Just got disturbing email regarding English class for my rising freshman

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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!

Not only are some of these classics inappropriate, when we have read them in class, the kids hate them. They find them to be boring and “old.” 90% of the kids stop reading them after the first couple chapters and make excuses on why they’re behind on reading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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!

Not only are some of these classics inappropriate, when we have read them in class, the kids hate them. They find them to be boring and “old.” 90% of the kids stop reading them after the first couple chapters and make excuses on why they’re behind on reading.

Oh no, kids find something at school boring - shocker! By all means, let the kids dictate the curriculum then.

[Anonymous]

What's so special about the "classics"? Some are deathly boring. So much so that even back in my day, kids were reading hte crib notes just to get through them, check the box, and move on. I cannot remember much in the way of lessons I took away from those readings.

I am, however, still shocked that people don't want their MS and HS kids to read things that have sexual content. Besides being just silly on its face, it's unbelievably naive. You're kids are still getting sexual content at school: through friends, peers, information passed down from the kids who DO attend FLE and read the books, and from the internet.

Do you parents who object allow your kids to have smart phones? Because, I have news for you . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's so special about the "classics"? Some are deathly boring. So much so that even back in my day, kids were reading hte crib notes just to get through them, check the box, and move on. I cannot remember much in the way of lessons I took away from those readings.

I am, however, still shocked that people don't want their MS and HS kids to read things that have sexual content. Besides being just silly on its face, it's unbelievably naive. You're kids are still getting sexual content at school: through friends, peers, information passed down from the kids who DO attend FLE and read the books, and from the internet.

Do you parents who object allow your kids to have smart phones? Because, I have news for you . . .

Sharing "classics" is how you pass down culture to a diverse group of people who have nothing else in common. But since its always "Year Zero" to lefties, that gets in the way for activism and changing the world. Saw this in my home country.

There's a difference between kids getting access to content as minors they're not supposed to have access too and governmental bodies endorsing similiar content.

Smartphones are a cancer on society and a life waster. So is social media. They're both genies that need to go back into the bottle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

There are explicit and mild descriptions in both classic literature and modern literature. There are classic and modern books that have no place in a 9th grade classroom. Forever, and 50 Shades of Gray are both good examples that have been listed here.

The particular book we are talking about here, The Poet X, is milder than "naked weapon", in part because all the weapons stay clothed. There is a scene where X's boyfriend takes off her shirt (but not her bra) while they are making out, she changes her mind and says stop, and he stops. It's a beautiful illustration of what consent should look like for teens.

Can teens read it and Shakespeare? Of course. Should teens not read it because, and I'm quoting this thread, it's not "fantasy wish granting" and thus not "exciting" to teen boys to read about girls saying no and boys respecting that? That's ridiculous. Girls and boys both need to know how to back out when they change their minds, or are in over their head, and this books is a great model for that.

[Anonymous]

This is what we can't have boys read because it isn't "exciting" or "fantasy wish granting". Think about the message you give your sons when you tell them this is not a poem you want them learning from so they'll have to go to the library instead.

(Note: The last thing that happens before this poem is that she says "We have to stop".)

The Next Move

I wait for him to call me all the names
I know girls get called in this moment.

I sit up and hold my bra against my chest
with no memory of how I became undone.

When his fingers brush against my spine
my whole body stiffens. Waiting.

But he only pulls my straps up and
snaps my bra closed. Hands me my T-shirt.

We are silent as I get dressed.
I wait for him to hand me my boots.

To point me toward the door.

I know this is how it works. You put out or you get out.

So I am surprised when instead of my boots Aman hands me his own T-shirt,

and when I look at him confused
he takes it back and uses the sleeve

to wipe the tears sprinting down my cheek.

Acevedo, Elizabeth. The Poet X (p. 328). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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!

Not only are some of these classics inappropriate, when we have read them in class, the kids hate them. They find them to be boring and “old.” 90% of the kids stop reading them after the first couple chapters and make excuses on why they’re behind on reading.

I hated Math and thought it was boring and old...should we take that off as well? I know I have to respect opinions so I will admit that I just can't understand or relate to people who demonize teens learning about their bodies and all the things, good or bad, that can be done with them. Knowledge is power. Knowledge is the power teens need to understand their bodies and the risks and consequences of all kinds of behavior. And yes, today's kids at 14 are ready for it. You can indeed thank the internet for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is what we can't have boys read because it isn't "exciting" or "fantasy wish granting". Think about the message you give your sons when you tell them this is not a poem you want them learning from so they'll have to go to the library instead.

(Note: The last thing that happens before this poem is that she says "We have to stop".)

The Next Move

I wait for him to call me all the names
I know girls get called in this moment.

I sit up and hold my bra against my chest
with no memory of how I became undone.

When his fingers brush against my spine
my whole body stiffens. Waiting.

