Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

By Dennis Jensen Herald Staff

BENNINGTON — Saying their son was "silenced" by his teacher for talking about hunting in the classroom, the parents of a fourth-grade student at North Bennington Graded School took their son out of school and have taken their case to the local school board.

Jared Harrington's mother, Wendy Bordwell, and his father, Martin Harrington, removed their son from school with 10 days left in the school year and home-schooled the 10-year-old boy.

"We are aggressively pursuing Jared's right to free speech," Bordwell said.

The couple addressed the local school board Monday night to air their grievance.

Bordwell said in a telephone interview that she believed her son was "singled out" by Kathleen Backus, Jared's teacher, while talking about hunting with a schoolmate.

Bordwell said that, during snack time, Jared was discussing the recent spring turkey hunting season with a classmate when Backus interrupted the conversation, insisting that there be no talk of "killing" in her classroom.

Reached through a relative, Backus declined to comment.

At Monday's board meeting, Bordwell read from a prepared statement.

"I believe that Ms. Backus' perception of hunting and hunters have led her to treat Jared in an inappropriate manner, singling him out unfairly," she told the board.

"The breaking point for us, his parents, came when Jared was sharing a conversation during his free period snack time at school. He was talking with a friend about the recent spring 2008 turkey season. Both boys had been out hunting with their dads and Jared was asking his friend where he had gotten his first turkey.

"Jared's teacher covered her ears, trying to block the conversation, and singing 'la la la la.' When asked by another school employee about her odd behavior, the teacher claimed she did not want to hear about the boys and their 'killing.' The boys were left feeling that they were not legitimate hunters, but 'killers' in the eyes of an important authority figure in their lives," Bordwell said.

Jared "has a working knowledge of firearms, archery and the sport of hunting," Bordwell said.

In an interview, Boardwell said that while Backus told her and Jared's father "emphatically that she had no problem with hunting," her comments made it clear that she did, in fact, deplore sport hunting.

Bordwell said that after the incident at school, Jared's father approached Backus, questioning the teacher about her "reprimand" of his son.

"The confrontation ended with Ms. Backus demanding that Marty leave the classroom, screeching, 'I went hiking this weekend and saw a moose and a bear, and I will never tell you where they are because you might kill them," Bordwell said.

Bordwell suggested to the board that a decision by Backus to eliminate all free snack periods in the classroom, changing them to "working" snack time for the remainder of the school year, was designed to stop the flow of free conversation among Jared and the other students.

Bordwell said in the interview that the "working" snack time was designed by Backus to intimidate Jared.

"In this way, she would have control over any conversation," Bordwell said, "and we felt that kind of management plan would single Jared out among his peers. It was created and designed to silence him."

At that point, Bordwell said, it was decided to home-school Jared.

"And since we decided to remove Jared from school for the last 10 days of school, we've learned that the "working" snack time has never been imposed," she said.

After Jared's parents decided to take up the matter with the school board, Backus assigned 137 pages of homework for the boy.

"That led us to believe he was being singled out," Bordwell said.

Martin Harrington owns and operates Marty's Sporting Goods in Bennington, so Jared has been around firearms and sport hunting since he was a very young boy, Bordwell said.

School Principal Thomas Martin said he is confident the administration and the school board "can reach a reasonable understanding" among the parties involved in the matter.

"It's not a huge issue," Martin said in an interview. "Marty is a good kid and Kathleen is a good teacher. The focus is on the kid. We want to try to meet his needs. Kathy cares a great deal about kids. She's troubled a great deal about this."

Martin said the issue is neither "black and white or right and wrong. It's more complicated than that. It's brushing up against a number of things that are important to a lot of people and issues relating to the classroom. Emotions start to feed into it when people's belief systems come into play," he said.

Martin said he would not support any move that would inhibit conversations about any student's hobby, "as long as it is in the parameters of good taste."

After both sides in the issue have been heard, Martin said, he expects a fair solution.

