GDS HS English Classes

[Anonymous]

Parent here. Have been mostly happy w GDS HS english and related faculty.

This fall, one of the HS grades as started out by studying the following topics:

Queer Studies, CRT, Marxist Theory, Intersectionality, Structuralism Theory

Serious old person question - why are these taught in ENGLISH rather than in a special elective class? Isn't english for the study of literature. I get it - literature is a window into humanity....but really? I also get it - it's GDS but this is a core class all students must take.

And there was even an op-ed in student paper last week from a student very unhappy with the single-minded bias faculty show and the lack of oxygen they provide for dissenting views.

[Anonymous]

I would assume those are just the writing genres selected for teaching the basic reading comprehension, critical analysis, and writing skills basic to all English classes.

If not, then I wouldn't call that an English class. That seems more like a college sociology course description.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent here. Have been mostly happy w GDS HS english and related faculty.

This fall, one of the HS grades as started out by studying the following topics:

Queer Studies, CRT, Marxist Theory, Intersectionality, Structuralism Theory

Serious old person question - why are these taught in ENGLISH rather than in a special elective class? Isn't english for the study of literature. I get it - literature is a window into humanity....but really? I also get it - it's GDS but this is a core class all students must take.

And there was even an op-ed in student paper last week from a student very unhappy with the single-minded bias faculty show and the lack of oxygen they provide for dissenting views.

All of those topics could be taught outside literature in history or sociology, but I expect that college-level literature courses are using those as some of several analytical viewpoints, so GDS wants their students to be familiar with them, just like they would other viewpoints like heroic sagas, classical tragedies, etc.

Literary analysis is more complicated and diverse than it used to be.

[Anonymous]

Why would you expect these topics to be in an elective class? The school's DEI framework says that DEI philosophies are to be integrated throughout the curriculum. This seems like a natural implementation of that.

[Anonymous]

Are they reading novels/ other works of literature as they study these topics?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent here. Have been mostly happy w GDS HS english and related faculty.

This fall, one of the HS grades as started out by studying the following topics:

Queer Studies, CRT, Marxist Theory, Intersectionality, Structuralism Theory

Serious old person question - why are these taught in ENGLISH rather than in a special elective class? Isn't english for the study of literature. I get it - literature is a window into humanity....but really? I also get it - it's GDS but this is a core class all students must take.

And there was even an op-ed in student paper last week from a student very unhappy with the single-minded bias faculty show and the lack of oxygen they provide for dissenting views.

This is a core, requires class to graduate?

[Anonymous]

There’s a significant opportunity cost to hammering on this for 4+ years of schooling versus an actual well-rounded k-12 education.
There are only so many books and hours one has time to study.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent here. Have been mostly happy w GDS HS english and related faculty.

This fall, one of the HS grades as started out by studying the following topics:

Queer Studies, CRT, Marxist Theory, Intersectionality, Structuralism Theory

Serious old person question - why are these taught in ENGLISH rather than in a special elective class? Isn't english for the study of literature. I get it - literature is a window into humanity....but really? I also get it - it's GDS but this is a core class all students must take.

And there was even an op-ed in student paper last week from a student very unhappy with the single-minded bias faculty show and the lack of oxygen they provide for dissenting views.

All of those topics could be taught outside literature in history or sociology, but I expect that college-level literature courses are using those as some of several analytical viewpoints, so GDS wants their students to be familiar with them, just like they would other viewpoints like heroic sagas, classical tragedies, etc.

Literary analysis is more complicated and diverse than it used to be.

Are they also reading the heroic sagas and classical tragedies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would assume those are just the writing genres selected for teaching the basic reading comprehension, critical analysis, and writing skills basic to all English classes.

If not, then I wouldn't call that an English class. That seems more like a college sociology course description.

i
I’d call it a political agenda brainwashing class.

School newspaper usually is too. Makes fun of anyone asking for a balance.

[Anonymous]

Even at my mainstream college 25 years ago, these were pretty standard "lenses" for looking at literature. Structuralism and Marxist readings were old news then.

Advanced for HS, though. I hated literary theory so didn't major in English but this was all typical for the discipline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent here. Have been mostly happy w GDS HS english and related faculty.

This fall, one of the HS grades as started out by studying the following topics:

Queer Studies, CRT, Marxist Theory, Intersectionality, Structuralism Theory

Serious old person question - why are these taught in ENGLISH rather than in a special elective class? Isn't english for the study of literature. I get it - literature is a window into humanity....but really? I also get it - it's GDS but this is a core class all students must take.

And there was even an op-ed in student paper last week from a student very unhappy with the single-minded bias faculty show and the lack of oxygen they provide for dissenting views.

Teachers can do whatever they want in the name of social Justice mission. History, social studies, reading class, literature is where this really shines at a school like GdS. Oh, and the upper school sex Ed classes.

[Anonymous]

They are primed for the woke elite universities.

I'm liberal and accepting, but there is a time and place. English should be focused on the Classic works. A little new sprinkled in here and there, but holy crap none of that belongs in English class.

[Anonymous]

I can see why my son's friend is absolutely miserable there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:English should be focused on the Classic works.

Why?

[Anonymous]

I’m a GDS alumnae. By high school, a GDS student should be reading a lot of literature outside the curriculum. The English classes are fairly broad but they are preparing students to excel as college students. Your list is of a bunch of academic theories and movements that are prominent right now inside and outside of academia and I can see why the English department might think a semester’s deep dive is a good idea. If you want to make a critical assessment of something, you have to know what it is.

When I was a student they assigned big chunks of the Bible in English 9 so that we would be able to recognize and explore its reflection in art and literature. That was appropriate too.

Bottom line, if you’re worried about “indoctrination” it makes more sense to focus on the lower school. If you want an English class where students just read and analyze books without engaging any kind of academic theory, you’re at the wrong school.