OT: dangerous weapons in school

[gryphon]

A friend got a call from his grandson's teacher at school. She said he brought a weapon to school and someone needed to come there ASAP. When my friend asked her what the weapon was, she said she didn't know what it was but it was a sharp object that looked kind of like a fork with two tines and it was dangerous.

 

He took off for school thinking it was a bar-b-que fork or something like that. When he got to the room his grandson was in detention but she had the weapon in her desk. He was shocked when she carefully took the weapon out of the drawer with two fingers like it was going to attack someone on its own. The weapon was an old tuning fork that he had given his grandson when he showed him how piano tuners used to tune pianos. He was going to show his friend how it was used.

 

My friend said, "You can't tell a teacher they are a stupid idiot but I came close. I did tell her what it was and that I had given it to Sam. I told her that it wasn't as sharp as an unsharpened pencil and not as dangerous as a ballpoint pen which every kid has in his desk. I told her that there are probably tuning forks in the music room, and when we checked there there were three tuning forks just laying there. She settled down and canceled the emergency but she didn't apologize."

[Mark Zeger]

Your friend could extend an olive branch to the teacher. If he has another old tuning fork around the house, offer one to her and suggest she fork herself.

 

[johnchop]

This could be what happens when you defund arts programs.

[VLH]

There are too many bad teachers.

 

I got in trouble with my first grade teacher -- 47 years ago -- when I contradicted her insistence that a garter snake was a mammal because garter snakes have live young (the fertilized eggs hatch in the female's body--this strategy is used by many other egg-laying animals, such as guppies and sharks). I already had a pet garter snake and knew lots about many types of snakes by that age; my mother had a degree in biology and I was already a confirmed nerd by age 7. I'll never forget that teacher--Mrs. Carothers: her flabby, bobbling upper arms, her cranky voice, or the revolting pearl of sweat that lingered on the tip of her beaky nose. Waiting for it to drop was the only entertaining thing about that witch of a teacher who scolded me for knowing more than she.

 

Stupid teachers drive me nuts. How that teacher got to be an adult without seeing a tuning fork--and how he or she jumped to the conclusion that it had to be a weapon--is beyond stupid.

 

Not that you asked...

 

 

[Dana.]

Your friend could extend an olive branch to the teacher. If he has another old tuning fork around the house, offer one to her and suggest she fork herself.

[ITGITC]

Your friend could extend an olive branch to the teacher. If he has another old tuning fork around the house, offer one to her and suggest she fork herself.

 

Izzat a tuning fork in your pocket or are you just...

 

Nevermind.

 

You guys are NASTY!

[Garrafon]

I'm simply outraged that a school would allow a tuning fork in school. What next. . . a bagpipe? We wouldn't want to promote smoking.

[Bobadohshe]

There are too many bad teachers.

 

Grrr. There's the time I had just moved overseas in 6th grade (primary 7) and the teacher asked 'Where in nature do hexagons occur'? and I volunteered ice crystals / snowflakes and the teacher dismissively said 'rubbish!'. I get all riled up thinking about it even now. Bastard.

[Mark Zeger]

Maybe it was an A=440 tuning fork and the teacher was an A=442 type.

[frogmonkey]

Wow. That's crazy. I have a lot of memories of bad teacher moments.

 

But, on the other hand, let's cut them a little slack. It's a pretty hard, thankless job.

 

My mother, who was a teacher, always said "promise me you won't be a school teacher!" Though, if she'd known I was going to be a musician she might have said differently.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Your friend could extend an olive branch to the teacher. If he has another old tuning fork around the house, offer one to her and suggest she fork herself.

 

HAHAHAHAHA!

 

Here's a less drastic but similar personal story. In 4th grade, I was a violinist, and I was showing off my instrument to a young lady (no comments, please).

 

I pointed out the scroll, the chinrest, and the bridge. She asked what the funny-looking holes in the fiddle were called, and I told her they were f-holes.

 

BOOM! A teacher walking by grabbed me and told me very sternly that we did NOT use that kind of language in school, and I was to wait for her at the principal's office. I shrugged and did so. When she arrived, she asked me to tell the principal what I'd said. I took out my violin, pointed, and said, "These are f-holes."

 

The principal told me to go back to class while the teacher sputtered in confusion.

[Griffinator]

Your friend could extend an olive branch to the teacher. If he has another old tuning fork around the house, offer one to her and suggest she fork herself.

 

HAHAHAHAHA!

 

Here's a less drastic but similar personal story. In 4th grade, I was a violinist, and I was showing off my instrument to a young lady (no comments, please).

 

I pointed out the scroll, the chinrest, and the bridge. She asked what the funny-looking holes in the fiddle were called, and I told her they were f-holes.

 

BOOM! A teacher walking by grabbed me and told me very sternly that we did NOT use that kind of language in school, and I was to wait for her at the principal's office. I shrugged and did so. When she arrived, she asked me to tell the principal what I'd said. I took out my violin, pointed, and said, "These are f-holes."

 

The principal told me to go back to class while the teacher sputtered in confusion.

 

http://www.roflcopter.net/roflcopter.gif

[Jim Alfredson]

This could be what happens when you defund arts programs.

 

This is what happens when the country suddenly flips and everyone is guilty until proven innocent.

 

Here's where I go on a rant about the TSA, but nah...

