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Home Front
’Patriotic’ Stick Figure Drawing Troubles School
2003-10-29
A 14-year-old New Jersey schoolboy — whose dad and stepdad are in the military — was suspended for five days because he drew a "patriotic" stick figure of a U.S Marine blowing away a Taliban fighter, officials said yesterday. "He’s been punished for the drawing," said Tinton Falls school superintendent Leonard Kelpsh [aka "ASSHAT"]. "We felt it was highly inappropriate, and we took it very seriously." Scott Switzer, of Colts Neck, was sent home last week from Tinton Falls Middle School (search) after a teacher saw the image on a computer and described it to the principal. Scott, who turned 14 Tuesday and was headed back to school Wednesday, said he was unjustly disciplined for his sketch of "a war scene."

"Truth be told, it’s a Marine shooting a terrorist Taliban," he told The Post. "It’s just a picture. What upsets me most is that the principal would dare say it’s not normal. To me, it’s patriotic." Kelpsh said the five-day punishment was appropriate, adding that he would not discuss Scott’s prior disciplinary record. But family members said the teenager had been involved in three "minor" incidents, including an earlier suspension. Scott’s stepmom, Kim Switzer, 36, told The Post her son suffers from attention deficit disorder.
From what I've seen, that's usually educational shorthand for a kid who gets bored with lowest-common-denominator learning...
The boy lives with his stepmom and father, who is serving as a Navy engineer aboard the USS Detroit in the Persian Gulf. Scott’s stepfather is in the Army. Scott said school officials may have been edgy because of an earlier incident in which other students had drawn a "very Columbine-ish" picture.
How many kids at the school wear turbans?
Officials said they were concerned because his drawing contained a reference to another student who they feared might have been a potential target. But a local psychologist who examined the teenager said the sketch was benign. "I don’t attribute pathological significance to it," said Dr. Gloria Tillman, a psychologist who treated the boy for ADD. "I have to wonder what is expected of our children today when 1) our country is at war and 2) both his father and stepfather are out fighting the war." Scott’s mother said school officials described the drawing as "not the work of a normal mind."
It's not a "normal" mind, asshat. Pop's off doing what the kid's thinking about. Y'think the two might be connected? The inability to guess at such a concept is probably not the work of a normal mind.
Scott said he understood the school’s concern for student safety, but was offended by the principal’s comments. "Truth be told, I’m more upset that he’d insinuate that I’m mentally unstable," he said. "I’m the class clown. I’m not a bully."
Posted by:Yosemite Sam

#16  I have a daughter that's both ADHD and extremely dyslexic. It took her working with a professional almost six months to get to where she could read. Now she devours about six books a month. That's HIGH for a teenage girl... As for school, her 'grades' are the pits. I blame half of that on the teachers, and half on the administration for failing to do three simple things: work with HER and her problem (she simply CANNOT do math - she doesn't see the numbers in the same place looking at them twice), get us better involved (they kind of ignore us, unless we get really snotty about it, which we do), and following the advice of the education psychologist that tested her and worked with her to get her to read.

My daughter's different from the kid mentioned in this article. The problem with ADHD is that it's often different FOR EVERY SINGLE KID THAT HAS A PROBLEM. It's not like a broken leg, where everybody has a leg that's more or less the same. We're talking about how the brain is actually wired (against what is considered 'normal'), how the body chemistry affects brain function, and how outside stemuli are processed - if they are at all. Too many variables, and it's too easy for other considerations, not necessarily considered as part of ADHD, such as allergies, normal childhood illnesses, and environment, to affect these kids and how they learn.

Real ADHD kids, those who have a valid medical diagnosis, have serious problems in today's school system. The schools try to make it the kid's fault, and do their best to shunt them aside into 'special' schools, where all too often there are no expectations, no discipline, and no real learning taking place. The fact that the schools get away with such outrageous behavior, as reflected in this story and in my daughter's case, is the true catastrophe, not that some kid draws stick figures about his dad's 'work'.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2003-10-29 11:44:36 PM  

#15  CrazyFool, That "Dr." probably is a DEd, NOT an MD.
The latter should be respected, the former isn't worth a tinkers dam.
Posted by: JW   2003-10-29 8:14:30 PM  

#14  DANE, I stand corrected. He is a Doctor. Apologies to all (except for FoxNews which should have referred to him as Dr. in the first place). That 'Dr.' is hard to get and should be respected.
Posted by: CrazyFool   2003-10-29 6:06:39 PM  

#13  TINTON FALLS (5185)
658 Tinton Avenue
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724-3275

Dr. Leonard R. Kelpsh, Superintendent
(732)460-2404
Posted by: DANEgerus   2003-10-29 5:49:58 PM  

