I was flipping through the Chicago Tribune on Sunday morning and I saw an article about an 11 year old boy who poked a classmate in the knee with a pencil. Harmon Dehnert, who suffers from severe ADHD, was expelled from his school until next fall for this "act of violence." As to why he was expelled, the Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 board (in Plainfield, Pennsylvania) "unanimously decided Harmon used the pencil as a weapon and expelled him on Oct. 26."
I understand that this school is trying to protect their students from weapons and violence, but I think this punishment is harsh and unnecessary. All kids make mistakes, and I think Harmon made a small mistake that was blown out of proportion. First of all, his ADHD had a huge impact on this situation-- Harmon does not have someone monitoring his actions in class, and his ADHD is a known cause for his lack of focus and periodic outrages in the classroom. This being said, this incident could have easily been prevented if there was a teacher helping him stay on task in class.
Had Harmon been carrying or using a more threatening "weapon," I think this punishment would have been appropriate. The father of the poked child says that his son is fine, but asks the question, "what if it had been his eye instead of his knee?" I think there is a big problem with this argument as the basis of Harmon's expulsion. Yes, it could have been his eye, but it wasn't. The school board is overlooking what actually happened and instead focusing on what could have happened. But if you apply this idea of "what could have happened" to the whole school, anyone could poke another's eye out, and therefore everyone- not just Harmon- poses a danger. For this to be a logical argument, pencils would have be seen as weapons throughout the school, not just in this particular situation.
Due to the basis of Harmon's expulsion, I think this article raises an interesting question, one that is relevant now in a time of frequent school shootings and acts of violence at school. Do you think Harmon's punishment is fair? What constitutes a weapon? And more importantly, what constitutes an act of violence?
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5 comments:
Did the school even ask Harmon why he poked the kid? It could have been because the kid was making fun of Harmon. I think the school has to take his ADHD into account because it has such an impact on his life. Also, I do think a pencil could be a weapon. It could seriously injure anyone. But, I don't think a poke in the knee constitutes as an act of violence. More importantly, the fact that Harmon is expelled is just ridiculous. If the kid was seriously injured then this would be a different story. I agree with you Sophie in that this was blown way out of proportion!
I agree with you, an expulsion is a bit harsh. However, this article lacks a lot of detail concerning Harmon's background (any similar behavior in the past?), his motive, the severity of the wound, his relationship with the victim, ect. I really think that very little can be concluded from this. I don't think that Harmon's ADHD can be used to his defense, if anything it should be used against him. In the last paragraph his father's attempt to plead his ignorance is quoted, "He is having problems with his medications and he has these impulses to do things, and he doesn't even think about what the ramifications are". In my opinion, Harmon acting on impulses without contemplating the ramifications is far from comforting. However, I think it proves that, although he can be dangerous, he is not violent. Harmon merely had an impulse to jab a kid with whatever object was nearest him. he did not plan to bring a knife to school and inflict serious damage on anyone. That brings me to, "What constitutes a weapon". I think a weapon is an object designed to inflict damage on person (or animal I guess). Almost anything can be used to injure someone (including a pencil!) but that doesn't mean it is a weapon. It means that it can be used as a weapon. The same goes for acts of violence. Harmon, like the pencil, is not meant to inflict pain. However, his ADHD, like the glistening tip of the #2, makes him a threat. In other words, an act of violence stems from a genuine desire to injure someone, but you can still injure someone without desiring it(Harmon's impulse).
I also think that Harmon's expulsion is very harsh. I can understand why the school may have considered expelling Harmon, they have to protect themselves, but this does not mean that they should have carried out the expulsion. Stabbing another child in the knee with a pencil may be considered "an act of violence" but that does not mean that Harmon should be classified as a violent child. ADHD can be a very difficult condition to control. I think that parents of harmon should definitely look to see if there should be any change in medication or other therapies for Harmon, only to ensure that another outburst does not occur.
I think this is ridiculous. I happen to poke people with pencils often, but certainly not as an act of violence. Anyone with siblings can tell you that being poked with a pencil really doesn't hurt all that much. I read the article, and in it, the dad of the other boy says he was worried it might have been the eye. There's a pretty big space between your eyes and your knees, and I think most 6th graders are aware of that. That being said, I think that if Harmon had poked the other child in the eyes, thats one thing. But he didnt. So why was he expelled? Its not violence, its annoyance.
Sophie,
Is the pencil mightier than the sword?!
This post is thoughtful and expansive. I wonder what verb the article uses to describe the "strike." You say "poke," but don't quote that word. For me, evene apart from the question of whether this is a violent action, is the question about the best remedy. Isn't school -- the socialization it engenders and the accrual of language that can take the place of physical confrontation -- the ideal remedy? yet, this is the the very option this boy is denied by his expulsion.
Good job overall with this blog. You cover an impressive range and show increasing focus.
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