I put this here to keep with the idea that N&P articles go where they belong, but I think it probably wants to go in OT as it's not what I'd call news.The Beeb wrote:
Pupils scared by asteroid spoof
An asteroid hitting the earth
Pupils were told an asteroid was on a collision course with Earth
Pupils were left in tears after a teacher told them that an asteroid was about to hit Earth and kill them all.
The spoof announcement was designed to teach 14-year-olds the importance of seizing the day but backfired after they became visibly frightened.
Keith Hogan, head teacher at St Matthew's RC High School in Moston, Manchester, said he regretted any distress caused to the 230 pupils.
The head of year behind the assembly "stunt" later moved to reassure them.
He had told the year nine students that the asteroid was on a "collision course".
It is also believed that the students were told that they should go home and say "final farewells" to their families.
Pupils 'reassured'
The teacher then admitted the story was a stunt aimed at underlining the theme of the assembly - "living each day to the full".
Head Mr Hogan said: "Obviously I regret the fact that any student was distressed by the content and delivery of the assembly.
"However, I am confident that the head of year acted appropriately and professionally in dealing with the incident.
"Following the assembly the head of year visited every year nine class and again told the students that the story was untrue and made every effort to ensure that those students who had been anxious were reassured."
Still, I'm not entirely sure what to make of it, is this a sign that we're too absorbed in the ideas of hollywood and that common sense is being lost in favour of film style ideas of instant destruction without prior knowledge?
Was it bad judgement? I know when we were in year 7, someone started a rumour that Saddam Hussain was going to gas Britain, but even so, I don't think many people believed it (there were some, yes, but not many). But surely when you're 14, you might have a little more awareness of things, some of our members are that age and I'm sure that they'd have a healthy scepticism of such things.
I suppose it's an issue of trust, I think if our head teacher had done that, we'd have believed him, as the idea of a joke seemed completely alien to him.
Maybe us Brit's are just gullible sods. At least, it would if those damn people at Oxford hadnt removed it from the dictionary. What? The chap down at the other end of the floor told me.
,
, N(
