Where is the disconnect here? v. 6yr old suspended for singing provocative song.

3 days' suspension is a little harsh, I probably would have given him a warning the first time and then detention when he did it again.

 

I think its just a joke how much people over react to these stupid things.

I read the above on fark, and next to it was a story about a kid who caused his whole school to be closed, almost faced criminal charges, and might not graduate, because he posted a comment on Facebook about having a wank (he said he was polishing his rifle)

It makes me feel old to see a world now that is even so different from when I was growing up.

As for the kid... he has caused nobody any harm, he has not meant anyone any harm, and I am sure that the girl who he was singing to has not suffered "sexual harrassment."

In my view the senior people at the school who set this kind of agenda need to take a good look at themselves in the mirror. They should feel genuinely ashamed of themselves, and in my opinion probably resigination would be the decent thing to do.
--- merged: May 5, 2012 at 8:08 AM ---
_
This reminded me of something (the principle)

When I was 14 I was caught with some pornographic magazines at school (I was lending a couple to a mate, for a fee... I was the only one in my set who had the nerve to buy them from the store) and this teacher confiscated them and didn't give them back till the next lesson and I missed out on money over it.

At the time I thought it was very harsh and he had no right to take my private property and deprive me from it.

If I was at school now presumably I would at least have been expelled and probably given three years in Borstal.

_

What the school system needs to understand is kids are kids.

6 year old kids copy things they see on TV without really knowing what they mean
14 year old kids (or 18 year old ones) sometimes read dirty magazines and make jokes about wanking.

Yes, you need to have zero tolerance of anything that is criminal and anything that is real bullying. But you have to have the common sense to know what that looks like, and if you dont, you are not competent to work in the education system and you should be fired.

 

I think with all of these kinds of things, there's a line, or in fact two lines really

Any time you do something that makes the other person uncomfortable and they want you to stop - thats the first line. if the little girl complained, the kid crossed that line and the appropriate action is to sit him down and explain why what he did was wrong (cos he's 6, and maybe he doesnt get it) and make sure he knows not to do it again, and involve parents in that slso

If he crosses a second line (say, he physically manhandles the girl in an inappropriate way) then yeah, he needs time out of school, we maybe need a social worker to be involved with the family so we are sure his inappropriate attitude isnt a sign of a serious problem here, he potentially needs to be in a different school. He's still 6 so lets not treat him like he's an adult committing this act, but we also need to treat it seriously and nip it in the bud.

But nothing like that was reported here.

Instead, the report is of a 6 year old kid doing a silly dance and singing a pop song which is played all over daytime TV and radio.

_

I'm not saying leave the little bastards to it and see if it turns into "the lord of the flies"... but society needs to let kids be kids.

And the individual teacher involved... I can understand theyre under so much pressure on these things, and often their hand is forced. So what you need to look at, is who set the agenda that is created the environment in which a 6 year old copying MTV ends up with him suspended, on national news, and all of this mess. And that person needs to think seriously about the job they have done and whether they are fit to carry on doing it.

 

The kid was doing this to the same girl. The first time he was warned and told it was inappropriate and the second time he was gyrating his hips and singing it again to the same girl. Harassment is exactly what it was. Better to nip it in the bud early. I read more details earlier today, I'll try to find the article. well: First-Grader Suspended for Singing ‘I’m Sexy and I Know It’ - ABC News

Also, if this kid keeps going at it, the girl's parents will definitely sue the school. He needs to learn his boundaries. Maybe his mother needs to talk with him and monitor what he watches.

 

If this kid is going to be exposed to this sort of humor, he needs to be taught when it is appropriate humor to use, when it is not, and what boundaries are involved in this type of humor.

That has all sorts of connotations that lead most parents to either not expose their young children to such things or neglect to explain the context of the humor and let the kids go to school with no idea that it's inappropriate.

In this case, the kid took what he learned to school and, in my opinion, the school has full discression to right the issue in any way they choose.

Three days suspension isn't that harsh and at least it brings the issue to light for the parents. Hopefully, they'll step up and correct this child's misunderstandings...

 

Very American
What was the little girl's reaction?
I don't see that reported.
How long was his song. Was he bothering her for five minutes or singing to her for 5 seconds?
When he was told to not sing the song did he have any understanding of what the alleged problem was?

 

A fellow student has leaked the following video of the suspect, proving that he is a repeat offender.

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p490t_6Z9aY

 

For fuck's sake, it's a song hook, an earworm and this is a 6 year old kid we're talking about. He's got no idea what it means only that the adults seem to enjoy it. So go ahead, make a big fucking deal out of it - the kid's not going to "get the context of the humor" no matter how you explain it and guess what? He shouldn't have to. He's a good 6 or 7 more years away from that, my friend. Unless you want to get into "all that" with a 6 year old.

I wish to Christ adults would stop over-reacting to the stupid shit. Inappropriate? Right the issue? It's only an issue because adults make it an issue.

And please tell me how to prevent children from being exposed to "such things". Lock them in a closet for their entire childhood?

 

Are we really going to argue that a kid wiggling his dick at a girl is inappropriate and an issue?

 

Are we really going to argue that a six year old has enough depth and breadth of awareness to commit sexual harassment in any sense that doesn't make a total mockery of actual sexual harassment?

--

By all means, tell the kid it's inappropriate; it is. Talk to his guardians, try to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Do not pretend that this is the same kind of misbehaviour as a kid 10 years his senior doing the same thing. It isn't.

 

I heard my 6 yo singing this very song last week. He has no clue what he is singing. I'm pretty clueless where he heard the song (definitely not at home). You know what? this week it'll be something else.

This story sounds like a massive overreaction to me. With my son, I did a double take and inwardly thought "wtf?" but I'm not worried about it. 6 year olds are massive sponges and they just suck up everything they hear. If he continued to sing it, I'd probably try and get another song stuck in his head before moving on to locking him in the cupboard under the stairs

 

If he was emulating that video it is obviously inappropriate. I think educating the kid is more important than punishing him at his age. Kids copy, particularly when things look cool or exciting. He's six for crying out loud..

 

Hey, just as long as he isn't singing Marilyn Manson tunes.

You know those cause kids to go all Seung-Hui Cho 'n shit.

 

He might not get the context, but he did it once and was told not to do it again, then he did it again. Consequences were not that severe, but it might make him think about it next time. Nobody is stringing this kid up, he was suspended.

 

I've got a 6 year old. I think that this is entirely appropriate under the circumstances. If this were my kid, I'd be mad - at him, not the school. He was told exactly what was expected of him and what would happen. My 6 year old knows that when his school says similar things - uniform violations, behavior issues, etc. - he needs to listen since things he won't like will happen if he doesn't. If he had kissed this girl like we all see on mainstream TV - deeply and with a dip - the punishment would have been appropriate and there wouldn't be an outcry. I see little difference between the two here.

Now the one thing that I'll say in the kid's defense is that there are alternate lyrics that take all the "provocation" out of the song. If he were singing that (he wasn't) instead, then the school is 100% wrong. Here's an example:


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWF86D_UNxc

 

Ive never actually seen the video before.

I wish I still hadnt to be honest.