[Cygnus64]

they were f-holes.

 

I've got a lot of mileage outta that term over the past 40 years.

[C.J. Lewis]

As ridiculous as these stories sound, I did in fact usually drive a truck with a gun rack (which did include loaded shotguns) to school pretty much through my high school years. But, I am from Wyoming, and kind of a red neck.

[Griffinator]

As ridiculous as these stories sound, I did in fact usually drive a truck with a gun rack (which did include loaded shotguns) to school pretty much through my high school years. But, I am from Wyoming, and kind of a red neck.

 

Hence the Kiss/Beavis and Butthead mashup in your avatar?

[J. Dan]

I have to be careful...my ex wife is a teacher...let me just say this: teachers learn how to teach. They may get a masters or pHD, but the subject matter is on methodology, child development, behaviour and/or learning disorders, speech pathology, you name it. But it doesn't mean they know crap about the actual subjects they teach, or anything else. And just because they get a masters doesn't mean they are smart. I mean how smart is somebody who chooses a career that requires that much education and time (lesson planning, grading papers) for what they get paid? Just sayin'

 

[Josh Paxton]

My friend said, "You can't tell a teacher they are a stupid.]

 

Says who? At the very least you can tell a teacher that she has committed a specific stupid and idiotic act (thus allowing for the theoretical possibility that she isn't a stupid idiot most of the rest of the time, though I wouldn't bet on it). And in this case, I think it was definitely warranted.

 

What's the over/under on the school passing a measure that only tuning forks with rounded ends will be allowed from now on?

[mcgoo]

I mean how smart is somebody who chooses a career that requires that much education and time (lesson planning, grading papers) for what they get paid? Just sayin'

 

Kind of an odd statement coming from a musician, dontcha think?

[gryphon]

My friend said, "You can't tell a teacher they are a stupid.

Says who?

I told him, "Yes you can."

[JeffLearman]

I mean how smart is somebody who chooses a career that requires that much education and time (lesson planning, grading papers) for what they get paid? Just sayin'

 

Kind of an odd statement coming from a musician, dontcha think?

ROFL

[ITGITC]

 

My wife is a teacher's assistant at a pubic school. I know all about this topic.

 

I work with PhD-types. I can tell you that they are smart; really smart.

 

But a coworker came by my office this week - said his old car overheated on the highway and he had it towed. The mechanic said it would cost $1,300 to fix.

 

Yeah.

 

The mechanic not only wanted to replace the radiator, hoses, water pump, and thermostat - he wanted to replace the timing belt... and change the oil.

 

This coworker said to me, "Tommy, I don't know anything about cars. What should I do?"

 

The car is a Honda Civic with over 150,000 miles on it. He wants to keep it running... (forever).

 

I told him to have the car towed either to the dealership where they will stand behind their work, or to another mechanic (he has a guy that he knows and trusts).

 

I've got to check in with him today to find out what he decided to do. But c'mon!

 

Even though someone knows enough about a particular subject to earn a PhD, that doesn't mean he knows anything about stuff that life throws at you on a daily basis!

 

The interesting thing is that we have an entire building of R&D guys... and many of them exhibit these same traits.

 

(I could go on and on...)

 

It's Friday. Happy Friday folks!

 

Tom

 

[Steve Force]

All I can say is...I am glad I am not a kid growing up in these times. Kid at heart I am but the rules/restrictions/(generally) unbased fear and intolerance saddens me.

 

I grew up as a farm boy free to do what I wanted to do, and worked hard as a farm hand to pay for what I wanted to do (cars, girls, drugs, music, beer, etc.)

 

Oh, and I should add that I hung out in some prety dicey areas of Flint and Lansing as well, not to mention driving to concerts in Detroit while 16 so don't think I was sheltered in any way..

[J. Dan]

I mean how smart is somebody who chooses a career that requires that much education and time (lesson planning, grading papers) for what they get paid? Just sayin'

 

Kind of an odd statement coming from a musician, dontcha think?

 

I don't have tens of thousands racked up in student loans and made as much in a weekend as my ex made in a week, so....

[Eric Iverson]

It all goes to show that "common sense" is not all that common.

 

 

[Michelle ggurl]

How that teacher got to be an adult without seeing a tuning fork--and how he or she jumped to the conclusion that it had to be a weapon--is beyond stupid.

 

+1. Has making music become such a mysterious art that the casual layman doesn't recognize basic implements? Next thing you know she'll see a metronome and think it's is a homemade bomb.

[Jeff Klopmeyer]

Next thing you know she'll see a metronome and think it's is a homemade bomb.

 

Well, it does tick... tick... tick...

[ProfD]

http://l.yimg.com/eb/ymv/us/img/hv/photo/movie_pix/twentieth_century_fox/idiocracy/idiocracy_dvd.jpg

 

I certainly hope society isn't headed in this direction.

[Griffinator]

http://l.yimg.com/eb/ymv/us/img/hv/photo/movie_pix/twentieth_century_fox/idiocracy/idiocracy_dvd.jpg

 

I certainly hope society isn't headed in this direction.

 

As long as public school continues to run for the lowest common denominator, that's exactly the direction we're headed. Don't tell me you haven't noticed the decline in deductive reasoning skills all over society... People are taught to memorize and regurgitate information, not how to process it.