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Horror as pupils are taught violent poem of the teacher attacking students with guns
Last updated at 00:37am on 01.10.07A knife-wielding teacher prepares to stab one of his pupils, and is then pictured aiming a gun at a child's head.
The images appear to be the doodles of a disturbed young mind unearthed at the back of an exercise book.
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Bloody: Teacher is about to stab the girl
Grim: He shoots a pupil who leaves early
Terror: One of Maria's 'excellent' pictures
In fact, they are the results of a homework project given to a group of impressionable 11-year-olds.
Parents of the children told of their horror after learning the class had been told to illustrate a violent poem called The Lesson by Roger McGough.
The poem is a black-humoured depiction of how an exasperated teacher attacks his unruly class with guns and knives and it is commonly taught to AS-Level English Literature students.
But parents condemned the decision to teach the poem to the new pupils at Polesworth International Language College in Warwickshire.
Distraught: Maria Woodward, pupil aged 11
One father said his daughter came home distraught after having to draw the gruesome scenes.
Psychologists warned the task could cause lasting damage to pupils who were too immature to understand the black humour.
Christopher Woodward, 52, from Tamworth in neighbouring Staffordshire, was horrified when he discovered the storyboard his daughter Maria had created.
"She arrived home very upset, saying she had been given poetry that was violent and had to draw pictures of it," he said. "I was horrified to see drawings of children being shot, garrotted, stabbed, sliced with swords and blown up with grenades.
"I can see the humour in the poem, but an 11-year-old will not see a funny side to this sort of violence."
Mr Woodward, a Royal Mail worker, said the task was set during the second week of the new term at the school.
The English teacher who set the work - known only as Miss Warren - was so happy with Maria's efforts that she scribbled "excellent pictures" on the top.
Another parent said: "These kids are being told that a teacher - a figure of respect and authority - being depicted as a bloodthirsty child killer is comical. I just cannot see how that can be educationally productive."
Kairen Cullen, a child educational psychologist, said teachers have a "responsibility to protect a child's cognitive and emotional development" and such a task was "unusual".
Dr Iaon Rees, an expert in educational psychology, said the task was "an unnecessary risk".
He added: "You can upset them at a young age and cause confusion - there is certainly potential to cause damage, there is no doubt about that."
But the school's headmaster, Andy Clarke, said in 25 years of teaching the poem he had had no complaints until now.
"It is a well-written, humorous poem, by a highly-regarded children's author, and I fully believe it justifies its place on the curriculum," he added.
Liverpool-born McGough, 69, was awarded a CBE in 2004 and presents the BBC Radio 4 programme Poetry Please.
Reader views (7)
I don't know why other children find this disturbing. I am 11 myself and find this poem highly amusing although I understand why they might not find it funny, it is a great poem in my opinion.
- Anonymous, Southampton. UK
I came upon this site, by chance when looking for this poem, as I wished to share it with my six year old, who found it as funny as I always have.
- N Cronin, Aldershot, UK
Whether it's good poetry or not is a specious argument. Unfairly or not, the times have coloured this work in a whole different light. The school killings in the US (Columbine, Virginia Tech, even an Amish schoolhouse) and the UK make this exercise ill-advised and irresponsible. I got the same feeling the other day watching a DVD of "The Muppet Show" (produced in the 1970's) which features a "mad bomber" character named Crazy Harry. Mad bombers aren't funny any more - maybe they never were.
- Bruce Niedt, Cherry Hill NJ USA
Yes. Looks like the work of David Hockney to me.
- Anon, London, UK
Political correctness gone beserk. All these kids are exposed to much worse images than this every day on Nickelodeon, let alone the computer games they play when they get home. Next they'll be blaming Shakespeare for the next school massacre.
- C Daventry, St Andrews, Scotland
Mr Crarke's defence for using this poem in school is seriously out of date. I agree with him that 25 years ago when there was very little violence among school children, the poem could at a stretch be viewed as 'humourous' but sadly times have drastically changed.
These days the violence among the young, the current climate of casual shootings, stabbings, and mindless violence among our children makes the poem definately inappropriate.
- Liz, London
Although these drawings appear to have been done by a child it is obvious they are done by an adult with some drawing skills.
- Roland, London, England