"Obviously, I'd like to see Jared in school," he said. "It's obviously a concern for me. He's a sweet kid; he's a great boy."

http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pb...03/1003/NEWS02

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

"Martin said the issue is neither "black and white or right and wrong. It's more complicated than that. "

Pegged my BS meter. That too complicated stuff is prime 'PC' for "You folks are too stupid to understand the issue.."

What the little student faced at the hands of that hiking tree-hugger is shameful and wrong no matter if Mr. Martin can man up to it or not.

BTW, I have a favorite gunshop in Bennington I frequent and it is not Martin's.:mad:

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

Hey Skyhook just to clarify for ya it's the students parents that own the sporting goods store. i'm not telling you were to shop just clarifing things a little. just my .02. I don't have that problem here where I live as hunting is a way of life for most if not all. We're all rednecks:D

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

The issue, as I see it is really quite simple. The teacher was imposing her beliefs on her student. That is wrong because if a teacher is to touch on any subject outside the carriculum, and they can't aviod it, then they must surely encourage tolerance to others beliefs.
ergo: You don't have to like thier beliefs, and you don't have to agree with them, but you do have to live with them or they may not be willing to live with your's.
As far as I'm concerned P.C. can shove it where the sun don't shine and I can argue that with an adult until hell freezes over. BUT, I cannot by virtue of my adult authority penalise a child for openly discussing anything that results from their belief system. In line with this argument of respect for others rights to be who they are, the teacher could have said. "I find this conversation personaly offesive and we are stuck here together. Do you think you could have it another time please?" this way the teacher is asking for respect for her sensibilities without telling the student that he is wrong.


In other words, is it too much to ask a teacher to behave like a mature aduld?

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

This might be his best marketing ploy ever, everyone now knows which hunters supply shop to frequent!

What happened was wrong, but the parents are overreacting. We all bitch and moan about the PC movement, but our reactions, like the actions of the parents here, just do the same kind of thing in a backwards way. The message they are sending to their son is to cry when he doesn't get his way, as bad as it sounds there is an important skill to being able to suffer silently. At work for example we are all expected sometimes to do things we don't want to- the good employee just gets it done.

The message here is you didn't get your way, something bad happened to you, lets make a mess of it.

Talk to the teacher, talk to the school board whatever... make it into a national story and pull the kid out of school etc? Psh, hogwash.

I see it happening with my brother every day and regularly call my parents on it. They are currently working to get him all the "good teachers" next year, on the basis that he has behavior problems and so it will be better for him if he has teachers that are a better fit. Hogwash, what he needs is a teacher who isn't afraid to whoop his ass, and our parents need to not be afraid to support it (figuratively).

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

All good points. Life is not fair. Learn to live that.

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

Those parents should be mad as he11, and so should we all. To treat an innocent child like he was a pervert because he likes hunting is twisted and sick. What is wrong with people in education today?

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

Vladimir, I would imagine that if some one tried to shut you up you would raise three kinds of holy hell, and rightfully so.
How can you fault this kids parents of sticking up for his right to free speech.


Art

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

Not only free speech, but speech about an age old right to manhood, the greatest lesson in responsibility.

Then to have a POS liberal teacher treat you like you are a leper or something? Come on James:(

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

Absolutey STELLAR response Marlin!!!!
No one could have said it better...

Don

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

Well.....being as Vermont is the most gun friendly state in the nation, if you prohibit all conversation of guns and hunting......a vast silence will settle over that beautiful part of New England! :D

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

I have not posted in a while, but I will weigh in on this one. If I was the Principal of that school or the President of the school board we would have an immediate opening for an elementary school teacher.

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

Vlad, Having had four children schooled in public school system.Oh yea,they were schooled at Oak Harbor,Washington. I can assure you that had this happened to one of my children I would not have been as polite as the parents of this young man were. What the heck ever happened to teaching (Reading,Writing,Arithmetic and yes American History,throw in some American Indian history,some Black history) Throw out the crap about "Tommy has two daddies" , and how the world is doomed because of Al Gores global warming. How about a Biology class or a World History class. Over reacting my a_ _! Had it been a male teacher and my child, I would have been for going over to same said teachers house and ask him politely to talk with me outside in his yard. Then seen if I could whip his liberal anti hunting ,gun hating butt:mad:. But then I don't get vindictive over my kids:rolleyes:. Just my soap box for this morning. catfish

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

Swanshot's point is a good way to sum up my concerns with the parents reaction.

