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 :

As I am. What's your point Butter ? I was embracing it too.

I loved that poem as a kid! Yabu. It's intended to be comedic. Please don't complain.

It's not funny (perhaps it once was), it's too long and is too violent. I'd talk to the teacher.

As an English teacher, this is at your child's reading level.

While I can appreciate you desire to not have your child around knives and violence, that is not really realistic for the world at large. There needs to be an understanding of these things so your child does not become a wilting rose.

I was not familiar with this poem at all. At first reading it is quite jaw dropping but I can see the humour in it. The line where the head decides to throw a handgrenade into the class is brilliant black humour. I am not sure whether 10 year olds would get the irony but maybe I'm underestimating them. It is absolutely perfect for early secondary school though and I could see years 7 and 8 having great fun with this poem.

I wouldn't be happy with DS1 reading that at Y5 level; I'd be less bothered if he did it in secondary school.

God, mumsnet depresses me sometimes. Poetry is supposed to be challenging and hard to process and make you think as well as lots of other legitimate things (be beautiful, make you feel happy/sad/conjure up wordless emotions etc etc)

I seriously think most people underestimate children and their capacity to engage and want to feel strong emotions. Its like they must be emotionally bubble wrapped these days, lest some strong and valid feeling sneak its way in.

Poetry is the best possible way to approach things like school massacres. School massacres don't happen because of poetry, poetry can help children process and discuss hard human experiences.

McGough is a well respected poet and many of us were first turned onto poetry by the Mersey poets. Is that the fear? Your children will start searching out a harder and harder poetry fix and before you know it they will want to study Eng Lit? Who will think of the children?

We used to use it in primary schools in the 80s and Y5/6 loved it.
Times change, children's lifestyles change and some things are no longer acceptable. There's a lot of alternative and equally funny stuff around to select from.
But then, I can't stand the number of books with humour based on poo and farts that are now in schools. I hope that fad passes away before I retire.

What, can I just wildly applaud your last paragraph! Very funny .

I remember my pacifist mother reading that to me when I was about 10yo. I flipping love it.

The "gun to his head bit" is a bit much though. So I'm going firmly on the fence.

Totally agree with you Whatthe. All these women wafting their lace fans at this poem.

God forbid that any child should read something that might make them feel something other than the smooth, shiny, wet embrace of a bubble eh?

Another who agrees with what.

MN is like another world sometimes.

I think it depends on the context in which it is delivered and presented.

I remember Roger McGough being included in my GCSE war poetry:
A little bit of heaven fell from out the sky one day.
It landed in the ocean not so very far away.
The general at the radar screen rubbed his hands with glee,
And grinning, pressed the button that startrd world war three...

Yep, what Whatthe said.

It's a shit poem.

At first I thought the OP's ten-year-old son wrote it and was being raked over the coals for it in school. I was all ready to defend him. :)

I also agree with what....... I've been following this thread since it started and its been depressing me. I have a 10 year old, it wouldn't bother me in the slightest if she did this in school. I did work like this at that age. She's currently working on the Irish Famine, Christ I shudder to think the MN threads that could start. Surely 10 year olds know that violence happens? Do they not watch Newsround? What do they think happens in war, Famine, poverty?

I think this poem although a bit tweeish allows discussion, its easy to understand, the teacher will be doing it with them. I just really don't get the very strong objection.

I guess so, you could bring in news reports from sandy hook, the Pakistan boys school and dunblane too. It's important to know that from an early age they are not safe.

I think it's fucking awful.

Sounds like something someone in Y9 would have written for one thing.
Then, yeah, in context of the US 2015 shootings - just so bloody insensitive.
Just because some kids will like it doesn't mean it's the best choice. You don't have to bring guns into it.
Honestly I can't think of any hard and fast reason why it's a bad idea(that haven't been countered by PPs), but it makes my stomach turn. Violence is NOT a joke and neither is knife crime. I personally have been told to shut up and keep still & passive or he would get a knife out and I can tell you it is not pleasant and I'm not sure I'll ever be at a stage where I can joke about it because it's so fucking frightening and it DOES happen.

Must be nice to be so sheltered that you look down on people who find it disturbing. No seriously, I would like to be in your position.

Bloody hell what's wrong with challenging kids? Agree with all the others who say theres nothing wrong with the poem. I did it at a similar age.

I rather liked the poem. The humour in it is very dark but 10 year olds do tend to like the morbid

That's disturbing. I'd want to know the reason behind them needing to learn it, scary stuff.

i bet 10 year olds would love that poem

The poem trivializes violence, retribution, abuse of power etc. I wouldn't be happy.

The poem trivializes violence, retribution, abuse of power etc. I wouldn't be happy.

It's irony, satire. The exact opposite of what you say.