluanpenry
  - Thursday, 28. Feb, 2008 @ 16:50:14
  I cannot imagine. It seems a dangerous path to be leading children down.... they are so much more volatile than most adults.
  
  If I had a child at either of those schools I'd be dead worried.
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- kevinwilson ^Pro
- Wednesday, 27. Feb, 2008 @ 23:16:07
that is seriously sick.
whoever came up with this should be sacked.
- - tylluanpenry
  - Thursday, 28. Feb, 2008 @ 16:51:09
  I agree. But I suspect it will be simply swept under the carpet.
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- skip2468
- Thursday, 28. Feb, 2008 @ 04:19:26
I was involved in teaching for more than forty years, but this is the first time that I must admit to being absolutely dumb-founded.

Unfortunately, what you have disclosed is typical of today's politically controlled world.

We are familiar with similar happenings in our NO Smacking Nanny Nation - NZ.
- - tylluanpenry
  - Thursday, 28. Feb, 2008 @ 16:52:16
  I don't know whether to be reassured or even more alarmed that this is happening in your part of the world too. A bit of both probably.
  
  At this rate, the world is going to hell in a handcart...
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- Usksider ^Pro
- http://www.usksider.co.uk
- Thursday, 28. Feb, 2008 @ 07:55:32
It's unbelievable isn't it? Hard to understand how some people reach their position in life...
- - tylluanpenry
  - Thursday, 28. Feb, 2008 @ 16:53:30
  Even more difficult to understand how they hang onto their position when they clearly abuse it... it's as though 'the buck stops here' has been replaced by 'the buck will continue bouncing around the room ad infinitum or until the end of the world, whichever comes first....'
  - - Usksider ^Pro
    - http://www.usksider.co.uk
    - Thursday, 28. Feb, 2008 @ 17:46:11
    Absolutely... no-one ever seems to be responsible for anything any more... unless they happen to be duty scapegoat of course.
    - - tylluanpenry
      - Sunday, 02. Mar, 2008 @ 12:51:21
      Ah, the duty scapegoat.... I'd forgotten him....
      - Usksider ^Pro
        
        http://www.usksider.co.uk
        
        Sunday, 02. Mar, 2008 @ 13:11:15
        
        A position to be avoided at all costs
        
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- deleted user (Visitor)
- Thursday, 28. Feb, 2008 @ 08:32:23
God theses kids have no chance if thats what they are filling their heads with !! Life is hard enough without confusing them more and making them morbid
- - tylluanpenry
  - Thursday, 28. Feb, 2008 @ 17:06:05
  Absolutely! It's one thing when something dreadful happens - it's quite another to dwell on it when it's happened to somebody else.
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- deleted user (Visitor)
- Thursday, 28. Feb, 2008 @ 08:52:41
I can only agree with what you are saying! This is the wrong way to go. A lot of children today are unhappy and telling them to write a suicide note as a homework could encourage them in the wrong way!
- - tylluanpenry
  - Thursday, 28. Feb, 2008 @ 17:06:57
  I agree with you. I can't see that it does any good for the children, academically or emotionally and it has the potential to do them a great deal of harm.
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- amaletska
- Thursday, 28. Feb, 2008 @ 12:48:05
"I never realised just how mad the world has become...." - I believe your very first phrase is the clue, Tylluan. The world's just gone mad and whatever has happened with the schoolkids is just the reflection of how mad...

Might be Pluton in Capricorn:
Quote
Pluto is the Lord of Death whilst Capricorn is a sign of death. The tenth sign represents perfection and the mountain summit symbolizes the end of the journey or completion. Capricorn also represents crystallization and Pluto is its destroying agent. In this immanent cycle, Humanity will probably see the best and worst outcomes of the various expressions of Pluto in Capricorn:
Unquote
If you want to read more about our generally morbid times (that would last for years to come, mind), here's the link:
http://www.esotericastrologer.org/EA%20Essays/42%20Pluto%20Ingress%20Capricorn.htm
- - tylluanpenry
  - Thursday, 28. Feb, 2008 @ 17:07:55
  I didn't think of it in these terms, but they're certainly very interesting. Thanks for posting the link I shall check it out!
  - - amaletska
    - Thursday, 28. Feb, 2008 @ 18:27:23
    Have a look! We choose how we see this or that, but I certainly have the birth-death-rebirth theme striking in powerfully these days. Like, "To Live a Full and Conscious Life, Without Fearing Death" (that's a workshop) or "Death: A Birth into a New Life" (that's a book). Says something, doesn't it...
    - - tylluanpenry
      - Sunday, 02. Mar, 2008 @ 12:48:58
      It certainly does - thanks for posting this.
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- ganesharocks
- http://yogini.blog.ca
- Thursday, 28. Feb, 2008 @ 13:58:00
You also touched on another 'issue'. Lots of the kids are saying something is 'sick' if its very kewl. Imagine the energy behind that! I agree it's brutal.
- - tylluanpenry
  - Thursday, 28. Feb, 2008 @ 17:09:26
  Now that's something I didn't know. And the energy behind words can be extremely potent, as every would be magician (and soccer fan) can testify.
  
  I am just horrified at the way the schools are accepting such thinking as being somehow 'natural' or acceptable.
  - - ganesharocks
    - http://yogini.blog.ca
    - Friday, 29. Feb, 2008 @ 14:58:55
    Apparently it is 'sic' (same difference though) meaning so insanely kewl. However, it is far too powerful to say that. I think its horrific too.
    - - tylluanpenry
      - Sunday, 02. Mar, 2008 @ 12:50:22
      Words (and sounds) are far more powerful than we often realise. And this, I suspect is an example of something becoming twisted without the users even realising it. Thanks for posting this.
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- lunadraconis
- Friday, 29. Feb, 2008 @ 19:28:07
Only one word springs to mind...OUTRAGEOUS!

From the article it would appear that this assignment was set by the teacher - I suggest a severe talking to and threat of sacking would be appropriate. ANYONE who works with hormone afflicted teenagers should know how intense they are and steer well away from such depressing matters. The teacher has obviously read too much Keats if you ask me.

As for planning a funeral - good grief! I haven't planned my own yet and certainly would not have known how to do so at 12 and for that I am MOST grateful!

Yes, children do need to learn about the dark and seedier side of life but let's do our level best to keep them one step removed from it. It'll creep up on them fast enough without speeding up the process.

Suicide notes are rarely works of marvellous fiction (unless of course you are Keats!), so what purpose did that exercise serve? How does a 12 year old planning a funeral reflect Christian values? Mine certainly would not have reflected anything but bad taste in clothes and music at that age!Absolutely appalling and incredibly baffling. A distinct lack of sensitivity is what it has ultimately taught these children and it also feels to me like it was some sort of bizarre voyerism on the part of the teacher.

I am just SO out of date with today and I think I am grateful for that. I fear for all childrens' sanity if this is how schools deal with sensitive issues.
- - tylluanpenry
  - Sunday, 02. Mar, 2008 @ 12:53:34
  What I find so sad is that the very people who ought to be helping children are actually wading in and making things worse. Teachers must have a certain amount of discretion in the exercises and homeworth they set - if they don't use it that tells us a lot about their own values and humanity.
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Bringing religion into schools...
by tylluanpenry on Tuesday, 25. Mar, 2008 – 15:54:32

CURRENT MOON

moon info

27 Comments to I never realised

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