Well that's half of it. I'm also choosing to disagree with Brainsmashr which is the other half. ;) Now please stop making me show my hand all the time. ;) :D ;)

I don't think it is just BrainSmasher your trying to disagree with.

First off, I never said that I agree with the faculty or their actions in this news story. I do not. I said that I agree with joepole, but I didn't even say what exactly I agree with. Anyway, this statement I was agreeing with:

"We are raising a generation of pansies. Scaring children isn't very harmful, especially twelve year olds."

Again I don't advocate that adults scare the heck out of kids. That is wrong. Although I gotta wonder with some of todays movies. What I'm saying is that kids do get the heck scared out of them anyway. It happens and I cited some personal examples. As for your point or notion of someone telling you that you are going to die makes the "near death experience" somehow different or worse, I disagree. I think that "having the life scared out of me" is the worse feeling on earth regardless of any circumstances....

Using my example, when I was standing on the bottom of the pool looking up, and before that big hand reached down and grabbed me, yes I thought I was going to die. I didn't need anyone to tell me that. Had an adult yelled at me "you are going to die" I couldn't hear it underwater anyway. But yes, when a child (or an adult for that matter) really thinks they are going to die, then they really think that! :D Otherwise, they didn't think they were going to die, did they?

And to reinterate, no I don't think throwing kids into a pool and letting them sink and have the life scared out of them is a good way to teach them how to swim. In my case, I fell in by accident and I was lucky an adult saw it happen. But likewise I don't think we should all raise pansies who are never scared or take reasonable risks either. Life is pretty scary at times and young adults need to learn the skills to cope.....

Well Rherts, what can I say other than at least one of us is still young enough to remember the difference between a perceived fear and one your parents or guardian tells you IS real.

For instance, I can remember being terrified after watching Jaws for the first time and making my parents let me sleep in the bed with them, but that in no way shape or form meant I thought a giant fish was going to eat me in the middle of Natchitoches.

My irrational fear is no where near in comparison to someone like my father telling me I'll get shot in the head if I stand up.

Excellent point, Brain!! :clap: I see teachers as the protectors here, and that system failed miserably. There's something dreadfully wrong when kids don't know who they can trust. It breaks down a belief system - similar to abuse by a family member.

That's very different than a simple prank by their peers. These were teachers and that changes the situation. Still think the word stupid fits, too.