Book banning that suspiciously looks like what all the snowflakes are worried about

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

I agree with all that. The point, though, is even more thorny, and one Marvin touched on and I’ve been trying to focus the attention on: how do you handle content decisions in public schools where kids must be there, there are varying levels of maturity, various emotional triggers, and various parents with different values?

Given that the number of good books you can teach is very high, it makes it understandable to adopt a “least offensive is best” attitude. But while reasonable, it sits wrong with me probably for the same reasons it does you.

We often complain about what exposure to the Least Common Denominator is doing to our young ones, so why not make an effort to expose them to the Greatest Common Factor, instead?

 

[CO. Hoosier]

I'm glad you took this to the content of the book, instead of where most of the thread started (probably my fault for giving it the title I did). The truth is, I was really just primarily offended by removing a classic piece of literature from the curriculum. I'm pretty universally opposed to book-banning (regardless of the form it comes in), especially if the reason is that we think the book will be too difficult for kids. I don't think we give kids enough credit. I was younger than 12 when I read Centennial. It includes a recounting of the fictional version of the Sand Creek Massacre, which contains some descriptions that I suspect you'd be hesitant to let your son read. In my case, I had no problem handling it.

With the obvious proviso that all children are different, I think more often than not, we err on the side of caution, and I'd generally prefer to err on the side of challenging our kids.

I agree with all that. The point, though, is even more thorny, and one Marvin touched on and I’ve been trying to focus the attention on: how do you handle content decisions in public schools where kids must be there, there are varying levels of maturity, various emotional triggers, and various parents with different values?

Given that the number of good books you can teach is very high, it makes it understandable to adopt a “least offensive is best” attitude. But while reasonable, it sits wrong with me probably for the same reasons it does you.

Permit me a law school analogy. Maybe 20 years ago I engaged in a discussion with a legal educator about what I saw as a disturbing trend in legal education. A student could satisfy crim law requirements by studying “criminal justice” meaning how the criminal law is discriminatory and repressive. Torts could be learned through various ways of finding fault with the system of common law. Con law is taught through the prism of civil rights. And so on.

My problem with all of that is that such curriculum does not teach students how to think like a lawyer. Instead the study of law has become an extension of studying sociology and various kinds of social issues. Instead of teaching about social issues, law students should be hammered with instruction and thinking about causation, evidence, relevancy, process, risk analysis and much more. With a rock solid foundation like this, then the graduate could develop advocacy for various issues and be much more effective at it.

This relates to K-12 education. We must develop in students the ability to think, read, communicate, and comprehend. Those kinds of things I believe should be the singular focus of primary education. Only a strong foundation in those areas will a student be able to think about sexuality, racism, and other social issues. Instruction about resolving social problems at the expense of learning how to think and communicate becomes indoctrination instead of education.

 

[outside shooter]

Instruction about resolving social problems at the expense of learning how to think and communicate becomes indoctrination instead of education.

Instruction about resolving social problems generally has, at its very core, a strong emphasis on learning how to think and communicate

 

[CO. Hoosier]

Instruction about resolving social problems generally has, at its very core, a strong emphasis on learning how to think and communicate

Okay, right.

 

[Bulk VanderHuge]

This relates to K-12 education. We must develop in students the ability to think, read, communicate, and comprehend. Those kinds of things I believe should be the singular focus of primary education. Only a strong foundation in those areas will a student be able to think about sexuality, racism, and other social issues. Instruction about resolving social problems at the expense of learning how to think and communicate becomes indoctrination instead of education.

The first step is to remove the albatross of State-sponsored, taxpayer-funded standardized tests created by multi-billion dollar textbook companies and pushed by GOP politicians/COC, which are used for little more than a blunt tool to hammer real teachers over the head...mainly because they don't measure critical thinking or problem-solving.
Then we'll talk.

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

Permit me a law school analogy. Maybe 20 years ago I engaged in a discussion with a legal educator about what I saw as a disturbing trend in legal education. A student could satisfy crim law requirements by studying “criminal justice” meaning how the criminal law is discriminatory and repressive. Torts could be learned through various ways of finding fault with the system of common law. Con law is taught through the prism of civil rights. And so on.

My problem with all of that is that such curriculum does not teach students how to think like a lawyer. Instead the study of law has become an extension of studying sociology and various kinds of social issues. Instead of teaching about social issues, law students should be hammered with instruction and thinking about causation, evidence, relevancy, process, risk analysis and much more. With a rock solid foundation like this, then the graduate could develop advocacy for various issues and be much more effective at it.

This relates to K-12 education. We must develop in students the ability to think, read, communicate, and comprehend. Those kinds of things I believe should be the singular focus of primary education. Only a strong foundation in those areas will a student be able to think about sexuality, racism, and other social issues. Instruction about resolving social problems at the expense of learning how to think and communicate becomes indoctrination instead of education.

