Berg beheading shown to highschool students.

[goddess40]

http://www.wpr.org/ideas/programnotes.cfm

7:00 AM

Joy Cardin - 05/26B

Some high school teachers across the country, including Wisconsin, allowed students to watch the video of American Nicholas Berg’s decapitation. After six, Joy Cardin and her guest examine whether students are too young to view certain images of the war.

Guest: Bill Amburn (AM-burn), teacher / department chair of social studies, Central Middle School, Bartlesville, Oklahoma. www.ncss.org

[Jackson4Gore]

1. I get so tired of hearing this

I showed fellow classmates at school. They wanted to see it. We are old enough to be shown current events. I feel it is a duty for people to be educated on current events, that is why I showed it. It is no worse than the Zapruder film or the pictures of Uday and Qusay Hussein. However, I can see why parents would get mad when teachers use it for political reasoning.

[jpgray]

2. Ah, that should be a parent's decision. They need permission for sex ed!

Seeing a human being have his head sawed off is a little more traumatic to a child than talking about genitalia and VD. Kids who are eighteen I can see, but 17 and down I think the parents should have a say. Plus the propaganda possibilities are pretty limitless--I doubt the Abu Ghraib slideshow immediately follows the Berg video. Just do permission slips for younger kids, and I have no problem with it. They can watch it on the internet anyway, of course, if they are so inclined.

[roguevalley]

3. There are rules that most districts have for such materials and if

teachers show them in violation, they have no defense.
I taught for 27 years and between you and me, there is
no good reason to show this to kids. Flame me if you
will but there is no good reason. If a teacher wants to
risk their job, then show it. But I see zero value in
doing so.

[jpgray]

4. If the kid is a legal adult, there's no problem in my view

But younger than that, parental permission should be required. Personally, I don't see what this video adds to the classroom, since it would have to be put in context by the photos of Abu Ghraib torture and sixty years of American and Middle Eastern history. :crazy:

[Jackson4Gore]

5. Teachers should not show it, but can at their own discretion

However in my case, I showed it to fellow classmates who wanted to see it. We are mostly 17-18 years old. It is like school prayer, it is ok as long as the teacher does not force it or participate in it.

[goddess40]

6. If this isn't returned then we assume you have permission

That is my son's highschool policy. They showed 9th graders The Last Of The Mohican (I know that isn't spelled right but I'm too lazy to look it up) Most parents didn't even have a clue, because it was made clear that you weren't cool if you took the permission slip home.