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Mayor: School Boss Should Apologize to Boy Who Drew Crucifix

jallman

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The Lowell M. Maxham Elementary School second-grader was booted from the school on Dec. 2 when school officials feared his artwork - drawn to depict what he did on his Thanksgiving break - might be exposing violent tendencies. The child was allowed to return on Dec. 7 after a two-day risk assessment by psychiatrist Helene Titelbaum determined there was nothing wrong with him.

At first I read this story and was like, WTF? The kid drew Jesus and got sent home?

Then I got to thinking about it...

If you read the article, however, the kid drew the crucifix and replaced Jesus's name with his own. That, in and of itself, is proof positive the kid didn't understand what he was drawing or the Stations of the Cross at all. Also, the article acknowledges that he was a special needs student and we both know that behavioral issues come along with that label.

Christians must understand that we live immersed in a secular society that was made this way by design so that we could practice our religion unhindered by government. This is a blessing. But I think Christians forget to acknowledge that this blessing also comes with a few responsibilities like acknowledging and respecting the fact that there is no obligation or expectation that our fellow citizens are going to understand or even concern themselves with the mysteries of faith.

If you put yourself in the shoes of the unbeliever, an 8 year old special needs kid drawing a figure in a state of perpetual torture and labeling that figure as himself, in any other context would be cause for concern.

Granted, evaluation and removal from school for an extended period was overkill. I am sure it all could have been settled with a parent/teacher conference.
 
The school administrator is just a moron. I doubt he managed to make it this far along in life without learning the whole "Jesus was crucified" thing. He probably also thinks kids playing "cops and robbers" are expressing violent criminal tendencies.
 
Is there a link to the full story? It seems ridiculous that a kid would get kicked out of school and need a psychiatric evaluation for drawing Jesus. If that's all it is or whatever, then this was overreaction. Well chances are regardless, this is overreaction. But if the concern was merely over religious imagery, then it's maybe one toke over the line.

I don't know, it seems like we have to behave like a bunch of raving, oversensitive, nosy jerks these days and it's really f'n everything up.
 
I cant really give an opinion without seeing the picture.

A crucifixion could be nasty. Spear in the side and nails in the limbs and blood covering the whole body and a big sad face on jesus.

It all depends really.
 
Is there a link to the full story? It seems ridiculous that a kid would get kicked out of school and need a psychiatric evaluation for drawing Jesus. If that's all it is or whatever, then this was overreaction. Well chances are regardless, this is overreaction. But if the concern was merely over religious imagery, then it's maybe one toke over the line.

I don't know, it seems like we have to behave like a bunch of raving, oversensitive, nosy jerks these days and it's really f'n everything up.

Shoot. sorry. Totally spaced that. Here you go:

Second Grader sent home after drawing crucifix
 
We should really start thinking hard about a camp for these people.:shock:
 
Shoot. sorry. Totally spaced that. Here you go:

Second Grader sent home after drawing crucifix

Ok, that was pretty dumb. Especially the last part of the article which said a kid "was suspended for a day for a stick figure drawing that appeared to depict him shooting his teacher and a classmate." That has well more merit to it than booting a kid for drawing a picture of Jesus on the cross. I don't know, some of this is our fault because we sue way too much over the littlest of things. It's time for us all to collectively grow up.
 
Am I missing something here? A kid draws a picture of someone crucified and labels it as himself, and that is "normal"? It would certainly warrant further investigation, but excluding him from school appears drastic.
 
Am I missing something here? A kid draws a picture of someone crucified and labels it as himself, and that is "normal"? It would certainly warrant further investigation, but excluding him from school appears drastic.

That's kind of where I stand on it.
 
It may very well be and we will never know for sure that this young person was confused by what he learned about the sacrifice Jesus made for us to forgive us for our sins, and that when we accept Jesus he becomes a part of us metaphorically and lives within or hearts. It is easy to imagine such a thing as children tend to put their own spin on what they are told until someone takes the time to explain in terms they can grasp what is meant by the Stories of the Bible.

It also may be that he was frightened by someone who suffers from a severe case of ACLUaphobia (The unreasonable fear of Nativity Scenes) and just said the first thing that came to mind.

I agree with those who believe the child needed to be talked with (NOT AT) about what he drew and why, but the over reaction could traumatize a child for life.

It must be difficult for a child as it is for so many so-called adults to understand how it is something that is about the ultimate in a loving sacrifice for all man kind can be band by those who are charged with teaching and forming the minds of children.

I wonder if a child were draw a picture of the crescent moon would there be an over reaction in an effort to see if the child were somehow proselytizing for Islam or maybe warning of a bomb plot to come?.

Teachers and educators have a strange view of the world and see everything through the eyes of wildly liberal lenses and seldom have a grasp of reality and many not all are a daily reminder and prove the old adage that: "Those who can do and those who can't teach." I would to that those who can do neither go into School administration because they can't even think straight.

I said not all, and thank God I went to school at a time when I could say thank God and not have to see a shrink. By the way most mental health workers got started in that fields while there were therapy over whether or not to be teachers. :roll: :rofl
 
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Well after reading the article I feel as if its possible that the psych eval was in good intentions, he was drawing completely off topic (hes supposed to be drawing what he did for thanksgiving) and depicts a dead man crucified with XXs for eyes and a mouth.

I would be slightly concerned. But given that we should fear popular sentiments Im not sure if I wouldve opted him in for a psych eval.
 
I just saw a short snippet of the story this morning, and was not aware of what had taken place because of the incident. It's really difficult to say what's in a 2nd-grader's mind, but yeah, if I was a teacher and a child this age drew this picture with his name as the crucified figure, it would concern me.
As for a school suspension? Huge mistake imo. This child may need attention, not rejection.
 
