Cattle Prod Educating

Comedy Network News (CNN) has done it again.

Today’s parody (it must have been) was about an event at an elementary school somewhere in Georgia where two 6^th graders were mixing it up in the principals office. The SRO (School Resource Officer) was brought in to keep the peace. To do so, one of the 6^th graders was subdued with a taser. You don’t need to re-read that last word. I’ll say it again. TASER.

An eleven year old weighing less than 80 pounds was subdued using the same technology designed to control 250 pound men likening themselves to Superman when flying about on crystal meth.

Then there are the parents reactions that are even more precious.

But first, what is an elementary school doing with a taser. These kids are pint size at best. If one needs to make the argument that a rambunctious 6^th grader can be a handful then hire someone that can do the job. Hire a big fella. But arming school employees with weapons sends about the worst impression to an impressionable mind in a violent city that weapons are solutions! Not that having a thug around is much better. But there is a difference between bringing a weapon into a school that jacks up a kid with 50,000 volts (seriously) from a weapon used by hostile armies and a using a person to control a situation. One is an act of war. The other an act of necessity.

How much educating can be going on in the classroom when the School Resource Officer (what does that mean anyways?) is packing in the hallway. Yes, children, bring your open mind and a willingness to learn while our guards roam the hallways with weapons. Beautiful.

The parent reactions were priceless. One woman is quoted saying, “That’s too many volts for a 6^th grader”. Huh… I hit the stop button on my Realplayer V9.2 multimedia presentation software and replayed the clip. “That’s too many volts for a 6^th grader”. Which begged several questions in my mind. “How many volts are acceptable for a 6th grader”. “What grade is it appropriate to use a taser”. “Can the voltage be turned down on a taser to something for smaller people”. “Is there another type of weapon that could have been used instead of the taser?”

Or perhaps these are the wrong questions to ask. Yes, perhaps I’m off on the wrong track. In fact I’m sure of it. Perhaps the only question here from any parent should have been, “What the hell is a school doing condoning weapons at an elementary school”. Which would be followed by, “When is this principal getting fired”.

Were tasers part of Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” policy. It must have gotten through on a rider (another topic for another day).

Look. I’m not on front lines of an inner city. I have no idea what happens in schools at inner cities. I do know that 6^th graders should be watching Barney (or whatever), sponging up as much as possible and being exposed to all things positive at schools. Underfunded programs and absent parents probably make this a difficult task. The schools are the gap between the two. Provide the environment and kids will learn. It’s in their nature. You don’t force learning. You provide the environment where it happens on it's own. And last I checked tasers and other military weaponry weren’t part of a good learning experience. Curiosity, the mother of all learning, can't happen in a hostile surrounding.

So to you my friends at Jonesboro Elementary in inner city Atlanta please find your way. Please find your peace. Please involve the parents. If the only thing you have kids do during the day are activities that put them at peace then do that. Learning will happen in a peaceful place. It can’t happen in a war zone.

Until this happens, please have the SRO put away his taser.