Instructor apologizes for asking students to write about whom they’d kill

[proud2BlibKansan]

Updated: 3:10 a.m. ET May 16, 2006

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - A high school teacher has apologized for asking students to write about whom they would kill and how they would do it.

Michael Maxwell, who teaches industrial technology at Central High School, said his request that students in his beginning drafting class describe how they would carry out a murder was merely a writing prompt. It was not clear why he asked the drafting class to write fiction.

"I made a horrible mistake that I regret," Maxwell said. "I want to apologize to my students, my colleagues and to the community."
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The April 21 writing request, which Maxwell said was not a formal assignment, came to the attention of administrators when a parent of one of the students filed a complaint with Principal Barton Albright.

more . . .

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12793768/?GT1=8199

I give him an A for a creative writing prompt :)

[BlooInBloo]

1. IMO, a sincere apology would be accompanied by a resignation.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Why is it DUers always want teachers to lose their jobs?

And in this situation, that is a ridiculous recommendation. What kids were hurt? What damage was done?

He made a mistake and he apologized. Why is that not good enough?

[BlooInBloo]

6. LOL! "Always", huh?

I have no problem with there being differing assessments of the situation, but I confess to not understanding your need to strawmannishly caricature a view differing from yours.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Ok I will take back the 'always'

and change it to 'much of the time'. LOL

I just find it all too common here for DUers to say teachers should be fired. What other profession do we say that about when they make a mistake?

[BlooInBloo]

10. Good question. What other professions....

... involve adults telling children to write about themselves murdering people? That would be a fine place to start answering your excellent question.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. Nice straw man

My question is what other professions do DUers call for the worker to be fired when they make a mistake?

At least one other poster here has said that this is a common creative writing prompt. So it really isn't a mistake as much as a lapse in judgment. They are putting enormous pressure on high school teachers in EVERY subject area to get kids to write. So even industrial tech and drivers ed teachers and other subject area teachers that do not traditionally have written assignments are being told to assign writing to their students. Many of these teachers are experts in their subject area but not in teaching writing. And I can say with certainty that their employing school districts are likely giving them little training in teaching kids to write. High school kids are very hard to motivate. So no wonder an assignment like this turns up in the news.

Now what other profession is there where an employee makes a lapse in judgment due to little or no professional development and DUers call for the employee to be fired?

[BlooInBloo]

12. Obviously it depends on the mistake... which is why I asked...

... about the mistake that's relevant here: directing children to write about themselves murdering other people.

For THAT mistake, I would call for the immediate firing of ANY member of ANY profession.

I've never heard of such a writing exercise, but then there are a lot of things I've never heard of. It doesn't really matter much though, as ubiquity is no argument for moral permissibility.

But I really WOULD like to answer your question head on:

"Now what other profession is there where an employee makes a lapse in judgment due to little or no professional development and DUers call for the employee to be fired?"

What professions? Every profession where its members direct children write about murdering other people.

Obviously I don't speak for DU at large with my answer, but only for myself.

[Ian David]

2. Well, at least he didn't make them read "King and King"? n/t

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. Hmm.. wrong kinda draft.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. It's an old creative writing assignment.

It's been around as long as whodunits. Whom would you kill (preferrably the Milkman, or Mrs. Hornsbottom the scullery maid; and not e.g. the student's mom) and how would you get away with it?

Why in drafting class? Who knows. I suspect the school in order to save money decided to have an english teacher teach the drafting class.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. I have never heard of this before but I believe you

I teach elementary school and I can honestly say this isn't a writing topic we assign.

As far as the class, writing across the curriculum is the in thing in high schools today. All teachers of all subjects are encouraged to incorporate literacy activities in their subjects. That doesn't surprise me as much as the prompt he gave his students.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

9. I thought it could be something like that.

My grandson says they're doing the same thing with college undergrads- assigning essays in classes that really don't need essay assignments.

I knew a few shop teachers who could probably think up all sorts of neat ways to off people.

On edit: this post was meant to be a reply to Proud2blib.

I talk to myself, but not online.