Music Teacher Makes 7-Year-Old Hit Himself in Head With Drum Mallets

[WifeOHunkyJohn 2]

Music Teacher Makes 7-Year-Old Hit Himself in Head With Drum Mallets

MANCHESTER, Mo. — A music teacher who twice ordered a 7-year-old pupil to hit himself in the head with drum mallets has apologized and won't return to the Parkway School District next year.

The incident occurred Feb. 9 in teacher Paul Provencio's music class at Carman Trails Elementary School in suburban St. Louis.

Provencio, 36, intended the head-banging as a lesson to Justin Barricklow about banging the drums too hard, according to a report by the Missouri Department of Social Services. The agency investigated the case at the request of the boy's father, Scott Barricklow, who works as a groundskeeper for the Parkway district.

Scott Barricklow called the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about his son's case after reading a recent newspaper article about a Parkway bus driver who was fired for leaving a 5-year-old girl on a bus at the end of his shift. The girl was unhurt.

"They fired a guy who made an innocent mistake," Scott Barricklow said. "But Provencio is still teaching."

Justin Barricklow complained to his parents the night of the drumstick incident that his head hurt on both sides.

"When I asked him what's wrong with it, he said, 'Mr. Provencio made me hit myself in the head with the drumsticks,"' the father said.

The state agency's report quotes student witnesses as saying: "Mr. Provencio told Justin Barricklow to hit himself in the head with a set of soft mallets. ... Mr. Provencio then gave Justin a set of hard mallets and directed him to hit himself in the head as hard as he could. ... Mr. Provencio asked Justin, 'How did that feel? That's how the drums felt."'

The mallets in question have round ends made of hard plastic.

Provencio, who has taught for 13 years, told investigators he was teaching the child how to treat the drums.

"Paul Provencio stated he encouraged Justin Barricklow to hit himself in the head as a 'teaching technique' used to address appropriate care for instruments," the report states. Provencio forced Justin to strike himself again later, in front of a substitute teacher who entered the room, according to the report.

Parkway spokesman Paul Tandy said Provencio is in his fifth year at Carman Trails and that his record had been clean until this incident.

"Regardless of the teacher's intentions, what happened was highly unprofessional and totally inappropriate," Tandy stated Thursday in an e-mail to the Post-Dispatch. "The teacher is remorseful for his mistake and has apologized to the student."

Tandy said the teacher was disciplined. He declined to give specifics, citing personnel rules, but said Provencio will not return to the district next school year because of the incident.

Tandy defended the district's decision not to immediately fire Provencio.

"This is a 13-year veteran teacher who, until this incident, has had a successful track record working with students and families at the school. He made a terrible mistake but did not intend to hurt the child."

[Fandango 1,440]

He should have been immediately fired.

[Robor007 0]

About 1/2 way through I thought he was using the soft mallets and figured no big deal. Then he told him to use hard plastic and hit himself as hard as he could...? Friggin' moron.

[JoeMama 0]

Good thing the teacher didn't demand the student play the drum solo from the 17 minute version of Iron Butterfly's "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".

[Nagishkaw 510]

[almaty 19]

He should have been immediately fired.

toatal agreement...termination on the spot.

[Kiv 32]

Another brilliant Teacher... !!

I wonder, how many kids "dont tell" what happens to them in the hands of teachers like this....

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Reminds of this mad guy I came across in an old martial arts magazine. The guy wrote a 4 page article about using your head to break stuff - complete with several sets of 2 shot pictures (fig 1 and fig 2) showing him hitting himself over the head with various objects - ranging from a bag of gravel to a bundle of sticks.

He also said that kids should not attempt this because "their skulls are soft and so cannot be used for breaking".

[eric&gen 0]

They should have made the teacher hit himself in the head with drum mallets then fire his azz.

[slim 1,533]

This is a good example of when a kid doesn't know any better, and will do what a teacher tells him to do.

It's not the same as a 14-year-old peeing in the back of a classroom.

Edited: As for what to do with this teacher... Sure, it was a bonehead move, but it seems like he was really trying to teach the kids a lesson. We need more teachers to do that now. Teach. Not by having the children beat themselves with a drumstick, but actually trying to get a point across to students, just in a better way!

I say: Public apology/admission of being a chopf##k (albeit with good intentions), and a Reprimand. I don't think any school district should dismiss a teacher with 13 years of experience that is obviously still trying to teach things when there are so many out there that don't.

Edited May 5, 2007 by slim