#12  There is real debate about ADD, mostly because so many particular ailments fall under its umbrella...and they tend to be neurological in nature. My nephew was also targeted with ADD but more specifically it turned out to be a processing disorder. Even though technically an ADD - the usual medication would not have helped. Point is, Teachers should raise concerns where warranted...but it should stop there.
Posted by: Rex Mundi   2003-10-29 3:58:25 PM  

#11  the claim to be "the class clown" reminded me of a boy I know who is definitely, IMHO, ADD (ADHD in fact). I certainly dont know whther the diagnosis fits the boy in the story - and, BTW neither do any of you. If he at all resembles the boy I know the story is very different from the one of political persecution you are all assuming.

ADD may be over diagnosed, but i know of NO serious psychiatrist who thinks its not real.
Posted by: liberalhawk   2003-10-29 3:32:25 PM  

#10  R.M. Good that you were able to save your daughter from being 'labeled' as being disturbed by this slander. All from the observations from an biased and unqualifed 'teacher'.

I have no doubt that if the stick picture was of a boy blowing up a bus with the star-of-david on the side it would be considered 'free speech' and protected.

I hope this parent reviews the students school record and, if the principal's comments are in there, would file a slander suit against the school district. School records can impact the kid's collage admission, etc....

Notice that the superintendant of the school at least does not have a 'Dr.' prefix to his name (no mention of the Principal) which appears to mean that he does not have a license to practice medicine or is qualified to make such an evaluation.

As for ADD. I am sure that there are valid cases of it. However it seems to me to be used to 1) control the kid with drugs, and 2) have an excuse for his behaviour -- he is a 'victim'.
Posted by: CrazyFool   2003-10-29 3:29:57 PM  

#9  In these idiot's world, a "normal mind" doesn't see anything worth defending in our culture. Post 9/11, my seven year old dreamed he was Batman in Afghanistan killing Bin Laden. These folks would no doubt find that "disturbing", but he knows better than to lay down and be a victim, and we'll make sure they don't train it out of him.
Posted by: VAMark   2003-10-29 3:12:13 PM  

#8  Gotta strongly disagree with ya LH....I'm with Jarhead on this...it's complete copout and worse. They tried to pin this on my daughter a couple of years back. This idiot teacher requested that we have her tested based her "observations" We had her tested alright...and the doc wrote a nice pithy rebuke of the teacher. Later, I found that the teacher had still put her "observations" into my daughter's file....and I had that removed. Many doctors don't even subscribe to the notion of ADD. The kid sounds completely normal. It's the educrats that are whacked.
Posted by: Rex Mundi   2003-10-29 2:39:40 PM  

#7  Typical over reaction; Tinton Falls needs a reality check. Sounds like a normal rambunctious 14 yr old kid. When I was in school (not that long ago) ADD was still not a widely used term like now. The teachers called it being rambunctious and discipline cured that. Now, ADD is the big cop out. I'd like to see the picture, send it out to some of buddies for motivation. Heck, patriotic young kid like that, he can come down here to Parris Island, we'd be more then happy to give him a free tour!
Posted by: Jarhead   2003-10-29 1:58:41 PM  

#6  kids ADD, probably impulsive, disruptive etc (though probably not violent) teachers probably nervous about him, saw a violent drawing and overreacted. If it wasnt for the liberal PC crowd, he might not be in a mainstream school at all.

This may not be technically Peshawar, but its not really about what y'all think its about.
Posted by: liberalhawk   2003-10-29 1:35:47 PM  

#5   If he drawn a picture of paleostinian wearing a bomb vest, bet the teacher would have given him a A+.

Or if the Palestinian flag was drawn over the shooter and the Star of David drawn over the figure being shot.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2003-10-29 1:31:07 PM  

#4  Gee, thank God the PC police hadn't infiltrated my school 20 years ago when I was drawing American stick-GI's kick Nazi stick-uebermensch butt, or I'd have been out on the streets, too.
Posted by: Dar   2003-10-29 1:23:57 PM  

#3  Our "education establishment" is definitely defining itself as part of the problem. No wonder home schooling is the primary choice of almost 20% of parents in some areas. We also need to stomp hard on these 'education' experts who also 'play psychologist' with such brazen disregard for the consequences of their actions.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2003-10-29 1:15:44 PM  

#2  If he drawn a picture of paleostinian wearing a bomb vest, bet the teacher would have given him a A+.
Posted by: Steve   2003-10-29 1:12:44 PM  

#1  Congrats Scotty, you just met a Liberial Principal.
Posted by: Charles   2003-10-29 1:00:49 PM  

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