Just got disturbing email regarding English class for my rising freshman

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a double STEM/English Lit major in college. For my Lit major I read literature from the 1300s in Middle English (Piers Plowman) to books that were new at the time (Atonement and Never Let Me Go).

I also read plenty of books in college that had disturbing content, like The Collector and Regeneration.

Just reading the classics wouldn't give you a particularly well rounded education, you'd be missing out on a lot.

In college.
In COLLEGE you read these books.
From someone who finds this book to be wildly inappropriate for my 14-year-old, I will agree with you that she *should* read aalllll the books in college! As an adult. Over 18.
Even the ones that make her “uncomfortable.”
Maybe even *especially* those.
But grooming younger teens IS a thing. And we need to be mindful, aware, discretionary, and vigilant about how and on what context sexually explicit material is introduced to our students BY ADULTS, and how and in what context they are encouraged to DISCUSS sexually explicit and even erotic passages with other minor peers with adults so that the blurring of adult/CHILD boundaries are not normalized in a way that is harmful to CHILDREN.
We aren’t talking about a BAN.
We are taking about selecting books that contain many different sexually explicit passages that are not appropriate for 14-year-old CHILDREN.

Huge difference.

Not really? You expect your kid to bot read books that acknowledge the existence of sex at all (which they're going to know about from just basic life). But sure, let's pretend you manage to keep your kid totally sheltered until they're 18 and then expect they're going to be suddenly prepared to read The Bluest Eye in college? If you did manage that, you'd be sett8ng your child up for failure.

And the idea that reading books with any sexual content is "grooming" shows you have no idea what grooming is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not a fan of book banning and would let my kid read whatever they wanted and/or was assigned. I read a different Elizabeth Acevedo book and can see where this author uses sexualized language that is worth warning parents about. Curious if it’s in curriculum or an extra the teacher chose?

I was part of a fcps book review committee last year. I did not review that particular book, but it was on the FCPS curriculum list for required 9th grade reading.

I am unsure if it was a "The class will now read and discuss chapter 5 of Poet X and explain how the sexual and anti Christian themes relate to our personal lives" or if it was used in a "Choose one of these 10 book options on identity, and write a paper explaining how the themes of your chosen book relates to identity."

There is a very big difference between the former and the latter. Given the subject matter and the age, one is completely unacceptable, and one is slightly more acceptable.

I am pretty open about reading any books, but I do think there is something really icky about the adults in FCPS trying to create situations that normalize our minor kids discussing books with graphic sex scenes with random adults. Our school pyramid has had multiple high school and junior teachers fired in the 12 years I have had teens enrolled in FCPS middle and high school for inappropriate behavior with teenagers and older elementary kids, including discussing sexual topics with the kids on social media, up to soliciting sex online from actual teens. Other pyramids have this happen too, most lately the Langley football coach, with enough regularity across the entire district, that makes it pretty clear that creating a curriculum that desensitizes our teens about appropriate boundaries and encourages them to discuss sexually explicit materials with teachers is probably not the direction FCPS should be moving in.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we have one set of books for white bread milquetoast UMC suburban snowflakes, and a different set of books for people who live outside the gates?

Do you mean, “white bred”? Wish we could have separate English classes for morons.

I do too. I'm so sorry you had to suffer through all those class stuffed with challenging words like "bread" that you never learned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know this a FFX thread but my kid is in Falls Church City and as a 9th grader read:
- The Hate U Give
- Make Lemonade
- Romeo and Juliet
- The Odyssey
- Of Mice and Men
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- Ender’s Game (independent read chosen out of 10, I think choices)
- Never Let Me Go (ditto)

I think that is a pretty balanced list!

Off topic—but as someone who opted their kid out of reading the Poet X book ( just too graphic), I wish my 9th grader would have been assigned to read more than just four books all year long.

serious question - how does your child feel about you opting them out? I can't imagine treating my teen like a little kid like that.

As a teen, I had my mom opt me out of high school sex Ed. I didn’t want to be hearing about it from a teacher who was old enough to be my grandparent, in a class with an creepy boy who wanted to date me. No thanks.

Nor do I think high schoolers should be assigned books with explicit sexual content by their teacher. When I think about my (all male) high school English teachers assigning me books to read about sex and blow jobs it is highly disturbing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can we have one set of books for white bread milquetoast UMC suburban snowflakes, and a different set of books for people who live outside the gates?

