Headteacher Quits After Pet Lamb Slaughtered

[Flyboy]

Originally Posted by martyh

it wasn't a bit of "title tattle" it was a campaign to force her to resign or spare the lamb from slaughter and i suspect that animal rights groups had a lot to do with it

link

And that caused her to resign. Not made of very stern stuff, was she?

---------- Post added at 00:45 ---------- Previous post was at 00:31 ----------

Originally Posted by foreverwar

a) which article
b) It might help if you answered some of the questions I asked.

Or are we just going to keep on evading them?

You keep going on about it only being 14 children - they are the school council, selected by the other children, as their representatives; Democracy is fine, except when it doesn't agree with your views?

From the BBC link earlier in the thread.

Last term, the school council - made up of 14 seven to 11-year-olds -

My dietary habits are irrelevant, however my conscience is with the morals that protect children from losing a loved one, how about yours?

8 parents of the 235 children at the school complained - but thanks to the internet and the media, it became a world-wide phenomenom, with all the cranks coming out of the woodwork.

I was unaware of the number of parents who complained, but there have not been articles which I have seen that say how many, could you let me see them?

A "bit of tittle-tattle"? Times
The worst feature of the internet - allows anonymous bullying from a distance.......

I agree, it is one of the worst feature of the internet and there many whom we both know who fit this profile, but surely that is a matter for the hosts and for the police. Why has there not been an investigation? As I do not subscribe to these sites, I must rely on your better knowledge that these threats exist. I cannot condone the behaviour of those who behave in this way and it saddens me, if the reports are true, that they had to resort to such methods.

[Digital Fanatic]

I think it was a bad idea hand rearing the lamb..naming it and then sending it to slaughter... I know when I was that age I'd of been traumatised by such a thing... the children will have seen it as a pet, regardless.

She shouldn't have lost her job over it though.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Flyboy

My dietary habits are irrelevant, however my conscience is with the morals that protect children from losing a loved one, how about yours?

I would say if you are a vegetarian it suggests you might be against lambs becoming lamb chops regardless of whether the lamb was a pet or not.

A loved one? The school didn't get the kids to bring in their gran and have a human BBQ. It was a lamb, they don't run wild and free, they are bred for food and giving children an insight into where food actually comes from is a good idea IMO.

It's not like they took them on a school trip to see wee mint sauce or whatever it was called getting slaughtered in the abbatoir.

Originally Posted by Flyboy

And that caused her to resign. Not made of very stern stuff, was she?

Yes, what a softie - being upset and worried about threats of violence and death to her personally, and threats to set the school on fire, and animal excrement being posted to the school.

Originally Posted by Flyboy

From the BBC link earlier in the thread.

Thank your for that - so, do you think the democratically elected representatives in this school, no matter what their age, should be disenfranchised - or only on matters where their views disagree with yours? (I wonder what your viewpoint/comments would have been if the vote had been 13 to 1 the other way - "a victory for democracy" perhaps?

Originally Posted by Flyboy

My dietary habits are irrelevant, however my conscience is with the morals that protect children from losing a loved one, how about yours?

imho, your dietary habits are extremely relevant, as they shape your world-view, and your comments upon others. And I do not regard a animal bred for food as a "loved one" (mmmm, 8/10 for emotive terminology). My children know where their food comes from, and have been educated in the food supply chain life-cycle.

Originally Posted by Flyboy

I was unaware of the number of parents who complained, but there have not been articles which I have seen that say how many, could you let me see them?

If you look in the Independent article (and other local websites), you will see comments from local parents (Tedgar74) stating this.

My children go to Lydd school and right from the start of the farm the children and parents were informed that Marcus would in fact be slaughtered, it was then decided to be put for a vote.

The sheep has been reared by all the school not in fact by just a few children, who simply could not of bonded that closely with him!

Also we have been off school for the summer break for 7 weeks without any contact from the pupils, and the headmistress has been caring for the animals herself.

I think this story has been told from a very one sided point of view, especially as only 8 parents have in fact complained.

Originally Posted by Flyboy

I agree, it is one of the worst feature of the internet and there many whom we both know who fit this profile, but surely that is a matter for the hosts and for the police. Why has there not been an investigation? As I do not subscribe to these sites, I must rely on your better knowledge that these threats exist. I cannot condone the behaviour of those who behave in this way and it saddens me, if the reports are true, that they had to resort to such methods.

Thank you for your caveated comment - I do not subscribe to these sites either, but it only took me ten minutes to find this out; I suppose it depends if one is interested in finding out......

[Angua]

In all of this you will find many children are far less sentimental about animals and their use as food than their parents.

These children have lost a great teacher and have learned the wonderful lesson that internet bullying is a highly successful way a few people can bulldoze over the wishes of the majority.

Seems to me this thread should really be called ;

Headteacher Quits After Facebook Hate Campaign

I wonder how many of the posters even had a clue where the school is ...

