Maybe this wasn't the best idea

In the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, it is understandable that many schools would want to make sure their students and their disaster readiness plans are up to snuff on what to do in such a situation.

What is significantly less understandable is teachers staging a fake gun attack on a class field trip.

The article from USA Today can be read by clicking here. The short version of the story, if you don't want to read the article, is that Tennessee elementary school staff members on a class trip decided it would be a good lesson to teach the kids how to react in case someone with a gun showed up in their classroom. This is perfectly fine, and probably not a bad idea.

Not telling the kids that the "lesson" isn't real? That's more than a bit of a stretch. The staff members, apparently including the assistant principal of the school, convinced the kids there was a gunman on the loose and were told to lie on the floor or hide under tables and stay quiet. To add to the illusion, one teacher, who was disguised in a hoodie, pulled on the locked doors from the outside.

The kids - who, again, had no idea - were terrified, many reduced to tears and fearful for their lives. The ordeal lasted about five minutes during the week-long state park trip, after which the kids discussed with the staff what to do in such an occurrence. Parents are understandably upset, and there's no word yet on whether or not the staff members will face punishment.

The question now, of course, is "should they?" Certainly, the intent of this exercise was noble, as I haven't honestly believed a teacher was out to get me since middle school. It is the execution, and the resultant fear it inspired in the kids, that is the real problem. The whole problem could have been alleviated by simply letting the kids know what was going on. On another note, wouldn't it also have made sense for them to do this in the classroom rather than on a field trip?

This is a dumb move, pure and simple, and I think there should be some punishment handed down. I would stop short of firing the offending staff members, but some sort of consequence is in order.

What do you think?