I always thought that one of the purposes of animals in classrooms (or outside classrooms as the case may be) was to expose children to the fact that all living things die.
My parents grew up on farms and certainly have a different attitude about the fate of farm animals than I do. They saw lots of animals slaughtered -- even helped in it -- and they didn't need counseling. In this case, I suspect that the child may well have needed counseling but not because of the the lamb's slaughter, but rather because of his parent's reaction to it.
That said, I'm one of those carnivorous people, who choose not to witness a slaughter or previously "know" my food. I understand that this puts me in a morally indefensible position, but I also know I'm not alone.
Still, if my child were going to a school that used farm animals as part of the curriculum I would have to accept the facts of what that means. It saddens me that someone lost his job because parents were unwilling/unable to foresee the inevitable future of this farm animal.
A very thoughtful and thought-provoking post. Thanks.
1 comment:
I always thought that one of the purposes of animals in classrooms (or outside classrooms as the case may be) was to expose children to the fact that all living things die.
My parents grew up on farms and certainly have a different attitude about the fate of farm animals than I do. They saw lots of animals slaughtered -- even helped in it -- and they didn't need counseling. In this case, I suspect that the child may well have needed counseling but not because of the the lamb's slaughter, but rather because of his parent's reaction to it.
That said, I'm one of those carnivorous people, who choose not to witness a slaughter or previously "know" my food. I understand that this puts me in a morally indefensible position, but I also know I'm not alone.
Still, if my child were going to a school that used farm animals as part of the curriculum I would have to accept the facts of what that means. It saddens me that someone lost his job because parents were unwilling/unable to foresee the inevitable future of this farm animal.
A very thoughtful and thought-provoking post. Thanks.
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