Someone discovered the joy of freedom of the association.

[Anonymous]

I would be fine with a dual reading list. Those who want their 14 year to read sexually mature content and those who read more classical literature.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would be fine with a dual reading list. Those who want their 14 year to read sexually mature content and those who read more classical literature.

The Awakening, Heart of Darkness, Of Mice and Men, Light in August, Dracula, Tess of the D'Urbervilles. All have sexuality scenes and references and we read them in 9th and 10th 20 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would be fine with a dual reading list. Those who want their 14 year to read sexually mature content and those who read more classical literature.

The Awakening, Heart of Darkness, Of Mice and Men, Light in August, Dracula, Tess of the D'Urbervilles. All have sexuality scenes and references and we read them in 9th and 10th 20 years ago.

Don't forget the Scarlet Letter, the Grapes of Wrath, and the Bible!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a double STEM/English Lit major in college. For my Lit major I read literature from the 1300s in Middle English (Piers Plowman) to books that were new at the time (Atonement and Never Let Me Go).

I also read plenty of books in college that had disturbing content, like The Collector and Regeneration.

Just reading the classics wouldn't give you a particularly well rounded education, you'd be missing out on a lot.

In college.
In COLLEGE you read these books.
From someone who finds this book to be wildly inappropriate for my 14-year-old, I will agree with you that she *should* read aalllll the books in college! As an adult. Over 18.
Even the ones that make her “uncomfortable.”
Maybe even *especially* those.
But grooming younger teens IS a thing. And we need to be mindful, aware, discretionary, and vigilant about how and on what context sexually explicit material is introduced to our students BY ADULTS, and how and in what context they are encouraged to DISCUSS sexually explicit and even erotic passages with other minor peers with adults so that the blurring of adult/CHILD boundaries are not normalized in a way that is harmful to CHILDREN.
We aren’t talking about a BAN.
We are taking about selecting books that contain many different sexually explicit passages that are not appropriate for 14-year-old CHILDREN.

Huge difference.

Not really? You expect your kid to bot read books that acknowledge the existence of sex at all (which they're going to know about from just basic life). But sure, let's pretend you manage to keep your kid totally sheltered until they're 18 and then expect they're going to be suddenly prepared to read The Bluest Eye in college? If you did manage that, you'd be sett8ng your child up for failure.

And the idea that reading books with any sexual content is "grooming" shows you have no idea what grooming is.

Can English class focus on reading, writing, grammar, spelling please.
The sexual content can be covered by health class or FLE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a double STEM/English Lit major in college. For my Lit major I read literature from the 1300s in Middle English (Piers Plowman) to books that were new at the time (Atonement and Never Let Me Go).

I also read plenty of books in college that had disturbing content, like The Collector and Regeneration.

Just reading the classics wouldn't give you a particularly well rounded education, you'd be missing out on a lot.

In college.
In COLLEGE you read these books.
From someone who finds this book to be wildly inappropriate for my 14-year-old, I will agree with you that she *should* read aalllll the books in college! As an adult. Over 18.
Even the ones that make her “uncomfortable.”
Maybe even *especially* those.
But grooming younger teens IS a thing. And we need to be mindful, aware, discretionary, and vigilant about how and on what context sexually explicit material is introduced to our students BY ADULTS, and how and in what context they are encouraged to DISCUSS sexually explicit and even erotic passages with other minor peers with adults so that the blurring of adult/CHILD boundaries are not normalized in a way that is harmful to CHILDREN.
We aren’t talking about a BAN.
We are taking about selecting books that contain many different sexually explicit passages that are not appropriate for 14-year-old CHILDREN.

Huge difference.

Not really? You expect your kid to bot read books that acknowledge the existence of sex at all (which they're going to know about from just basic life). But sure, let's pretend you manage to keep your kid totally sheltered until they're 18 and then expect they're going to be suddenly prepared to read The Bluest Eye in college? If you did manage that, you'd be sett8ng your child up for failure.

And the idea that reading books with any sexual content is "grooming" shows you have no idea what grooming is.

Can English class focus on reading, writing, grammar, spelling please.
The sexual content can be covered by health class or FLE.

Your kid isn't learning spelling in 9th grade...

