Teachers Pulled Students Out Of “Inappropriate” Musical And Parents Are Furious

Teachers Pulled Students Out Of “Inappropriate” Musical And Parents Are Furious

We’ve all been on a field trip where we had to get permission slips signed. It was one of the most exciting times in school when you got to leave and do something different and fun.

As a kid I can remember going to museums or other attractions for educational purposes.

I can also remember another class trip when I couldn’t have been more than 11 years old, where some boys in my class begged the teacher to bring us to Hooters for lunch. The unbelievable part of the story, we went!

There were even some parents chaperoning the trip. Looking back, was it that big of a deal? Probably not. But as a catholic school, it’s a little shocking to say the least.

The Ritz Theater Company was in the middle of their production of School Of Rock when several classes deemed it appropriate to interrupt the show and leave. About 70% of the audience got up and left mid-show.

The stories came out at first as teachers pulled students out of “inappropriate” musical. But was it justified?

The Ritz posted to their Facebook page about the incident saying “It is also our firm belief that the behavior and actions displayed yesterday were in direct contradiction with the values of the show and the values of our organization. To disrupt a live performance in that fashion is a disservice to the cast and crew who all took the time to perform the show yesterday morning, to the front-of-house staff who volunteered to help out at The Ritz yesterday morning, and to the other school groups who were present (and stayed throughout) to enjoy the show yesterday morning.”

Furthermore, they specifically called out the schools and two classes that left the show and doubled down on defending the integrity of the show.

According to the actual website for the show itself, School Of Rock claims to be “ recommended for ages eight and older. Please note that School of Rock contains occasional strong language and may not be suitable for very young children. “

However, apparently there is some foul language in the script that was not removed. Resulting in 5th grade classes from Hartford Upper Elementary School of Mount Laurel and a 3rd grade class from Kellman Brown Academy of Voorhees to leave mid-show.

According to several reviews, the mild language hit it’s peak in a lot of the musical score. The worst of it being “B—h”.

Lisa Palena, a faculty member of Maple Shade High School and theater enthusiast attended a performance last week and wrote a review for SJ Theatre Critics. She gave a rave review of the performance, lighting, set etc. Palena stated “The pure heart of this show, with some truly noteworthy performances, came from the amazing cast of children. The show hinges on the success of the students, and the twelve student actors didn’t disappoint.”

The buzz online though, has created quite a stir. Who’s right? Should the teachers have pulled the students out of the show? Weren’t permission slips signed and the outing fully vetted before deciding to take the kids there?

12 Reasons Kids Need to Play Outdoors More According to Harvard and Other Researchers

• Sunshine and Vitamin D

  What better way to get Vitamin D in your body than to get some sun on your skin. Put some sunscreen on to avoid potential of skin cancer and go have some fun! Harvard has reported that the sun gives us the most exposure to Vitamin D which in turn plays a crucial role in body processes from body and bone development and immune system support. The sun also affects our mood and our sleeping habits.

• Advanced Motor Skills

  Playing outside increases children’s’ agility, timing, balance, and coordination. According to Miracle Recreation, kids who play outdoors are more likely to move in ways that challenge their muscles, bones, and physical endurance. This actually benefits confidence, strength, and body development. It benefits a child’s breathing and growth.

• Communication Skills

  Playing indoors is a completely different setting. It creates a different social environment in comparison to outside. Kids who are outside more often feel more free, and sensitive. They feel the openness to share their thoughts and emotions freely.

• Self-Awareness

  The great outdoors comes with the many elements of it. A child needs to learn, sometimes by failing, that these elements can harm you or help you. They need to be aware of their surroundings to appropriately react to situations that may play out in the future. Self awareness can grow into confidence, reasoning skills, cause and effect, and creativity.

• Respect for Nature and Environment

  When raising our future, it’s important to teach them why we must respect the planet we live on. This teaches gratitude and respect in a simpler, less daunting sense, where it’s not with another human. Respect for the world can thus turn into respect for all walks of life.

• Independence

  Most outdoor play comes with the need for responsibility. Through their experience playing outdoors, they will need to grow independent. The parent will not always be there to hold their hand as they roam through nature. Outdoors grants children space, which they can actually use more often than you think. They don’t always want to hold your hand and they shouldn’t according to researcher’s advice.

• Resilience

  Kids will get hurt in outdoor play. It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. Playing outside will teach children to push through uncomfortable situations ,whether emotional or physical.

• Increase Attention Spans

  The average human attention span has decreased by over 25% since year 2000. Technology continues to weaken our attention spans. Outdoor play has been proven to increase our attention spans, both for adults and kids. Sanford health reported, “In fact, studies of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) found that children with ADHD who spent significant time outdoors exhibited fewer symptoms.”

• Reduced Risk of Near Sightedness

  Scores of studies show links between outdoor time and the development of myopia. Kids who spend more time outside are less likely to become nearsighted (Goldschmidt and Jacobsen 2014, Rose et al 2016).

• Learning New Things

  The great outdoors offers ample, endless opportunities to learn and adapt. Children will explore everything indoors but then they will get bored way quicker before getting bored outside.

• Friendships

  Friendships can flourish outdoors. Kids can really let their imagination flow wildly outside. There’s so much space to spread out, be creative, be themselves, and show their true colors. Their bond in friendship will become stronger because of all these benefits.

• Brain Development and Thinking

  The brain experiences different stimulation and wonder when outside. There’s so many wonders to this world, even adults can’t figure out. So when children play outside, those same wonders that adults experience, begin to develop and grow from there.