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talk about not using good judgement  

post #1 of 14
12/29/03 at 12:51pm
Thread Starter 
on the last day of school at ds middle school , the band teacher let the class chose what movie to see. well, guess what everyone chose in the class? the horror movie "The ring". i could not believe it when ds ( my step-son who i adopted) came home and told me. i just don't think that movie is appropriate to show in a classroom. I sort of feel like a hypicrite because when that movie was released i took him to see it. we both love horror movies. the middle school ds goes to is one of the worst in the city. if he wasn't doing so well , i'd take him out and put him in a catholic school. so, help me mamas, what do i say to the principal when i complain about this?


what was that stupid teacher thinking?
post #2 of 14
12/29/03 at 2:07pm
IMO movies shown at school should be limited to those of "family" content. Though The Ring is rated PG-13 & the kids were probably at least 13, I don't think horror films are appropriate for school viewing at any age. Not to mention the fact that I doubt it was at all related to any learning objectives. I would ask the principal to show you a copy of the school district's policies governing the use of films in the classroom.
post #3 of 14
12/29/03 at 7:37pm
I had this problem in kindergarten!

The teacher showed my ds a rated PG movie.

I told her - PG means Parental Guidance. I am his parent, not you. As his parent, I will make the decision whether he watches a movie or not.

I think this applies at ANY age.

I've seen that movie, of course my oldest is only 9, but that movie is way inappropriate for school.

I would call and make waves!
post #4 of 14
12/29/03 at 10:08pm

that stinks

when dd was still in school I had not let the Oklahoma city stuff be on when they were around and they brought a tv into the PREK3 class and showed them the footage of the baby being brought out etc!!
You have to wonder what they are thinking sometimes..
Can you check and see if other parents feel like you do ? i have seen the ring with my son who is 16 and I wouldn't let some 13's watch it either..
post #5 of 14
12/31/03 at 1:02pm
That's totally unacceptable! I would be furious. I would contact the teacher and if he is unreceptive then go to the principal! You are right to be upset!
post #6 of 14
12/31/03 at 4:18pm
Thread Starter 
so do i go right to the teacher or the principal? ithought about writing to the principle and talking to the teacher
post #7 of 14
12/31/03 at 4:24pm
I would say to start with the teacher. See what his reaction is. My dad was a PS super. for 30 years and he would always say start with the teacher and go from there. Good luck!
post #8 of 14
12/31/03 at 5:59pm
I like Amnesiac's suggestion to ask for a copy of the policy on films in the classroom. Then you will know whether you are dealing with a violation of that policy, or a policy that is too lenient. However, instead of going straight to the principal, I'd start with the teacher. People tend to get upset and defensive when you go "over their head" without even trying to talk to them first.

Whether you would let your son see this movie with you is irrelevant. The issue is whether the movie is appropriate for classroom use. A horror movie with no educational value is not appropriate!

I think it's okay to show a movie on the last day before vacation, but it should be something at least tangentially related to the subject matter. For example, in high school English lit, we studied the legends of King Arthur during December and then watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail before break.
post #9 of 14
1/10/04 at 1:42am
Just curious about how this turned out. Did you talk to the teacher or principal?
post #10 of 14
1/10/04 at 11:23am
Thread Starter 
this is what happened: i called monday morning the 5th and they told me that the teacher would be out all week. so i'm calling monday or maybe just going there. well, i want to call first to find out his schedule.
post #11 of 14
1/20/04 at 9:04pm
Well? I'm curious now! Any progress, jannan?
post #12 of 14
1/20/04 at 10:38pm
Me too, me too!
post #13 of 14
1/20/04 at 11:23pm
Thread Starter 
this is what happened. i finally got ahold of the teacher. he said everything ds said, but he told me that the ring version they saw was pg 13. and i said " in the future i'd like to be notified" he said ok he was really nice and apologized.
post #14 of 14
1/21/04 at 5:08pm

The Ring is pg13 my teen

son has the DVD

Version smersion.
At least he apologized and seemed to take serious the notification
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