'Vulgar' stories pulled after complaints(Teacher assigned David Sedaris "I Like Guys," to students)

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=%27Vulgar%27+stories+pulled+after+complaints&articl ^ | Jun. 19, 2009 | By JIM FENNELL

[Tired of Taxes]

ANOTHER REASON TO HOMESCHOOL

This ping list is for the “other” articles of interest to homeschoolers about education and public school. This can occasionally be a fairly high volume list. Articles pinged to the Another Reason to Homeschool List will be given the keyword of ARTH. (If I remember. If I forget, please feel free to add it yourself) The main Homeschool Ping List handles the homeschool-specific articles. Metmom holds both the Homeschool Ping List and the Another Reason to Homeschool Ping list. Please freepmail me to let me know if you would like to be added to or removed from either list, or both.

[Tired of Taxes]

Shakespeare, Donne, and Milton were required reading for us. We read "Catcher in the Rye" in secret.

Class of '82 here. Catcher in the Rye was required reading at my high school. Also required were 1984, The Hobbit (which I'd already read), and Fahrenheit 451, in addition to a few classics. (We read Judy Blume's "Wifey" in secret.)

Then in college, our English professor assigned James Joyce and Kurt Vonnegut.

[Tired of Taxes]

Never heard of him. But, your post led me to do a search, and I came across what must be some of the funniest skits ever (lol). The school must’ve gone out of its way to find the other story to suit its agenda.

[happinesswithoutpeace]

I read “Survivor Type” when I was young. Strong story.

[Psalm 73]

"....Shorts Stories teacher Meredith Potter...."

What ever happened to Thurber, Hawthorne, Kipling.......?

[Psalm 73]

"....our English professor assigned James Joyce and Kurt Vonnegut."

Vonnegut is delightful, but I'd rather have my spleen removed with a butter knife than read another Joyce novel (there is nothing more painful than Finnegan's Wake).

[Rebelbase]

"Whoever wrote that paper doesn't know the first thing about Kurt Vonnegut"

[karatemom]

Class of ‘82 as well: Tale of two Cities, The Canterbury Tales, tons of Shakespeare. “Out, Out, damned spot!”

[Condor51]

Litchfield school officials reacted swiftly to an outcry from parents concerned about stories students were assigned to read in a Campbell High School English class.

"Some of these stories contained explicit, vulgar and gratuitous language and school administrators have determined that these stories are not appropriate for a high school curriculum,"

I'm getting olllllllld.
When I was in HS back in the 60's, having 'Catcher In The Rye' would get you suspended for a week, 'Lolita' was banned outright and even 'Catch-22' would get you a raised eyebrow.

But on the up side, back then we didn't have perverts and commies running the schools (Chicago)

[TomOnTheRun]

I've read the Hemmingway in question (I've only heard Sidaris on the radio) and they just don't seem that bad in comparison to stuff I read at that age. I attended a Catholic school and read Candide in my soph. year. Voltaire seems MUCH more extreme than anything those fellows would write.

I'm not sure this should be that much of a problem for high-schoolers. In 12-18 months most of them will be expected to read such material for literature studies at university without being freaked out. General character and outlook of teenagers seems formed enough by that time to resist degredation merely from knowing that these things exist. I'm not sure that an extra 12 months would make the difference.

[wbill]

I read "Survivor Type" when I was in HS. It's an unsettling story, but nothing horrific. I've no idea why it would belong in the classroom, though.

David Sedaris is overrated. Mrs WBill reads him, I've picked up her books once in awhile. He's a gay man that's mistaken Bitchy, Snarky Comments for biting wit. Think a Gay David Spade, times 10.

No idea why Sedaris would be in a classroom, either.

[Psalm 73]

"Whoever wrote that paper doesn't know the first thing about Kurt Vonnegut"

"Yeah sure - call me sometime when you've got no class"

[ConservativeWarrior]

Bravo! Keep the pressure on the schools, and don’t give up the fight. All that’s required for evil to succeed...

[Tired of Taxes]

Class of ‘82 as well: Tale of two Cities, The Canterbury Tales,...

I forgot, Canterbury Tales was required for us, too. I probably wanted to forget it because the teacher didn't like me, and in assigning each of us to read before the class in one of the roles, she assigned me to the role of the manure shoveler... lol.

[Tired of Taxes]

Luckily, the professor assigned us a Joyce book that was a series of short stories. :-) The novel we read was Vonnegut’s “Mother Night”.

[karatemom]

Sorry to bring up that unfavorable “repressed memory”!! She must have had it in for you!
The 80’s were great, weren’t they?

[Maelstorm]

That is exactly right. We just need to stand up because if we don’t we will be silenced.

[TomasUSMC]

Homo perverts used to lurk in public toilets. Now they run our public schools
//////////////////
Now they run the stinking Country.