So my 4th grader got into trouble today

[steppinthrax]

What's the bet her parents attend one of those Atheist "churches"? They sound like the type.

I agree with others, just make it clear that your daughter had no intent to harass anyone and just asked an honest question, apologize for any offense given, and then on the way home tell your daughter how stupid those oversensitive morons are and to just avoid asking that specific student religious questions.

When I was a kid the subject of God would occasionally come up at the lunch table. I don't remember anyone taking any offense.

While I was in school it came up on the reg. I grad HS in 2000 (so you can date me pretty well). Just recently (past 5 - 10 years) schools have became oversensitive. Now there is a form you can fill out for bullying? Imagine that??? When I was in school most teachers didn't give two fucks.

 

[steppinthrax]

What precipitated this conversation? Does your daughter typically go around asking people if they believe in God, or was there some previous discussion about it?

No,

She's kind of naive. I'm not sure what came before and in what context. Again, I'm not there .

 

[steppinthrax]

The real story:

Daughter: Do you believe in god? You better start praying cause I'm going to *bleep* you up *bleep*

Other Child: D:

LOL,

That's the other thing, I wasn't there.

 

[massmedia]

So my daughter came home from school with a warning from her guidance counselor. Evidently my daughter asked a student "Do you believe in God?". The parents of that child came to school and complained about it. The guidance counselor told my daughter that this was harassment. So now we have to meet the teacher next week????

I partially agree with this since this is public school and those type of discussions are generally not allowed. However, my daughter was asking innocently (she is in church school as well) and wasn't trying to harass.

At the same time I'm trying to figure out what type of "oversensitive" parents are these.

on the one hand it's just kids so the world needs to lighten up.

on the other hand this is actually a good thing to have happened early in life. There is no question that is more annoying and tiresome for an adult to ask of another adult. If you don't know the person well enough to know the answer to that question then you don't know the person well enough to ask. It's a dumb question that is always loaded with judgemental BS

 

[massmedia]

While I was in school it came up on the reg. I grad HS in 2000 (so you can date me pretty well). Just recently (past 5 - 10 years) schools have became oversensitive. Now there is a form you can fill out for bullying? Imagine that??? When I was in school most teachers didn't give two fucks.

sounds like all this coddling in the schools to try and make everything perfect and "fair" is going to backfire when students leave that sheltered environment and discover that real world is cutthroat and tough and that concepts such as "fair" are nothing more than the stuff of fairytales.

 

[mizzou]

Actually...has anyone ever been asked "Do you believe in God?" In a non-loaded way? I don't think anyone has genuinely asked me that without-
#1 wanted to show me how pious they are (i.e. You are a sinner who clearly doesn't)
#2 wanting to show me how wrong I am (i.e. I just punched a cute puppy and they want to shame me)
#3 wants to start a debate without actually getting involved (i.e. You couldn't possibly debate with such a devout faithful person)

 

[MongGrel]

The real story:

Daughter: Do you believe in god? You better start praying cause I'm going to *bleep* you up *bleep*

Other Child: D:

Probably this.

+1

()

 

[Rakehellion]

teach your daughter not to talk about religion, money or politics.

Stick to asking to see boys' penises.

 

[mikeford]

Ask the teacher to pray with you about it, then smile and say, well its in Jesus hands now.

 

[MomentsofSanity]

This is why they want to avoid the question being asked in the first place. Obviously it's not your daughter's intent to harass anyone, and it's a seemingly harmless question to ask. But when the other child responds that they don't believe in God and other students start expressing incredulity, your daughter inadvertently kicked off a conversation that has no business in a public school. What if that incredulity about a lack of faith becomes teasing? Yes, that's not your daughter doing it, but it's an offshoot of something your daughter started, and the school has a responsibility to nip that in the bud before it has the chance to become anything serious. I would hope that the trouble was nothing serious, just a friendly reminder that some topics aren't appropriate to bring up in that setting.

^^

So much this. Kid goes home and tells his parents he was picked on all day, tells them why. It then becomes a matter of the child being the subject of ridicule for not sharing others beliefs.

Best to keep it out entirely.

 

[Ruptga]

sounds like all this coddling in the schools to try and make everything perfect and "fair" is going to backfire when students leave that sheltered environment and discover that real world is cutthroat and tough and that concepts such as "fair" are nothing more than the stuff of fairytales.

You've got it right. These young kids just don't get it. We can't bust heads like we used to. But we have our ways. One trick is to tell stories that don't go anywhere. Like the time I caught the ferry to Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for m'shoe. So I decided to go to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt. Which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. Gimme five bees for a quarter, you'd say. Now where was I... oh yeah. The important thing was that I had an onion tied to my belt, which was the style at the time. You couldn't get white onions, because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones...

 

[Markbnj]

teach your daughter not to talk about religion, money or politics.

Or maybe we could get teachers, administrators and parents to stop acting like immature twits.

Nah, actually, teach her not to talk about religion, money or politics.

 

[IronWing]

She needs to restore the balance and ask her church school classmates if they believe in rational thought based on empirical evidence.

 

[Mai72]

You tell her we don't ask questions in America. Just keep your mouth shut and head down. The crazies run America now.

 

[lxskllr]

She needs to restore the balance and ask her church school classmates if they believe in rational thought based on empirical evidence.

 

[HeXen]

The only way to teach kids about asking silly questions

 

[mikeford]

She needs to restore the balance and ask her church school classmates if they believe in rational thought based on empirical evidence.

That's worse, you would offend the liberals.

 

[rudeguy]

Yeah, those are topics for men only. Just guide her gently to the kitchen and tell her this is where girls belong.

Bwahahahah

I love you man!

 

[Zodiark1593]

that might not fly since it would seem like you're criticizing their intelligence which would open a whole new can of worms.

i suggest the more general 'fuckwads'

Problem is his term is more accurate than your's. Damn, didn't parents teach their children not to lie.

 

[shortylickens]

Overly PC, and I dislike it.

 

[Ruptga]

This thread is about half a page from going full-retard.

 

[videogames101]

it's telling that a topic is so fucking retarded that kids who are indoctrinated about the topic are also told not to discuss it publicly

lel

 

[highland145]

So my daughter came home from school with a warning from her guidance counselor. Evidently my daughter asked a student "Do you believe in God?". The parents of that child came to school and complained about it. The guidance counselor told my daughter that this was harassment. So now we have to meet the teacher next week????

I partially agree with this since this is public school and those type of discussions are generally not allowed. However, my daughter was asking innocently (she is in church school as well) and wasn't trying to harass.

At the same time I'm trying to figure out what type of "oversensitive" parents are these.

Should have brought a

 

[Imp]

Good thing I'm not in school anymore... I always go around asking people if they've accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour -- not if they're Muslim, hardcore Christians, or clearly another religion that would take offense.

Seriously, I find that phrase/line so damn hilarious.

So, have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour?

 

[Fenixgoon]

it is not harassment. it might not have been the best question for your daughter to ask of course. the helicopter parent of the other kid is going overboard, as well, IMO.