It's always distasteful when adult authority figures force kids into warped social engineering experiments. I still remember one night at summer camp when my counselor sprung this: he mandated that our cabin full of 11-year-old boys would hold a lights out encounter session, where we all had to share our totally honest feelings - all relevant details required - about each cabin-mate, whether we loathed them or liked them. And he tape recorded it, to boot. Kids have a way of making their feelings toward each other clear enough, without adults orchestrating things.

Weird stuff happens in schools, too. Like this story from today's Seattle Times: a Tacoma elementary school teaching aide served up dog food to pre-schoolers on paper plates this Monday, and is now on paid leave while the district investigates.

The preschoolers were part of an early-education class at Northeast Tacoma Elementary School, where they had been moving between "learning goal stations" around the room Monday afternoon, said Tacoma School District spokeswoman Patti Holmgren.

A family-service worker, who usually supervises the class, had stepped out of the room and left a teaching assistant in charge, Holmgren said.

When a few of the students pretended to be puppies, getting down on their hands and knees and barking, the assistant attempted to encourage their playacting by fetching "props" from next door: a packet of dry dog food and some sunflower seeds that she poured on paper plates and placed on the floor, Holmgren said.

Some of the students ate the sunflower seeds, and a few allegedly nibbled on the kibble — although the district maintains they spit out the dog food and that no one suffered any ill effects.

The dog food had come from a display intended to teach the preschoolers "what not to eat," Holmgren said.

.....Brenda Dattilo, whose 4-year-old daughter is in the class, said she was appalled by the incident. "It's completely inappropriate and inexcusable," she said.

While she appreciates encouraging child development through imaginary play, "I don't see any educational value in running around acting like dogs, eating dog food off paper plates on the floor," Dattilo said.

Holmgren said playacting is developmentally appropriate for preschoolers, but acknowledged that giving the children dog food "was not a good judgment call."

"No harm was intended," Holmgren said. "[The teaching assistant] thought she was being creative. ... It just didn't turn out very well."

Guess I must be some kind of Nazi parent. If my four-year-old gets on her hands and knees and starts barking like a dog, she gets one warning and then a timeout if she keeps it up. Same deal for her shrieking monkey impression, too. I'm really not very fond of it, wonderful child though she is. She does plenty of much healthier play-acting while managing to maintain as much dignity as a four-year-old can.

As for the dog food served to the students, it echoes another incident this year. Near Tacoma, in the town of University Place, a sixth-grade public school student was forced against her will to eat meal worms by a teacher as part of a "Fear Factor"-like class exercise. And it was captured on video.

I'll tell you exactly what's going on (you expect no less, right?) The radical animal rights agenda is seeping into public schools, dribble by dribble (or is that kibble by kibble?) as educators subtly, and not so subtly indoctrinate impressionable kids. Sure you can eat worms! Birds do it! Play like a dog! Get down on your hands and knees and bark! Now let's see if you're smart enough to eat the "right" food off a plate on the floor! Good kiddie! (...kitty, puppy).

The not-so-hidden message: We're all animals, and conversely, animals have feelings and rights just like humans. Such propoganda is increasingly plausible to leftist public educators in an age when Meat is Murder, there's a chicken Holocaust On Your Plate and a Fish Empathy campaign.

Heads up to the Tacoma school district: I've got a great "play-acting" exercise for the pre-schoolers at Northeast Tacoma Elementary. Best of all, it involves units of measurement, tactile sensations, teamwork, heat conduction, attention to detail, manners, and role-playing as provider and nurturer. Have them use a recipe to make themselves some nice, well-cooked.......hamburger patties.

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at December 10, 2004 09:20 AM

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Tacoma pre-schoolers were pretending to be puppies, so an aide fed them dog food. Parents objected. In an earlier incident in a town near Tacoma, a sixth grader was pressured by her teacher to eat meal worms as part of... [Read More]

Tracked on December 10, 2004 02:24 PM

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