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Paul M

I wonder how many of the posters even had a clue where the school is ...

Or that the school was in special needs before this head took over, I wonder if some of the parents were quite so vocal then?

[Digital Fanatic]

Originally Posted by Derek S

I would say if you are a vegetarian it suggests you might be against lambs becoming lamb chops regardless of whether the lamb was a pet or not.

A loved one? The school didn't get the kids to bring in their gran and have a human BBQ. It was a lamb, they don't run wild and free, they are bred for food and giving children an insight into where food actually comes from is a good idea IMO.

It's not like they took them on a school trip to see wee mint sauce or whatever it was called getting slaughtered in the abbatoir.

You don't have to be vegetarian/vegan to be an animal lover though do you?

[rogerdraig]

Originally Posted by Derek S

I would say if you are a vegetarian it suggests you might be against lambs becoming lamb chops regardless of whether the lamb was a pet or not.

A loved one? The school didn't get the kids to bring in their gran and have a human BBQ. It was a lamb, they don't run wild and free, they are bred for food and giving children an insight into where food actually comes from is a good idea IMO.

It's not like they took them on a school trip to see wee mint sauce or whatever it was called getting slaughtered in the abbatoir.

you dont have to be a vegetarian to be against this

see post #32

and loved one yes kids can become very attached very quickly

I'm thinking of setting up a Save Andrea Charmin Facebook entry...

Originally Posted by Maggy J

I'm thinking of setting up a Save Andrea Charmin Facebook entry...

and i would be support that ....if someone tells me how use facebook

Originally Posted by Maggy J

I'm thinking of setting up a Save Andrea Charmin Facebook entry...

Andrea Charman will be missed at Lydd Primary...

Created by her daughter by the look of that.

[colin25]

i am an animal lover..I love steak..chops etc

I prefer mutton to lamb..except if it's a woman..then the opposite

[Flyboy]

Originally Posted by foreverwar

Yes, what a softie - being upset and worried about threats of violence and death to her personally, and threats to set the school on fire, and animal excrement being posted to the school.

Didn't know that had happened and it is a dispicable thing to do, but again, I didn't read the right web pages. Or is this just a bit hyperbole?

Thank your for that - so, do you think the democratically elected representatives in this school, no matter what their age, should be disenfranchised - or only on matters where their views disagree with yours? (I wonder what your viewpoint/comments would have been if the vote had been 13 to 1 the other way - "a victory for democracy" perhaps?
imho, your dietary habits are extremely relevant, as they shape your world-view, and your comments upon others. And I do not regard a animal bred for food as a "loved one" (mmmm, 8/10 for emotive terminology). My children know where their food comes from, and have been educated in the food supply chain life-cycle.

Do you really expect a bunch of seven, eight, nine, ten and eleven year olds really understood what they were voting for? Surely no one is so naive to imagine, a strong minded head teacher could influence a vote by these little children (yes, they are just little children)? Which way do you think a vote to slaughter the class hamster would have gone? Were they asked to vote on whether the animal should be sold, or sold then slaughtered? It would be very interesting to know how the ballot papers were worded, if indeed there was an actual ballot, or was it just a show of hands?

[Obvioulsy I don't expect you to able to answer, but these are all questions that need to be asked]

If you look in the Independent article (and other local websites), you will see comments from local parents (Tedgar74) stating this.

Still, only one parent seemed to have felt strongly enough to post a message and they seemed to feel it necessary to post the same message twice and apparently the only source to the number of parents who complained. In the local press, it appears only two parents felt passionate enough to comment (one being the same from the Independent, I dare say), if they really are parents of children at the school. These sorts of things are hardly certain, are they?

I found this comment particularly interesting though; from a horse's mouth, so to speak:

anne36 wrote:

Saturday, 12 September 2009 at 10:16 am (UTC)

While I believe children should learn the hard facts about where their food comes from, I firmly believe that the head teacher has gone about this in completely the wrong way. She should not have reared Marcus as a pet and allowed the children to become close to him.
I am a retired teacher and quite honestly find it hard to believe that the school pupil council would have voted for Marcus to be slaughtered without some kind of carrot such as the promise of new animals. Did the head teacher stress the finality of death and did she mention the fear Marcus could experience prior the his demise? Children are self-centred as we all know. They could just as easily be swayed in the other direction. Teachers have great powers over forming ideas and beliefs in children's minds. They probably haven't realised what they've done and given another chance and time to think would vote otherwise.

Thank you for your caveated comment - I do not subscribe to these sites either, but it only took me ten minutes to find this out; I suppose it depends if one is interested in finding out......

You are very welcome. Was this just hearsay, or do you believe it to be accurately reported? When I did a Google search-"teacher threats sheep excrement", the only source to reports of excrement being posted, was from that paragon of truth, balance and reliability: The Daily Heil.