But he only pulls my straps up and
snaps my bra closed. Hands me my T-shirt.

We are silent as I get dressed.
I wait for him to hand me my boots.

To point me toward the door.

I know this is how it works. You put out or you get out.

So I am surprised when instead of my boots Aman hands me his own T-shirt,

and when I look at him confused
he takes it back and uses the sleeve

to wipe the tears sprinting down my cheek.

Acevedo, Elizabeth. The Poet X (p. 328). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

Yeah no thanks.

[Anonymous]

I wonder how many parents are OK with their kids listening to rap but object to these books?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is what we can't have boys read because it isn't "exciting" or "fantasy wish granting". Think about the message you give your sons when you tell them this is not a poem you want them learning from so they'll have to go to the library instead.

(Note: The last thing that happens before this poem is that she says "We have to stop".)

The Next Move

I wait for him to call me all the names
I know girls get called in this moment.

I sit up and hold my bra against my chest
with no memory of how I became undone.

When his fingers brush against my spine
my whole body stiffens. Waiting.

But he only pulls my straps up and
snaps my bra closed. Hands me my T-shirt.

We are silent as I get dressed.
I wait for him to hand me my boots.

To point me toward the door.

I know this is how it works. You put out or you get out.

So I am surprised when instead of my boots Aman hands me his own T-shirt,

and when I look at him confused
he takes it back and uses the sleeve

to wipe the tears sprinting down my cheek.

Acevedo, Elizabeth. The Poet X (p. 328). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

Yeah no thanks.

It's tame compared to Shakespeare

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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!

Not only are some of these classics inappropriate, when we have read them in class, the kids hate them. They find them to be boring and “old.” 90% of the kids stop reading them after the first couple chapters and make excuses on why they’re behind on reading.

I hated Math and thought it was boring and old...should we take that off as well? I know I have to respect opinions so I will admit that I just can't understand or relate to people who demonize teens learning about their bodies and all the things, good or bad, that can be done with them. Knowledge is power. Knowledge is the power teens need to understand their bodies and the risks and consequences of all kinds of behavior. And yes, today's kids at 14 are ready for it. You can indeed thank the internet for that.

Yes we should, unless you're on the stem track. You can take all the arguments about well you learn logic with math and learn that you get logic from the ancient Greeks. Go read the dialogues and the like and you will learn logic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately yes. Teachers are required to alert parents! However, parents can ask for specific titles, read them and opt their child out of any they feel are not appropriate. Teachers are required to provide an alternative assignment and to avoid any action or statement that would be critical of the child or parent.

But if my child is the only one doing the alternative assignment, they won’t be part of any class discussions. How would that work? Won’t it be harder?

It will make more work for the teacher, and your kid won't learn nearly enough, but you'll have saved your kid from the trauma of reading Romeo and Juliet. Plus, it's always fun to embarrass your kid!

It’s not a classic, unfortunately. I would totally be on board with a classic. It’s a woke novel with “masturbation, heavy naked petting,” etc.

If you know the book, why don't you name it? So weird to be secretive.

It's probably something most people would consider a classic

For 9th grade, Romeo and Juliet AND The Odyssey both fall under this policy and we have to send this warning to parents. Most would probably say both of these texts have value and aren’t sexually explicit though. Nonetheless. Because Odysseus sleeps with Cersei and Calypso we have to send the warning.

Yes, and THAT is the problem.
Parents roll their eyes and go “oh—is that all?”
And then they assume it’s for Romeo and Hukiet and The Odyssey.
And they don’t actually read The Poet X, and its extremely detailed descriptions of masturbation and “feeling his hardness pressed against me” and the many other explicit sexual references that—without you having sent this notification, you’d be side-eyeing a teacher for introducing and discussing these pornographic passages with your fifteen year-old.

I’m a child of the 70s and 80s, and by the time I was in 9th grade I’d already read all about sex and masturbation in my harlequin and silhouette romance novels, the VC Andrews smut that was all the rage then, and Danielle Steele, Harold Robbins, and Sidney Sheldon novels too.

You people are ridiculously uptight. Your 15 year old probably already knows all about sex from talking with friends or engaging with the internet encyclopedia; or if not, will not be traumatized by learning about it. It’s a normal part of being a mammal. It’s okay to talk about and it’s negligent not to talk about it with a girl who is maybe only one year or at most 3 years from the legal age of consent. Y’all should be talking about sex abundantly, and helping her to know all the reasons it’s good to wait and oh by the way, it’s okay to masturbate and here’s a copy of Our Bodies Ourselves and another of The Joy of Sex and you should spend lots of time in self exploration but wait until you really know a boy before remotely considering it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately yes. Teachers are required to alert parents! However, parents can ask for specific titles, read them and opt their child out of any they feel are not appropriate. Teachers are required to provide an alternative assignment and to avoid any action or statement that would be critical of the child or parent.

