GDS HS English Classes

[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 has to be a troll. Critical race theory is legal scholarship, no way they’d be teaching it in HS English, unless the person teaching it doesn’t understand what it is. Sounds like a Maga trump fan making fun of GDS’ wokism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Yes it is a college prep school. Yes, in college a English classes they will grapple with these and other academic theories. You don’t have to study English in college but that is what it is.

[Anonymous]

What framework do you use to analyze literature, OP? These are all tools/theoretical frameworks of analysis.

[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.

This has to be a troll. Critical race theory is legal scholarship, no way they’d be teaching it in HS English, unless the person teaching it doesn’t understand what it is. Sounds like a Maga trump fan making fun of GDS’ wokism.

They don’t have a law class so English seems like a reasonable place, or US History. I don’t understand you people at all. CRT is hugely relevant. It has become a very high profile political bogeyman. How could a responsible high school turn out graduates who DON’T know what it is?

[Anonymous]

Because some people think that schools can't teach about something without it being an attempt to indoctrinate the students about espousing it.

[Anonymous]

Not happening like this at our kids boarding schools. Or our cousins NyC schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because some people think that schools can't teach about something without it being an attempt to indoctrinate the students about espousing it.

Maybe someone can sit in on the class discussions and see for themselves if there’s any content critique or if something controversial is accepted automatically and they only talk around the bushes about tone, diction, imagery, character dev.

My impression of GDS assignments is to constantly focus on injustices in America or various former colonies in the world. I mean look at the long Haitian revolution unit and South Africa one. No criticisms of independent rule, all blame of the past for everything else decades and centuries later. Newest thing to blame is climate change, Nevermind any discussion on various data sources or viewpoints.

[Anonymous]

Sounds suffocating

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds suffocating

A response with two words and no punctuation. Riiiight.

[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.

English has never been just a study of literature.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

They just hope the parents don’t care that they use political agenda books to “analyze” in class. In reality, they’re mainly talking about the messaging in the book and via what literary tools. The more political messaging and agenda content the better. Save the world!

[Anonymous]

Post the student article link. They run one of those every few months.

[Anonymous]

OP - this was my least favorite component of the GDS curriculum and I am fully on board with DEI.

The school our child chose for HS is a bit more traditional, but is expanding novels in English course to represent different voices in the community and from cultures around the world. I much prefer this approach.

[Anonymous]

Looks like a class on literary theory, which is usually housed in an English/literature curriculum. Pretty common for college courses, and GDS English courses are supposed to be at that level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looks like a class on literary theory, which is usually housed in an English/literature curriculum. Pretty common for college courses, and GDS English courses are supposed to be at that level.

So they should use tons of controversial, politically slanted new author books to do so?