Teacher JAILED for showing high school class violent movie

a reply to: ketsuko
Since the guys thought it´s ok to be violent and abusing to other humans (they completely forgot their "good education"),
they had to be shown some example of the real world.

You will not hear me say that that video had "value", it was a shocker nothing less.
Yes in our case there was some graphic lesson needed.
What would have been your reaction if you were the principle?
Throw them from school?
Destroy their future?
Physical lesson?

You did not answer my question but asked me four more, so I hope you can now answer my questions.

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun
I remember back in High School in New Mexico, our superintendent was a huge WWII fan. He substituted for a class one day (we were a small school), and decided we'd spend that class watching old WWII footage.

He must have paused and rewound a clip where a guy gets his head blown off (very graphically, I might add) at least fifteen times, chuckling all the way.

That dude was a boss.

Kids today are such pansies.

Laughing about someone dying.......Maybe it is good times have changed.......Just saying.

a reply to: kosmicjack

Ah well there may be some uses for showing a movie in the class.
For example learning how to compress the info from the film into 10 lines aka writing a TL;DR these days. Philosophy ascpects and then, we do the same here, we discuss something not everyone agrees to another.
Honing argumentation skills and so on.
Of course it depends if you watch movies like the one in the OP or something like "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (the Jonny Depp one) or analyzing "The Junglebook" for example.
Last one is a very good example if you think how Mogly was turned away by the humans as he´s different.
Give that the kids to analyze and write about it, they will make their own thoughts.
Let them write a "daybook entry" Mogly would have written (of course he could not write in the movie but you get the point)
See what they come up with.

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun
I remember back in High School in New Mexico, our superintendent was a huge WWII fan. He substituted for a class one day (we were a small school), and decided we'd spend that class watching old WWII footage. He must have paused and rewound a clip where a guy gets his head blown off (very graphically, I might add) at least fifteen times, chuckling all the way. That dude was a boss. Kids today are such pansies.

No he was not he was what I would call a psychopath. Because he showed blood and gore for fun, rewinding like you said...
While my vice principle showed it because he saw a purpose in it and not held up violence to be funny. Totally different.

... and here I am still feeling terrible over Mr. Stubbs in a Toby Tyler movie we watched in 4th grade or so. In the days of uncut and uncensured Warner Brothers cartoons.

Times definitely have changed. In high school it was Romeo and Juliet...

OTOH jail time? Seems a bit overboard IMHO.

I love how ONE person was nice enough to read the whole OP and answer the questions.
This has turned into story time, so screw it.
One time, we watched Ben Hurr in class and somebody dies in that movie... Literally dies.
This is before the time of special effects and in the chariot race scene, one of the actors falls off his buggy and is run over and killed by one of the chariots behind him.
Apparently, the scene was so expensive and hard to pull off, that they had to keep the original take, with the man dying, in the final cut of the movie.
Should that teacher go to jail?

originally posted by: ScientificRailgun
I remember back in High School in New Mexico, our superintendent was a huge WWII fan. He substituted for a class one day (we were a small school), and decided we'd spend that class watching old WWII footage.

He must have paused and rewound a clip where a guy gets his head blown off (very graphically, I might add) at least fifteen times, chuckling all the way.

That dude was a boss.

Kids today are such pansies.

At least one could say that there was some historical value to the clips.

originally posted by: ketsuko

originally posted by: MisterSpock
This was a high school class.

I'm sure most of them have seen that movie, or similar movies, as well as most having already engaged in sex and possible one or two may have children of their own.

Was it stupid, sure. But I don't think they were really "exposed" to anything.

That isn't the point. Just because some kids might have been exposed to "much worse" doesn't mean they all have. When and where kids are exposed to such things is supposed to be the purview of parents, not some public school substitute.

This, in short, is one of many reasons why my kid isn't in public school.

I wasn't saying that it was appropriate, not at all. Just that there is obviously a difference in showing this film to a high school class, which actually does have the possibility of some people being old enough to view an R film, and showing it to a grade school class. I'm certainly not condoning the action.

She did something wrong, I just think the punishment is a little over the top.

She certainly should have known better though.

The moral compass of society is off. People are rude, selfish, thoughtless, manipulators, liars, stealing, doing drugs, committing crimes, sex addictions, etc.... The USA has become highly unpleasant. Hollywood movies are getting too violent and swear words run rapid. Enough is enough. Some of us just want to live in peace with out all the shock and drama. A child under 18 is a minor. Any movies to be shown to my child better show up as a permission note weeks ahead. Public education is about learning in a safe stable environment. They need to screen their teachers more carefully. Good Grief! I agree with the Judge 100%. Thank goodness someone is responsible for society and saying enough is enough!

originally posted by: o0oTOPCATo0o

One time, we watched Ben Hurr in class and somebody dies in that movie... Literally dies.