Literature is about human experience. It's going to cover a range of human experiences, which includes sexuality. Excising anything with sexual themes cuts basically all Shakespeare, most classic literature (like, huh, why is Lydia's family so upset in Pride and Prejudice when she runs off), and so on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's the new normal now. So stupid.

We don't censor media in our house.

Somehow I doubt you have copies of Penthouse just lying around “for the articles” but hey—I could be wrong. Maybe sharing erotica with your teens around the kitchen table is a thing for your family, but it isn’t really something we embrace nor is it something I want a teacher introducing my teen child to in an academic classroom.
I just think there are about a hundred other non-erotica non-explicit non-profane books that can be selected to teach the same concepts.
And this particular book can have its place on the library shelf alongside Judy Blume’s Forever and EL James’ Fifty Shades of Gray, where it can be checked out by students who are curious or passed around in whispers and giggles among peers who get a thrill out of scandalizing one another. Aa optional reading, it’s just one of “those” books that will invite gasps and wide eyes. As classroom material, it’s unnecessary. And the parts that are objectionable really do read like an x-rated dirty magazine article that any reasonable adult would find questionable for the classroom at best and wholly inappropriate at worst.

You're grasping at straws here and completely divorced from reality.

+1

This is true for all of the “moms for liberty”/MAGA types.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a double STEM/English Lit major in college. For my Lit major I read literature from the 1300s in Middle English (Piers Plowman) to books that were new at the time (Atonement and Never Let Me Go).

I also read plenty of books in college that had disturbing content, like The Collector and Regeneration.

Just reading the classics wouldn't give you a particularly well rounded education, you'd be missing out on a lot.

In college.
In COLLEGE you read these books.
From someone who finds this book to be wildly inappropriate for my 14-year-old, I will agree with you that she *should* read aalllll the books in college! As an adult. Over 18.
Even the ones that make her “uncomfortable.”
Maybe even *especially* those.
But grooming younger teens IS a thing. And we need to be mindful, aware, discretionary, and vigilant about how and on what context sexually explicit material is introduced to our students BY ADULTS, and how and in what context they are encouraged to DISCUSS sexually explicit and even erotic passages with other minor peers with adults so that the blurring of adult/CHILD boundaries are not normalized in a way that is harmful to CHILDREN.
We aren’t talking about a BAN.
We are taking about selecting books that contain many different sexually explicit passages that are not appropriate for 14-year-old CHILDREN.

Huge difference.

Not really? You expect your kid to bot read books that acknowledge the existence of sex at all (which they're going to know about from just basic life). But sure, let's pretend you manage to keep your kid totally sheltered until they're 18 and then expect they're going to be suddenly prepared to read The Bluest Eye in college? If you did manage that, you'd be sett8ng your child up for failure.

And the idea that reading books with any sexual content is "grooming" shows you have no idea what grooming is.

Can English class focus on reading, writing, grammar, spelling please.
The sexual content can be covered by health class or FLE.

Your kid isn't learning spelling in 9th grade...

Literature is about human experience. It's going to cover a range of human experiences, which includes sexuality. Excising anything with sexual themes cuts basically all Shakespeare, most classic literature (like, huh, why is Lydia's family so upset in Pride and Prejudice when she runs off), and so on.

LOL, now you are using classic literature as your excuse. Don't be so hypocritical.
DC was a 7th grader last year, there was only one classic literature on his English class reading list. But the teacher didn't use it. Multiple progressive gender themed books were in the reading list and assigned to students. DC got one. It includes the depicts of sexual experience between two teen boys. I don't think the content is appropriate to a 12 yo boy. Don't try to use classic literature to cover up the real purpose of promoting some agenda. People are not stupid. Parents can tell whether the content is appropriate to student. If some parents are OK with those contents, just let your students read the books. No need to feel annoyed by this email.s Some parents have different opinion and choose to OPT out. Then please respect those parents's opinion and legal right too. Schools/teachers should be inclusive and be respectful to different culture and religions. The email urge parents to be more involved in their children't school education and promote the collaboration between families and schools. It can also slightly offset the school local book review committee's lack of transparency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a double STEM/English Lit major in college. For my Lit major I read literature from the 1300s in Middle English (Piers Plowman) to books that were new at the time (Atonement and Never Let Me Go).

I also read plenty of books in college that had disturbing content, like The Collector and Regeneration.

Just reading the classics wouldn't give you a particularly well rounded education, you'd be missing out on a lot.

