My Ds has brought this poem home from school and been told to learn it. Please come and give me your thoughts on wether I should speak to the school.

[MTPurse]

As the title says, Ds has came home from school today with a Poem to learn, He has to learn it to be read out between a group of them(apparently he was chosen to read it as he is good at drama/being dramatic).

This is all I know, I have no other info on what it is about and why he has to learn it yet

Now I am not into poetry at all so maybe I just don't 'get it' but I really think this is completely unsuitable for Children due to the context. I am not a strict parent at all but Guns , Knives, Swords and Violence have no part in my family life and I will not allow my ds to play cod and stuff like that, in fact we have had numerous arguments about this.

Personally, I get the humour in it and think it would be fine on a staffroom wall but aibu to think it is not suitable for children?

Here is the poem:

The Lesson

Chaos ruled OK in the classroom
as bravely the teacher walked in
the nooligans ignored him
his voice was lost in the din

'The theme for today is violence
and homework will be set
I'm going to teach you a lesson
one that you'll never forget'

He picked on a boy who was shouting
and throttled him then and there
then garrotted the girl behind him
(the one with grotty hair)

Then sword in hand he hacked his way
between the chattering rows
'First come, first severed' he declared
'fingers, feet or toes'

He threw the sword at a latecomer
it struck with deadly aim
then pulling out a shotgun
he continued with his game

The first blast cleared the backrow
(where those who skive hang out)
they collapsed like rubber dinghies
when the plug's pulled out

'Please may I leave the room sir? '
a trembling vandal enquired
'Of course you may' said teacher
put the gun to his temple and fired

The Head popped a head round the doorway
to see why a din was being made
nodded understandingly
then tossed in a grenade

And when the ammo was well spent
with blood on every chair
Silence shuffled forward
with its hands up in the air

The teacher surveyed the carnage
the dying and the dead
He waggled a finger severely
'Now let that be a lesson' he said

Roger McGough :

Horrible histories is funny, and clever, and this poem is neither.

Also it talks about things that happened a very long time ago. It doesn't mock up some present time scenario for no good reason.

The children can detach from the events portrayed. And they were real events which extenuates it somewhat - you know, in the sense of understanding actual history.

This 'poem' is a lod of unnecessary horseshit.

Mine doesn't watch Horrible Histories, or 12a films. Even the trailer for the BFG would give him nightmares for a month. Not all Yr5s are the same (or children of any age).

Just because you or your child were okay with this poem doesn't mean all children will be. Really not a difficult idea to get your heads round.

Never read Horrrible Histories, never played GTA, my children have not watched Star Wars.

As I said, they are two sensitive little people. Let's not forget not all children are robust and those saying "10 year o,d boys will love this, find the humour and get into poetry on the back of it", please think of the children who will hate it, be afraid and be turned off poetry on the back of this.

Looks like someone already has complained: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-484922/Horror-pupils-taught-violent-poem-teacher-attacking-students-guns.html

You are right. This poem has been in schools since the Year dot and is probably responsible for many school shootings. There is far too much violence in literature isn't there? Causing all kinds of violent incidents in society - not just in school either. Good on you. I can see you will have expunged all kinds of violence from all texts in your classroom and everything your child reads - all their books, films, computer games, TV. Otherwise you'd just be a hypocrite, wouldn't you? God, such a mind. I wish my child was in your class.

Wow.
You really didn't read or understand the arguments against this particular poem for children did you?

Ha! Wait until they have to read a bit of Shakespeare!

That article is from 2007 Allegretto. The complaint obviously fell on deaf ears.

So if someone doesn't agree with you, that means they can't read or understand...ah, ok.

I can't see how it has an anti-violence message or that it's particularly clever.

So many other, better ways to introduce poetry.

Shakespeare is beautiful writing and important. It's not worth comparing the two.

I think Helmet means you don't seem to have grasped the opinions of others Allegretto since nobody on this thread had suggested that reading the poem will turn young people to violence or that literature is responsible for atrocities. It's ok though, I do understand that 400 posts is a lot to wade through.

The witches scene from Macbeth. It is about the occult; about dismembered bits of criminals, their body parts, being put into a pot and boiled, along with human babies and bits of animals. Its also explicitly racist. Its read in virtually all schools, usually KS3 or lower. Elsewhere it describes people being unseamed from the nave to the chaps. Believe me, that would hurt a bit. Are you seriously wanting to ban your children from reading it? Shakespeare is seriously,seriously, violent.

Next to that, Roger McGough pales into insignificance. Literature isn't all flowers, elves and fairies. Thank God.

nobody had suggested that reading the poem will turn young people to violence or that literature is responsible for atrocities. It's ok though, I do understand that 400 posts is a lot to wade through.

And I haven't either. It's ok though, I do understand that my 5 posts are a lot to wade through.

There is other criteria for determining whether something should be taught, not just the messages on violence.

No one is suggesting if you don't use this you don't teach Shakespeare.

Agreed. So what's the problem?

Apologies Allegretto I'd confused you with wishi whose post Helmet was responding to. But I think my point is still valid - Helmet wasn't saying those with an alternative view can't read or understand, just that wishi is barking up the wrong tree in the post at 08.36.

Obvious - No to poem

This poem has been in schools since the Year dot and is probably responsible for many school shootings. There is far too much violence in literature isn't there? Causing all kinds of violent incidents in society - not just in school either.

Who on earth said any of this?

Show me one post, just one, where someone said they think reading this will turn a kid violent.

Or actually, has no one argued that at all?

Why do people make-up arguments?

I'm sorry - I thought you actually had some kind of logical reason for your aversion to the poem being in a classroom. Some sort of genuine concern for it having some effects on students that would be different to other texts routinely used in classrooms.

Very interesting thread. A clear divide emerges between the Literate and the Philistine camps on MN

No need to be sorry. More no redeeming features to defend it. I haven't heard any yet.

What's so good about it?

Actually Bobo many fall into a third category - 'not at 10 years old' - even some of those who 'appreciate' the poem.

Well, in the instance that is being objected to, I think you would need to see the teacher's lesson plan to understand the specific objectives that she was using that text to fulfil in her particular lessons.
But its pretty classic as a reasonably accessible text, containing many kinds of poetry features that students at KS2 or KS3 could enjoy success at identifying. That's why its been so popular in schools.

I don't think that anyone could go so far as to claim that the poem has lead directly to school shootings but it is just far too close to reality these days, ok mostly in America but mass shootings are tragically becoming far more commonplace whereas they weren't 40 years ago. I cannot believe people are still laughing at it and trying to justify it after Dunblanemum has posted. I find that utterly incredible and disrespectful tbh.

As for comparing it to Macbeth, ridiculous - when did you last hear of a witch boiling up entrails on the local common? It's because something like that is far removed and abstract that it's acceptable to study, it's just not likely to happen is it?

Those are in the Philistine camp in my segmentation