Analogy to what? Are you just trying to shoehorn your favorite rant into this conversation?

 

[outside shooter]

Okay, right.

Yes, I am right. Glad you "got it".

 

[CO. Hoosier]

Yes, I am right. Glad you "got it".

You are talking about applying thinking skills, not building th‘em.

 

[iuwclurker]

Analogy to what? Are you just trying to shoehorn your favorite rant into this conversation?

Analogy to K-12 curriculum choices obviously. COH’s Post seems at least as relevant to the OP if not moreso than any of your posts. It stands to reason that before making specific curriculum choices, One needs to establish the overall goals of the curriculum and align them to the developmental abilities at each age level. Then one can much more easily make a rational choice about any specific book for any particular grade level.

 

[iuwclurker]

 

[iuwclurker]

At what age should a person first see Deliverance?

 

[anon_6hv78pr714xta]

Relevant to this thread:

Suits Challenging Book “Banning” May Be Better Politics than Law

School boards can’t suppress ideas they dislike but do have “broad discretion”

www.educationnext.org

 

[Marvin the Martian]

This is an excerpt of a story that is behind a paywall.

The Northwest Allen County Schools board member who wanted extra time to review four proposed math textbooks praised three titles Monday, but he criticized the other for including story problems about "inappropriate" topics including interracial marriage.​

So, is interracial marriage "inappropriate"?

The non-paywall link:

NACS board cuts 1 math textbook | Northern Indiana

The Northwest Allen County Schools board member who wanted extra time to review four proposed math textbooks praised three titles Monday, but he criticized the other for including story problems about 'inappropriate' topics including interracial marriage. The five-member board unanimously...

spotonindiana.com

Paywall link:

NACS gives approval to all textbooks but 1 in math | Schools | Journal Gazette

NACS school board president Kent Somers criticizes a math book for including story problems about “inappropriate” topics including interracial marriage.

www.journalgazette.net

 

[Hoopsdoc1978]

This is an excerpt of a story that is behind a paywall.

The Northwest Allen County Schools board member who wanted extra time to review four proposed math textbooks praised three titles Monday, but he criticized the other for including story problems about "inappropriate" topics including interracial marriage.​

So, is interracial marriage "inappropriate"?

The non-paywall link:

NACS board cuts 1 math textbook | Northern Indiana

The Northwest Allen County Schools board member who wanted extra time to review four proposed math textbooks praised three titles Monday, but he criticized the other for including story problems about 'inappropriate' topics including interracial marriage. The five-member board unanimously...

spotonindiana.com

Paywall link:

NACS gives approval to all textbooks but 1 in math | Schools | Journal Gazette

NACS school board president Kent Somers criticizes a math book for including story problems about “inappropriate” topics including interracial marriage.

www.journalgazette.net

The actual quote-"Are we talking about divorce rates by education levels? Are we talking about interracial marriages by such-and-such?" Somers said. "These are topics we're adding into story problems that really aren't part of mathematics… probably just a few too many of those."

 

[Marvin the Martian]

The actual quote-"Are we talking about divorce rates by education levels? Are we talking about interracial marriages by such-and-such?" Somers said. "These are topics we're adding into story problems that really aren't part of mathematics… probably just a few too many of those."

So he never used the word "inappropriate"?

 

[MyTeamIsOnTheFloor]

The actual quote-"Are we talking about divorce rates by education levels? Are we talking about interracial marriages by such-and-such?" Somers said. "These are topics we're adding into story problems that really aren't part of mathematics… probably just a few too many of those."

Rain is racist these days. Just ask the journalismists.

Thank God Babbling Biden is gonna remove disinformation from the interwebs.
Half the Loony Left will go “poof” as soon as The Disinformation Detector is flipped on.

 

[anon_6hv78pr714xta]

This is an excerpt of a story that is behind a paywall.

The Northwest Allen County Schools board member who wanted extra time to review four proposed math textbooks praised three titles Monday, but he criticized the other for including story problems about "inappropriate" topics including interracial marriage.​

So, is interracial marriage "inappropriate"?

The non-paywall link:

NACS board cuts 1 math textbook | Northern Indiana

The Northwest Allen County Schools board member who wanted extra time to review four proposed math textbooks praised three titles Monday, but he criticized the other for including story problems about 'inappropriate' topics including interracial marriage. The five-member board unanimously...

spotonindiana.com

Paywall link:

NACS gives approval to all textbooks but 1 in math | Schools | Journal Gazette

NACS school board president Kent Somers criticizes a math book for including story problems about “inappropriate” topics including interracial marriage.

www.journalgazette.net

No, it is not (answering your question).

 

[ORG]

Tennessee school board, objecting to violence, bad language, and brief nudity in a book about the Holocaust, vote unanimously to ban Maus, Art Spiegelman's classic graphic novel.

MSN

www.msn.com

Let the issues be defined at local levels according to community expectations.