Introducing death to children can be a burdensome endeavor because most parents never want to see their children sad over something they themselves can not control. As difficult a task that it is, it's necessary because kids will eventually encounter it. I support Nicholas and his family from Ohio because his project could be a teachable moment for other children and it came from his heart.
The school's reasoning for not accepting the project was that it was not something his classmates were old enough to learn about. Principal, Cherie Kaiser said, "given the age of the children in the class, we do not believe the subject of the photograph was appropriate." But in reality children need to be introduced to death even though it can be sad and scary. Children in church are exposed to the brutal crucifixion of Jesus at very young ages. Because of His death many of my friends and I all became Christian's when we were Nicholas' age because we understood why He died. Even though children seem so fragile, they are much stronger and smarter than we think.
Old Brooklyn Constellation Elementary didn't think their students could handle seeing death, but Dr. Hall, a psychologist, said in regard to Nicholas' project, "while there's not a right or wrong way to introduce death to children, this can be a teachable moment." He agrees that the school is wrong to not allow Nicholas to share his love for his brother with the class. The project assigned was to have students tell about some of their favorite things. Noah, Nicholas' brother, was very important to him and his family. His mom told reporters,"We deal with it every day, one day at a time. It's been extremely difficult." They kept his nursery the same and hang pictures of him in the house so they can always remember him. Their story definitely pulls at the heart strings, but it makes you loose hope in the school system. Nicholas has been through a traumatic experience, and shouldn't be punished for wanting to share his story with his class mates.
The school's reasoning for not accepting the project was that it was not something his classmates were old enough to learn about. Principal, Cherie Kaiser said, "given the age of the children in the class, we do not believe the subject of the photograph was appropriate." But in reality children need to be introduced to death even though it can be sad and scary. Children in church are exposed to the brutal crucifixion of Jesus at very young ages. Because of His death many of my friends and I all became Christian's when we were Nicholas' age because we understood why He died. Even though children seem so fragile, they are much stronger and smarter than we think.
Old Brooklyn Constellation Elementary didn't think their students could handle seeing death, but Dr. Hall, a psychologist, said in regard to Nicholas' project, "while there's not a right or wrong way to introduce death to children, this can be a teachable moment." He agrees that the school is wrong to not allow Nicholas to share his love for his brother with the class. The project assigned was to have students tell about some of their favorite things. Noah, Nicholas' brother, was very important to him and his family. His mom told reporters,"We deal with it every day, one day at a time. It's been extremely difficult." They kept his nursery the same and hang pictures of him in the house so they can always remember him. Their story definitely pulls at the heart strings, but it makes you loose hope in the school system. Nicholas has been through a traumatic experience, and shouldn't be punished for wanting to share his story with his class mates.
Great job! You brought up some very interesting and strong points, and I completely agree with you. In my post, I had to defend the school's case, which was difficult. I believe that a child should not be forced to remove a deceased sibling from their life, or in this case a poster, because it could be traumatic to other students. I believe it is important for children to be exposed to death at a young age. If not, how are they going to cope with the tragedy when it happens to them? I love your point mentioned about how most children grow up learning about the death of Jesus Christ, which eventually saved their lives and promised them eternity in heaven; this is very relevant. Overall, this is a well-developed and moving passage.
ReplyDeleteI really like that you used the Crucifixion of Christ as an example of children being exposed to death at a young age. I completely agree that kids are well aware of death from a young age and that this picture would have most likely not have been a issue. I like that you said, "Their story definitely pulls at the heart strings, but it makes you loose hope in the school system. Nicholas has been through a traumatic experience, and shouldn't be punished for wanting to share his story with his class mates." This sentence proves your point that the school system handled the picture in a terrible manner. They did not take into consideration that the picture could have been a healing mechanism for young Nicholas. Liz, I really enjoyed reading your point of view on the issue. You did a really great job explaining your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I had to defend the school's decision, I, in actuality, agree with the parents in making sure thier son, Nicholas, was not uncomfortable with the knowledge of his brother. The school was unfair and callous towards Nicholas and his parents. If they were uncomfortable showing it in class, the teacher should have still accepted it but just not hung it up in the classroom. I really liked your example in Jesus' death being shown to young children. That is a very insightful and relatable example. Your concluding sentence is very strong. It leaves the reader wanting to make a difference. Also, I liked how you quoted the pediatric psychologist on how he said "... There is no right or wrong way to introduce death to children..."
ReplyDeleteAlthough I had to agree with the decision of the school in regards to the blogspot, I actually agree with your viewpoint that the family is right. The project with the deceased baby boy would show as a learning experience for the other children. I thought that your blog was very well put together. Your point on the crucifixion was very interesting and a very good point. It brings up a very valid point that children are already introduced to death and it has a positive effect on them. I had not even thought of this...good idea! I also agree with your point that Nicholas should not be punished for wanting to share the love he has for his baby brother in front of his class. You bring up a very good point when you say that this isn just another example that makes us loose hope in the school system. The school system should be supporting and encouraging the family, not putting the family down and punishing their son. Good argument!
ReplyDeleteGood job on your argument. With my blog, I had to take a stand on the other side of this argument. Even though I defended the school's decision, I am in agreement with the family's decision. You did a very good job at arguing this side. You clearly stated the side of the argument you'd be going over. You also had very good points in your argument that strengthened your blog as a whole. I really agree with the point that you made about children in church learning about Jesus's crucifixion. It was an effective point on me because that touches on something that I believe in. Also another good point was the one about what the psychiatrist said. If a professional says that it's okay for kids to learn about it at a young age, then the school should have no problem with it. Plus it was just a young boy showing his love for his brother. All-in-all, this was a very well written blog. It was nice to read about the side of the argument I wanted to do. Good job Elizabeth.
ReplyDeleteGreat job on this assignment! You took your given side of the argument and conveyed your points very well. The use of quotations from the video such as the one from Dr. Hall, "while there's not a right or wrong way to introduce death to children, this can be a teachable moment" and real life examples, such your story about how you, and others your age, were introduced to the death of Jesus Christ when you were about the same age as Nicholas all together gave more credibility to your argument. I had to argue for the school, which was an overall daunting task, since there were very little points that I believed in, making it very difficult to write. I definitely believe in what you said, over what I said, and you had a very complete and thorough argument.
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