In college.
In COLLEGE you read these books.
From someone who finds this book to be wildly inappropriate for my 14-year-old, I will agree with you that she *should* read aalllll the books in college! As an adult. Over 18.
Even the ones that make her “uncomfortable.”
Maybe even *especially* those.
But grooming younger teens IS a thing. And we need to be mindful, aware, discretionary, and vigilant about how and on what context sexually explicit material is introduced to our students BY ADULTS, and how and in what context they are encouraged to DISCUSS sexually explicit and even erotic passages with other minor peers with adults so that the blurring of adult/CHILD boundaries are not normalized in a way that is harmful to CHILDREN.
We aren’t talking about a BAN.
We are taking about selecting books that contain many different sexually explicit passages that are not appropriate for 14-year-old CHILDREN.

Huge difference.

Not really? You expect your kid to bot read books that acknowledge the existence of sex at all (which they're going to know about from just basic life). But sure, let's pretend you manage to keep your kid totally sheltered until they're 18 and then expect they're going to be suddenly prepared to read The Bluest Eye in college? If you did manage that, you'd be sett8ng your child up for failure.

And the idea that reading books with any sexual content is "grooming" shows you have no idea what grooming is.

Can English class focus on reading, writing, grammar, spelling please.
The sexual content can be covered by health class or FLE.

Your kid isn't learning spelling in 9th grade...

Literature is about human experience. It's going to cover a range of human experiences, which includes sexuality. Excising anything with sexual themes cuts basically all Shakespeare, most classic literature (like, huh, why is Lydia's family so upset in Pride and Prejudice when she runs off), and so on.

LOL, now you are using classic literature as your excuse. Don't be so hypocritical.
DC was a 7th grader last year, there was only one classic literature on his English class reading list. But the teacher didn't use it. Multiple progressive gender themed books were in the reading list and assigned to students. DC got one. It includes the depicts of sexual experience between two teen boys. I don't think the content is appropriate to a 12 yo boy. Don't try to use classic literature to cover up the real purpose of promoting some agenda. People are not stupid. Parents can tell whether the content is appropriate to student. If some parents are OK with those contents, just let your students read the books. No need to feel annoyed by this email.s Some parents have different opinion and choose to OPT out. Then please respect those parents's opinion and legal right too. Schools/teachers should be inclusive and be respectful to different culture and religions. The email urge parents to be more involved in their children't school education and promote the collaboration between families and schools. It can also slightly offset the school local book review committee's lack of transparency.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a double STEM/English Lit major in college. For my Lit major I read literature from the 1300s in Middle English (Piers Plowman) to books that were new at the time (Atonement and Never Let Me Go).

I also read plenty of books in college that had disturbing content, like The Collector and Regeneration.

Just reading the classics wouldn't give you a particularly well rounded education, you'd be missing out on a lot.

In college.
In COLLEGE you read these books.
From someone who finds this book to be wildly inappropriate for my 14-year-old, I will agree with you that she *should* read aalllll the books in college! As an adult. Over 18.
Even the ones that make her “uncomfortable.”
Maybe even *especially* those.
But grooming younger teens IS a thing. And we need to be mindful, aware, discretionary, and vigilant about how and on what context sexually explicit material is introduced to our students BY ADULTS, and how and in what context they are encouraged to DISCUSS sexually explicit and even erotic passages with other minor peers with adults so that the blurring of adult/CHILD boundaries are not normalized in a way that is harmful to CHILDREN.
We aren’t talking about a BAN.
We are taking about selecting books that contain many different sexually explicit passages that are not appropriate for 14-year-old CHILDREN.

Huge difference.

Not really? You expect your kid to bot read books that acknowledge the existence of sex at all (which they're going to know about from just basic life). But sure, let's pretend you manage to keep your kid totally sheltered until they're 18 and then expect they're going to be suddenly prepared to read The Bluest Eye in college? If you did manage that, you'd be sett8ng your child up for failure.

And the idea that reading books with any sexual content is "grooming" shows you have no idea what grooming is.

Can English class focus on reading, writing, grammar, spelling please.
The sexual content can be covered by health class or FLE.

Your kid isn't learning spelling in 9th grade...

Literature is about human experience. It's going to cover a range of human experiences, which includes sexuality. Excising anything with sexual themes cuts basically all Shakespeare, most classic literature (like, huh, why is Lydia's family so upset in Pride and Prejudice when she runs off), and so on.