And yes I have been through the public school system as a conservative and so yes I have dealt with it. Unlike too many kids these days I very well knew life wasn't fair and I was just going to have to deal with that.

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

Ok, thanks for the 'alignment'.:D

Anyhow, swansnot has it as most "all is equal to all" liberals have it. Nothing is right, nothing is wrong, all things are as valuable as all other things.

:rolleyes:


That teacher, like a lot of liberal arts grads, adhere to the far left way of thinking and that is they NEED control over the rest of us and will get it because they are so-o-o-o superior.

I'm going to go barf, now.

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

I can't help but agree with Marlin T !!!!!! :) [Very Succinct and to the point !!!]

My Dad, God rest his soul, was an "Old Time 3R" Superintendent of Schools in New England for nie on to forty years. In his day, the teacher would have been out of the classroom, and his system, before the sun rose the next day.

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

That is different than the parents making a big stink. When they suggest that and the school rejects it, let it drop.

We see this as wrong, what the teacher has done, and it is just because she is an authority figure that it is as bad as it is- but she is STILL an authority figure. Taking this to the school board helps instill the disrespect kids these days have for authority. It teaches, "Anytime you disagree with the authority, take them to task on it."

You may argue that we need to sometimes, and I agree. But that isn't really something that has to be taught, it's natural, what has to be taught is the ability to "shut up and take it."

My parents are doing it to my brother. They sit there and badmouth his teachers constantly, I call them on it and they pull out this "Well this teacher IS bad" bullshit (when I know it is just the same thing as when I went through it)... but back in my day my parents NEVER would have called a teacher out over me, it was ALWAYS my fault. If they badmouthed a teacher it was NEVER in front of me.

Which is fine because I respect authority and my brother does not.

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

This is why, if I had to do it over or were in that position now - -

My kids would be HOME SCHOOLED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

Vlad, I must respectfully disagree with your position. Because we conservatives have always backed down to "keep the peace", we find ourselves being taken advantage of and sneered at more and more. We have boot marks and tire tracks all over our backs because we have not stood up for what we believe is right.

These parents are not teaching their son to be a crybaby when things don't go your way. They are teaching him that if you feel strongly enough about a position, you should stand up for it, no matter what the consequences.

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

Exactly what she said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

I feel very strongly that they need to put some ****ing drainage in at work. Unfortunately my boss disagrees, fortunately I have a respect for authority that prods me to leave it be- no matter the fact that our entire yard floods when we get rain (and this IS Seattle after all).

The problem is yes there is a difference, but a little kid doesn't understand that.

If he is taught to suffer silently within reason, in the future he will still be able to confront people when things are wrong- at the right times because it is a natural inclination to do so.

Re: Parents: Teacher silenced son on hunting
 

Vlad, it's true that we all have to "suffer silently within reason" at times, and you are right that the child has to learn when it is appropriate to do so. However, this is not one of those times.

The parents went through the proper channels. They talked to the principal and the school board. The teacher retaliated by assigning extra homework to the child and instituting new classroom rules that targeted the boy.

If he remains in that environment, his education will suffer. He will never be treated fairly. And in my eyes, a child's education is important enough to make an issue over.

In your example, you obviously don't feel strongly enough about the drainage problem to make an issue over it. That's not a judgement, just an observation. If you felt strongly enough about it, you would continue to hammer at your boss. You would organize your co-workers to join you in the protest. If your continued efforts failed to bring about change, you would sue your boss. Or you would quit your job and find a new one where the conditions were more satisfactory.

What if the issue at your job were something else? What if your boss had a vendetta against you? What if he made working conditions harder for you than for any of your co-workers? What if you were required to work 60 hours for the same pay as everyone else got for 40 hours? Would you continue to "suffer silently", or would you stand up for yourself and demand to be treated equally?