I'm having a hard time believing the dad in this. Seems fishy.
 
I'm having a hard time believing the dad in this. Seems fishy.

I dunno, man. I can easily see a child drawing a morbid crucifixion figure if they had recently been to a catholic church. We Catholics have made it a competition to see which church has the most sublime image of the crucifixion to behold. LOL
 
Am I missing something here? A kid draws a picture of someone crucified and labels it as himself, and that is "normal"? It would certainly warrant further investigation, but excluding him from school appears drastic.

Yeah, really, if the kid isn't packing nails and a hammer, his classmates are probably safe.
 
What does the crucifixion have to do with Christmas? lol
 
Is there a link to the full story? It seems ridiculous that a kid would get kicked out of school and need a psychiatric evaluation for drawing Jesus. If that's all it is or whatever, then this was overreaction. Well chances are regardless, this is overreaction. But if the concern was merely over religious imagery, then it's maybe one toke over the line.

I don't know, it seems like we have to behave like a bunch of raving, oversensitive, nosy jerks these days and it's really f'n everything up.

Do you remember what they were going to do to the kid who brought in a pocket knife? I think the punishment of younger kids for a lot of what they are doing is often backwards. The kids that really are at-risk cases just get brushed off with a "they'll grow out of it" and kids who do something silly that they will grow out of or don't understand, people get all up in arms over.

It must suck to be a kid some days. :lol:
 
I just saw a short snippet of the story this morning, and was not aware of what had taken place because of the incident. It's really difficult to say what's in a 2nd-grader's mind, but yeah, if I was a teacher and a child this age drew this picture with his name as the crucified figure, it would concern me.
As for a school suspension? Huge mistake imo. This child may need attention, not rejection.

Really? Do you think kids know the intricate meanings of scripture? He could have possibly just chosen the most obvious answer, a common tactic for young children, and that would be that he was taught "Jesus did this nice thing for me so now I want to show myself doing the same thing".

Having taught Sunday school to age groups from 5 to 18, I can say that under the age of 14 usually kids don't see the darker parts of scripture for what they are, only that it's all sunshine and rainbows, even the Crucifixion of Jesus.
 
Well after reading the article I feel as if its possible that the psych eval was in good intentions, he was drawing completely off topic (hes supposed to be drawing what he did for thanksgiving) and depicts a dead man crucified with XXs for eyes and a mouth.

I would be slightly concerned. But given that we should fear popular sentiments Im not sure if I wouldve opted him in for a psych eval.

He was drawing what he did for Thanksgiving. The story said that the family visited the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette to see their Christmas display. I'm sure he was simply drawing what he saw there.

Thank God I'm not in school these days. When I was in elementary school, we all brought our pocket knives and played mumbly peg at recess. When I was in high school, I had my gun in the car so I could go hunting right after school.
 
Still trying to wrap my head around this one.

Same. :shock:

-----------------------

Anyway - I don't think the reaction to this was overblown. At all. What kind of special needs did this kid have? Removing a kid drawing what is probably one of the most gruesome moments in Christian literature seems like a pretty measured response. Why is an 8 year old even drawing such things when asked to draw what he did on thanksgiving. I mean a normal kid would have drawn a dinner table with his family. Or a turkey. Or something actually visually related to Thanksgiving. Not Christ on a damn cross.
 
I taught Sunday School for close to 15 years, but somehow, that isn't as hard to believe, is it?
 
At first I read this story and was like, WTF? The kid drew Jesus and got sent home?

Then I got to thinking about it...

If you read the article, however, the kid drew the crucifix and replaced Jesus's name with his own. That, in and of itself, is proof positive the kid didn't understand what he was drawing or the Stations of the Cross at all. Also, the article acknowledges that he was a special needs student and we both know that behavioral issues come along with that label.

Christians must understand that we live immersed in a secular society that was made this way by design so that we could practice our religion unhindered by government. This is a blessing. But I think Christians forget to acknowledge that this blessing also comes with a few responsibilities like acknowledging and respecting the fact that there is no obligation or expectation that our fellow citizens are going to understand or even concern themselves with the mysteries of faith.

If you put yourself in the shoes of the unbeliever, an 8 year old special needs kid drawing a figure in a state of perpetual torture and labeling that figure as himself, in any other context would be cause for concern.

Granted, evaluation and removal from school for an extended period was overkill. I am sure it all could have been settled with a parent/teacher conference.
I like you, but I don't buy this for a second. This boy has now been labeled a total kook by his peers, what do you think other kids will think? I'm surprised the family hasn't filed a civil suit against the superintendent and the school for this outrage. Frankly I think it's time Christians start suing at the drop of a hat for this ****. We need to make authorities fear us, like they do the Islamic community. You wouldn't see this happen to a Muslim child, they'd be afraid to. Law suits left and right against the authorities for civil rights infringement is what we need here.
 
I like you, but I don't buy this for a second. This boy has now been labeled a total kook by his peers, what do you think other kids will think? I'm surprised the family hasn't filed a civil suit against the superintendent and the school for this outrage. Frankly I think it's time Christians start suing at the drop of a hat for this ****. We need to make authorities fear us, like they do the Islamic community. You wouldn't see this happen to a Muslim child, they'd be afraid to. Law suits left and right against the authorities for civil rights infringement is what we need here.

Christians do file lawsuits left and right in this country.....Every time Christmas rolls around I hear about a half a dozen lawsuits for people who say 'Happy Holidays'.
 
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