LOL, now you are using classic literature as your excuse. Don't be so hypocritical.
DC was a 7th grader last year, there was only one classic literature on his English class reading list. But the teacher didn't use it. Multiple progressive gender themed books were in the reading list and assigned to students. DC got one. It includes the depicts of sexual experience between two teen boys. I don't think the content is appropriate to a 12 yo boy. Don't try to use classic literature to cover up the real purpose of promoting some agenda. People are not stupid. Parents can tell whether the content is appropriate to student. If some parents are OK with those contents, just let your students read the books. No need to feel annoyed by this email.s Some parents have different opinion and choose to OPT out. Then please respect those parents's opinion and legal right too. Schools/teachers should be inclusive and be respectful to different culture and religions. The email urge parents to be more involved in their children't school education and promote the collaboration between families and schools. It can also slightly offset the school local book review committee's lack of transparency.

The point is the classics have sexual content too. Shakespeare has tons of sex jokes in it. Acting like kids can't handle books that even hint at relationships or assuming there's some kind of agenda or calling teachers groomers makes you sound completely unhinged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was a double STEM/English Lit major in college. For my Lit major I read literature from the 1300s in Middle English (Piers Plowman) to books that were new at the time (Atonement and Never Let Me Go).

I also read plenty of books in college that had disturbing content, like The Collector and Regeneration.

Just reading the classics wouldn't give you a particularly well rounded education, you'd be missing out on a lot.

In college.
In COLLEGE you read these books.
From someone who finds this book to be wildly inappropriate for my 14-year-old, I will agree with you that she *should* read aalllll the books in college! As an adult. Over 18.
Even the ones that make her “uncomfortable.”
Maybe even *especially* those.
But grooming younger teens IS a thing. And we need to be mindful, aware, discretionary, and vigilant about how and on what context sexually explicit material is introduced to our students BY ADULTS, and how and in what context they are encouraged to DISCUSS sexually explicit and even erotic passages with other minor peers with adults so that the blurring of adult/CHILD boundaries are not normalized in a way that is harmful to CHILDREN.
We aren’t talking about a BAN.
We are taking about selecting books that contain many different sexually explicit passages that are not appropriate for 14-year-old CHILDREN.

Huge difference.

Not really? You expect your kid to bot read books that acknowledge the existence of sex at all (which they're going to know about from just basic life). But sure, let's pretend you manage to keep your kid totally sheltered until they're 18 and then expect they're going to be suddenly prepared to read The Bluest Eye in college? If you did manage that, you'd be sett8ng your child up for failure.

And the idea that reading books with any sexual content is "grooming" shows you have no idea what grooming is.

Can English class focus on reading, writing, grammar, spelling please.
The sexual content can be covered by health class or FLE.

Your kid isn't learning spelling in 9th grade...

Literature is about human experience. It's going to cover a range of human experiences, which includes sexuality. Excising anything with sexual themes cuts basically all Shakespeare, most classic literature (like, huh, why is Lydia's family so upset in Pride and Prejudice when she runs off), and so on.

LOL, now you are using classic literature as your excuse. Don't be so hypocritical.
DC was a 7th grader last year, there was only one classic literature on his English class reading list. But the teacher didn't use it. Multiple progressive gender themed books were in the reading list and assigned to students. DC got one. It includes the depicts of sexual experience between two teen boys. I don't think the content is appropriate to a 12 yo boy. Don't try to use classic literature to cover up the real purpose of promoting some agenda. People are not stupid. Parents can tell whether the content is appropriate to student. If some parents are OK with those contents, just let your students read the books. No need to feel annoyed by this email.s Some parents have different opinion and choose to OPT out. Then please respect those parents's opinion and legal right too. Schools/teachers should be inclusive and be respectful to different culture and religions. The email urge parents to be more involved in their children't school education and promote the collaboration between families and schools. It can also slightly offset the school local book review committee's lack of transparency.

The point is the classics have sexual content too. Shakespeare has tons of sex jokes in it. Acting like kids can't handle books that even hint at relationships or assuming there's some kind of agenda or calling teachers groomers makes you sound completely unhinged.

Depends on how explicit the description is.

"forsooth my naked weapon is out" is way more mild than some of the descriptions we see in more modern literature.