ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - A high school teacher has apologized for asking students to write about whom they would kill and how they would do it.

Michael Maxwell, who teaches industrial technology at Central High School, said his request that students in his beginning drafting class describe how they would carry out a murder was merely a writing prompt. It was not clear why he asked the drafting class to write fiction.

"I made a horrible mistake that I regret," Maxwell said. "I want to apologize to my students, my colleagues and to the community."


The April 21 writing request, which Maxwell said was not a formal assignment, came to the attention of administrators when a parent of one of the students filed a complaint with Principal Barton Albright.

Albright expressed regret and apologized for Maxwell's "lapse of judgment."

"He's an exemplary person.... This is very out of character," the principal said.

Maxwell won't lose his job, but he has been suspended for a week without pay and placed on six months' probation.

The school superintendent says no further action will be taken against Maxwell. She says, "This has rocked his world, as it has rocked our world."

About 25 to 30 students from ninth through 12th grades were in the class, Albright said.

If this assignment had been given to a creative writing class in COLLEGE instead of high school and with a bit more of an explanation/disclaimer that this was MERELY an exercise in CREATIVE writing, then it wouldn't have been a big deal.  I've had assignments along these lines in college, some 20 years ago!  

BTW, hit your victim on the head with a blunt, block of ice, then push them into a swimming pool.  Throw the ice into the pool.  It melts.  And the victim looks like a he/she hit their head on the bottom of the pool.  Now who would I do this to?  Hmmmm.  I'll just go with the next person that pisses me off!  LOL.  I'm pretty sure I got an A- for this back in '86.  Oh well.

EDIT:  To clarify about my next (er, I mean first victim), the next DUMBASS driver that waits at the intersection when he could have gone, sees me coming and then at the last second decides that he will pull out in front of me.  Now that's justifiable!  

P.S.--Don't act so shocked.  I've told you on numerous occassions that I'm devious as all get out.

-- Modified on 5/16/2006 6:58:16 AM

this assignment was based on the movie Saw as the killer did drafting to create his scenerios

it makes kids interested in the class just like science does

Be the parent of a child in that class.... believe me, it will change your perspective - post columbine.

while the theory of doing something to get kids interested is one thing, in practice, the exercise for some kids is more than an exercise.  Having taught at the college and grad school level, I can assure you that even there, planting ideas is sometimes not without unintended consequences....

Want to give kids a creative writing assignment??  here are some potential ideas...

One person discovers a "drug" that will make him immortal... what does he do?

Suppose there is a secret society of immortals?

A Jewish woman becomes president, and there is a problem in the middle east....

A child invents a time machine - by accident (how and what happens when he uses it!)

Where is the soul prior to birth?

California experiences the big one!

DNA - the "junk part" has within it a coded message from _________ fill in the blank and write!

Improbability drive becomes a reality!

Oh, as far as science is concerned - TNT - or tri-nitro toluene?  easy to make... (Actually very easy to make)  but hard to control the reaction.... should we teach that in HS Chem class?  cause know what, the science of the reaction is within what is taught within HS!  but I did not learn the reaction until college....   Yea, there are lots of ways to get kids goin- without blowing them up!

and much much more.

If Willy has 5 rocks on him and he sells 3 and gives 1 to a ho' for a BJ; how many rocks does he have left?

-- Modified on 5/17/2006 8:35:41 AM

...did the ho rob him of the other one, or did he fall down face first into the gutter and it just rolled under the pig mobile that was tailing him?

If the question is not phrased properly or is missing the full relevant disclosure how are the children to be energised and involved. (without pharmaceutical aids or soda)

That depends on whether he got his rocks off.