My kids were in middle school between 2010-2015. It was when had been phasing out required classical readings and you chose from a list of approved books. I had my daughter choose Fahrenheit 451 because the other 20-some books on the list dealt with gender issues and sexual deviancy. 1984 wasn’t even a choice! Then I remember later that year there WAS a required reading book for a lesson and she was so disturbed by the content she came to me rattled and didn’t want to finish it. It was describing in full detail incestual rape. She was only 12 or 13!! I can’t imagine how that started to mess with the formation of her thoughts. I raged at the school and got her out of the assignment but the damage was already done.
Incidentally I later discovered when they were in high school that the classics were not required reading anymore because the kids didn’t understand them or how people talked in the days they were written so it was too hard to teach from. 🤨 I thought that WAS the job of an English teacher. To teach how to read the classics and build a love for them, and strong critical thinking skills. But no, lazy teachers didn’t want to help them understand. Let’s feed them books written with Urban dictionary language instead so they can absorb our indoctrination easier.
In the early 80’s when I was in college the school of education had the lowest SAT scores and highest acceptance rate of any program in the college. I suspect it’s the same today.
And those that can't teach gym become administrators and curriculum directors.
I work in schools, and in truth there are still wonderful, committed teachers out there and administrators wise enough to stay out of their way.
But the headwinds get stronger all the time for teachers to become just "curriculum imparters" and the curriculum increasingly is top-down "trust the authority" emotional manipulation brainrot.
Every year for me, the last days of summer get more bittersweet.
I was in grade 12 in Canada in 1978-79. University entrance English was split into the morning session with standardized curriculum and afternoon with four two-month thematic units. In the morning we studied The Grapes of Wrath, Tess of the d’ Urbervilles and two novels by the renowned Manitoba author, Margaret Laurence (The Stone Angel and A Jest of God). For afternoon English we covered units on thriller novels, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, creative writing and the Theatre of the Absurd.
My kids were in middle school between 2010-2015. It was when had been phasing out required classical readings and you chose from a list of approved books. I had my daughter choose Fahrenheit 451 because the other 20-some books on the list dealt with gender issues and sexual deviancy. 1984 wasn’t even a choice! Then I remember later that year there WAS a required reading book for a lesson and she was so disturbed by the content she came to me rattled and didn’t want to finish it. It was describing in full detail incestual rape. She was only 12 or 13!! I can’t imagine how that started to mess with the formation of her thoughts. I raged at the school and got her out of the assignment but the damage was already done.
Incidentally I later discovered when they were in high school that the classics were not required reading anymore because the kids didn’t understand them or how people talked in the days they were written so it was too hard to teach from. 🤨 I thought that WAS the job of an English teacher. To teach how to read the classics and build a love for them, and strong critical thinking skills. But no, lazy teachers didn’t want to help them understand. Let’s feed them books written with Urban dictionary language instead so they can absorb our indoctrination easier.
"But no, lazy teachers didn’t want to help them understand". You're assuming that the teachers understood them.
And we all know what happens when you assume.
In the early 80’s when I was in college the school of education had the lowest SAT scores and highest acceptance rate of any program in the college. I suspect it’s the same today.
Those who can't do, teach.
Those who can't teach, teach gym.
-- Woody Allen
And those that can't teach gym become administrators and curriculum directors.
I work in schools, and in truth there are still wonderful, committed teachers out there and administrators wise enough to stay out of their way.
But the headwinds get stronger all the time for teachers to become just "curriculum imparters" and the curriculum increasingly is top-down "trust the authority" emotional manipulation brainrot.
Every year for me, the last days of summer get more bittersweet.
Same in the 70s, I believe.
Let's not forget, these were the written words of white people, another reason they were phased out.
What is with the current obsession with teaching novels, like Speak, that are fixated around sexual assault, depression and/or gender identity?
While bringing attention to sexual assault is important, it shouldn’t be the main focus of formal education.
Meanwhile, reading, math and science literacy rates are abysmal.
This generation has been failed on so many levels, from lockdowns to low standards to this odd focus on sexuality.
I was in grade 12 in Canada in 1978-79. University entrance English was split into the morning session with standardized curriculum and afternoon with four two-month thematic units. In the morning we studied The Grapes of Wrath, Tess of the d’ Urbervilles and two novels by the renowned Manitoba author, Margaret Laurence (The Stone Angel and A Jest of God). For afternoon English we covered units on thriller novels, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, creative writing and the Theatre of the Absurd.
Wow!