[doganjo]

Sorry, I am adamant on this.  There is too much information given to underage kids these days.  These videos and poems contain gratutious violence and it stimulates young minds to do liewise!  The imagination was sufficient when I was at school, and sometimes my imagination was to scary to think about.  And that poem is not well written.  I did Higher English at school, got an A, and I would have been slated for a poem like that - in fact I will write one better, but in a similar style and post it on here to illustrate what I mean.  In the meantime here is one my friend wrote for a laugh

Ode to Annie's pup

Oh to be in Scotland now the new pu'ps here
No more watching telly, no more drinking beer,
Looking out for phessies, hares, and other stuff
He's in the field and gaining
On that chicken up the duff.

Piddling on the carpet
Chewing up the chairs,
Sicking in the dog crate
Tearing out my hairs,
Where the hecks the trainer
When you need to ask
Just what you do to get the thing
To come running back

At least it flipping scans!

[sagehen]

Um Ros, Shakespeare only wrote plays (and sonnets but that's something else), and they were meant to be performed, so really if you get to see the plays performed, it would help in understanding the text. Or do you mean they are shown the film versions of the plays? Are you sure the kids watched the Rutget Hauer film instead of the poem, because the National Curriculum syllabus would state what they are meant to learn for the year?

Annie, that's a lovely poem, and it does scan well. However, scanning isn't a necessity for a poem. Haikus for example, do not scan in the normal way, but are a genre in itself. I actually thought Simon Armitage's poem quite brilliant in the way it conveys a lot of 'modern rage' in such a few words, myself, but that may just be me 

[doganjo]

OK, non scanning poem.

It was and still is  - a nightmare,
just not fair.
A roller coaster from when he fell, a week of hell.
No-one could know if he would die or live
the love and support they could give did not help
Doctors know so much yet not enough to save some. 
So sad but we all come to the same place at the end
So for now we fill our time and enjoy our time until it is our time.

[Hilarysmum]

That tugs at the heart strings scanning or not.

[r+lchick]

Are you sure the kids watched the Rutget Hauer film instead of the poem, because the National Curriculum syllabus would state what they are meant to learn for the year?D

Definitely that movie.  We watched it again last night.  Scary stuff.  I know that poem from the curriculum.  Not the most pleasant of poems.  It did get me looking at poems that I did when I was their age.  We had "The Man from Ironbark" by A B (Banjo) Patterson (Don't forget - Aussie schooling).  Slightly violent but in a more pleasant manner!!  Ros

[sagehen]

Ros, if it is the film, your husband has a responsibility to inform the headteacher, and enquire if the teacher has obtained permission from parents for showing an 18 rated film to 11 year olds. I doubt 11 year olds are doing film studies, and even if they are, there are protocols for it. There may be a misunderstanding somewhere, but I doubt very much that a teacher would show the film 'The Hitcher' to his students, because it's not worth his job, to do something like that. I agree that the poem isn't the most pleasant of poems, but I still think it's quite brilliant. I remember having to do Auden's poems and Wilfred Owen when I was 13 or so, and feeling really moved by the unnecessary violence in war

[xnbacon]

My daughter's (primary) school sent round permission letters before showing a 12/PG rated film to the kids - I would have thought a senior school would be similar.  I'd be livid if I found they'd shown an 18 film to an 11 year old - although I do admit to being a bit conservative and consider most 18 rated films shouldn't even be shown to adults especially on a reguar basis! 

Trouble is there is far too much sex and violence in evidence in daily life - newspapers, magazines, tv, adverts, in fact wherever you look - to make much difference banning it in schools!  As an example I remember my Mum used to get the Daily Mail regularly (for the special offers, she said!) and when my daughter became an enthusiastic reader at a relatively early age she used to hide it away as the content was generally fairly sordid.  And thats mild compared to some of the papers.  It is difficult, because it would also be wrong to pretend nasty things don't happen.

[doganjo]

It is difficult, because it would also be wrong to pretend nasty things don't happen.

I totally agree, but my stance will never change!  You must at all costs tailor the content of anything whether it be video, radio, books or newspapers to the age of the reader - and if that means stopping kids seeing newspapers then so be it!

[sagehen]

I think most parents would only expose age related material to their children, but I don't think that's really the issue. I think the issue is WHAT the parents decide is suitable for their children. Something that you think may be okay, I might not be okay with, and vice versa. I mean, what does constitute suitable material for an 11 year old? I often underestimate my kids, and think they are not capable of handling something, and they always surprise me by being quite mature about it. I usually go by the adage, 'If they are old enough to ask, they are old enough to know the answer', and so far it's worked.

[dixie]

I was approached in Argos the other day by an elderly woman and I assume her grandson, he looked no older than 11yrs, they obviously could not write as they asked me to write down a number for them for a playstation game, I found it for them then explained it was certified 18yrs (it was Grand Theft Auto San Andreas) they shrugged and said 'so'?  I said none of my business but as long as you know its only suitable for adults, they just walked off and ordered it, didnt even say thanks they waited by the kiost and asked the lady behind if it was there yet, she said they had to wait for the number, that I dont think they understood, so they just stood there, then the lasy gave it to him, and said 'there you go son, is the game for you?'

[Hardfeather]

I think most parents would only expose age related material to their children, but I don't think that's really the issue. I think the issue is WHAT the parents decide is suitable for their children. Something that you think may be okay, I might not be okay with, and vice versa. I mean, what does constitute suitable material for an 11 year old? I often underestimate my kids, and think they are not capable of handling something, and they always surprise me by being quite mature about it. I usually go by the adage, 'If they are old enough to ask, they are old enough to know the answer', and so far it's worked.

From that I must assume that you are a mature, sensible and responsible parent, and I salute you.

Unfortunately, I don't think it is a majority of parents who would take the same interest as do you and I. In certain areas of Britain there doesn't seem to be any inclination by parents to police their childrens' uptake of material. Many of the children in inner cities are old before their time, and know far too much for their age.

[Rosemary]

I'm such a woose that I'm usually not keen on 15 rated films. I tend to stick to PG or U. I've NEVER watched an 18 (Apart from Lady Chatterley's Lover starring Sylvia Kristel) - it would give me nightmares. 

[doganjo]

You're not alone, Rosemary!  I can't watch anything scary either

[sagehen]

I'm a horror film buff - it's actually one of my interests, and there's nothing better than sitting down and watching a scary movie at night, with a bucket of popcorn 

Oh and thank you AengusOg, I hope I am anyway - mature and responsible that is!