Letter.

The actual text of a note I sent to Boy #2's teacher after an incident at school.

May 3, 2006


Dear Mrs B,

Thank you for informing me of yesterday's slingshot incident. Thank you, also, for treating this with the exact level of seriousness warranted.

(Boy) was attempting to build what he considered to be an interesting machine, more of a catapult than a slingshot in its intent. His idea was not to build something to be used as a weapon, but to build a machine that worked. I am glad that seems to be understood by all.

He now understands that, regardless of intent, his creation could be used to harm others. (Theoretically, anyway, since I don't think it worked.) Therefore the slingshot/catapult could not be allowed at school.

I agree that staying in at recess is a proper consequence for building unauthorized machinery at school.

I have promised (boy) *supervised* opportunities for design and engineering at home.

I would like to ask that he be given similar opportunities whenever available at school. This is a bright child with a strong creative drive and mechanical aptitude and these things are not to be discouraged, only put into a proper context.

Thank you very much for your understanding.

Sincerely,

My name.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The offending object was made of an empty TicTac box, a rubber band, and some very tiny pebbles, all of which he found in the school yard. He got it taken away from him at recess and it was sent home in a paper envelope for me to look at. It *was* a rather clever little item. I let him have it back. He spent the evening trying to fling teeny rocks at anthills in the driveway.

This is the kid that, when he heard they want to build a bridge from Siberia to Alaska, said he really hopes they can wait until he grows up so he can help. So I just can't get mad at him for making catapults out of found objects.