This is before the time of special effects and in the chariot race scene, one of the actors falls off his buggy and is run over and killed by one of the chariots behind him.

Apparently, the scene was so expensive and hard to pull off, that they had to keep the original take, with the man dying, in the final cut of the movie.

No one actually died during the filming of the chariot race scene. It's just an urban legend.

www.imdb.com...

Also, special effects have been around as long as movies have been around.

I remember a lot of 80's movies that were rated PG-13, which contained brief nudity(breasts) and one or two swear words. Seems if anything the ratings system has moved in an even more conservative direction.

I think many today would find it surprising that nudity was not just limited to R ratings and 17 and older audiences.

I'm not downplaying the movie from the OP(which I haven't seen), as there are some extremely violent/sexual movies that are within the R rating category. I was just pointing out that in the past, it was not at all uncommon for nudity to be acceptable(per the MPAA) to children in the viewing age of 13-16.

a reply to: ScientificRailgun

Yeah real funny.......what a boss......sounds like a post TSD loser.

a reply to: JunkheapThanks for clearing up the chariot race (non) death.
Also, I meant , ya know, good special effects...

If I were a student in that class, I would have gotten up and left. I don't know what the movie is, or how bad it was, but I remember being in Journalism class in High School. The teacher put on a show, I don't remember the exact name, but it had to do with shocking deaths, or something like that. I got up and left the classroom. She didn't do anything to me for it.

Actually I changed her life. Because she asked us as a class assignment to write a report on anything we wanted to add the the school newspaper. And I wrote a report on the rampant selling of drugs in the school parking lot from students to other students. She wanted to use the report in the school newspaper but the Principle wouldn't allow her to print it. And she retired over the incident, in protest of the restriction of free speech.

She was a very smart and good teacher overall. Stupid video she made those students watch.

It's mind numbing to know of the kinds of people who litteraly get away with all kinds of abuse including murder but lets send a clear message to teachers who show thought provocing material..right , wrong , or indifferent.
WTF??

originally posted by: StoutBroux
What does it have to do with Spanish? Or teaching students something, anything?

One of the first, if not several of the shorts through the entire film were in Spanish from Spanish filmmakers.


I was shown Spanish dubbed films in Spanish class in High School, and while this may not have been the most appropriate choice, it's not unreasonable for a substitute Spanish teacher to just show a film for the day.


As for the article.

But a student testified Kearns watched the 129-minute movie. The student said the movie was "disturbing" and said students in the class went "crazy" while watching it.

I don't think that means what they think it means.

a reply to: verschickter

I can understand why the group of boys was shown that video after what they did. That's beyond an educational lesson. That's a life lesson of great importance.

About the OP: The substitute teacher from the article had no business playing that video. However, 90 days in jail and three years probation is a complete miscarriage of justice.

There needs to be greater screening of substitutes. Or classes in which a teacher is out needs to be turned into a homework session. Or further, why don't principles step up when the teachers are out and teach?

originally posted by: EternalSolace
a reply to: verschickter

I can understand why the group of boys was shown that video after what they did. That's beyond an educational lesson. That's a life lesson of great importance.

About the OP: The substitute teacher from the article had no business playing that video. However, 90 days in jail and three years probation is a complete miscarriage of justice.

There needs to be greater screening of substitutes. Or classes in which a teacher is out needs to be turned into a homework session. Or further, why don't principles step up when the teachers are out and teach?

Yep. I can see firing the teacher for poor judgement, but a CRIMINAL act? A felony? That is utter nonsense.

a reply to: verschickter

I did answer you question albeit with question of my own.

I said what he showed you had educational value.

What this teacher showed did not.

Just googled this ABC's of Death and it's a horror/comedy...There are some of the scenes on youtube. I would describe it as B-movie short skits, with bad acting, and some gruesome and some not gruesome. Very much like something on the Sci-Fi channel but way over the top, with some cartoon and claymation, and stop-animation. Some of the shorts are in the realm of horror-art.

However the reviews are terrible so how this all unfolded and to show it to 5 classes is weird. It's not like a student put it on in one class, she used it the entire day. Definitely not punishable by jail, but a good degree of punishment like being fired and losing her privilege of teaching.

Was she handcuffed at the school and thrown into a cop car?

ETA: Very interesting read from one of the producers:

Producer Responds to News a Teacher has been jailed for screening ABC's of Death