But if my child is the only one doing the alternative assignment, they won’t be part of any class discussions. How would that work? Won’t it be harder?

It will make more work for the teacher, and your kid won't learn nearly enough, but you'll have saved your kid from the trauma of reading Romeo and Juliet. Plus, it's always fun to embarrass your kid!

It’s not a classic, unfortunately. I would totally be on board with a classic. It’s a woke novel with “masturbation, heavy naked petting,” etc.

If you know the book, why don't you name it? So weird to be secretive.

It's probably something most people would consider a classic

For 9th grade, Romeo and Juliet AND The Odyssey both fall under this policy and we have to send this warning to parents. Most would probably say both of these texts have value and aren’t sexually explicit though. Nonetheless. Because Odysseus sleeps with Cersei and Calypso we have to send the warning.

Yes, and THAT is the problem.
Parents roll their eyes and go “oh—is that all?”
And then they assume it’s for Romeo and Hukiet and The Odyssey.
And they don’t actually read The Poet X, and its extremely detailed descriptions of masturbation and “feeling his hardness pressed against me” and the many other explicit sexual references that—without you having sent this notification, you’d be side-eyeing a teacher for introducing and discussing these pornographic passages with your fifteen year-old.

I’m a child of the 70s and 80s, and by the time I was in 9th grade I’d already read all about sex and masturbation in my harlequin and silhouette romance novels, the VC Andrews smut that was all the rage then, and Danielle Steele, Harold Robbins, and Sidney Sheldon novels too.

You people are ridiculously uptight. Your 15 year old probably already knows all about sex from talking with friends or engaging with the internet encyclopedia; or if not, will not be traumatized by learning about it. It’s a normal part of being a mammal. It’s okay to talk about and it’s negligent not to talk about it with a girl who is maybe only one year or at most 3 years from the legal age of consent. Y’all should be talking about sex abundantly, and helping her to know all the reasons it’s good to wait and oh by the way, it’s okay to masturbate and here’s a copy of Our Bodies Ourselves and another of The Joy of Sex and you should spend lots of time in self exploration but wait until you really know a boy before remotely considering it.

How could I forget!! I was an advanced reader so maybe 8 years old when I read Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and learned about masturbation.

It didn’t take me too long to figure out how to work my special spot and that’s been a source of great stress relief and self love my whole life since. I’ve been voluntarily celibate much of my adult life so most of my Os have been my own handiwork.

Are there really people in America 2024 who don’t approve of masturbation, an activity with abundant positive health associations including reduced risk of prostate cancer in males who frequently ejaculate versus males who less frequently engage? Parents should be actively encouraging masturbation and providing access to books that portray it as a natural and positive behavior - which it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is what we can't have boys read because it isn't "exciting" or "fantasy wish granting". Think about the message you give your sons when you tell them this is not a poem you want them learning from so they'll have to go to the library instead.

(Note: The last thing that happens before this poem is that she says "We have to stop".)

The Next Move

I wait for him to call me all the names
I know girls get called in this moment.

I sit up and hold my bra against my chest
with no memory of how I became undone.

When his fingers brush against my spine
my whole body stiffens. Waiting.

But he only pulls my straps up and
snaps my bra closed. Hands me my T-shirt.

We are silent as I get dressed.
I wait for him to hand me my boots.

To point me toward the door.

I know this is how it works. You put out or you get out.

So I am surprised when instead of my boots Aman hands me his own T-shirt,

and when I look at him confused
he takes it back and uses the sleeve

to wipe the tears sprinting down my cheek.

Acevedo, Elizabeth. The Poet X (p. 328). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

Yeah no thanks.

No thanks? You'd rather your child not learn about the importance of consent and communication?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is what we can't have boys read because it isn't "exciting" or "fantasy wish granting". Think about the message you give your sons when you tell them this is not a poem you want them learning from so they'll have to go to the library instead.

(Note: The last thing that happens before this poem is that she says "We have to stop".)

The Next Move

I wait for him to call me all the names
I know girls get called in this moment.

I sit up and hold my bra against my chest
with no memory of how I became undone.

When his fingers brush against my spine
my whole body stiffens. Waiting.

But he only pulls my straps up and
snaps my bra closed. Hands me my T-shirt.

We are silent as I get dressed.
I wait for him to hand me my boots.

To point me toward the door.

I know this is how it works. You put out or you get out.

So I am surprised when instead of my boots Aman hands me his own T-shirt,

and when I look at him confused
he takes it back and uses the sleeve

to wipe the tears sprinting down my cheek.

Acevedo, Elizabeth. The Poet X (p. 328). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

Yeah no thanks.

I found Poet X to be a beautiful book - others do not. Opt your child out or send them to a school which is more in line with your values. We can go back and forth over whether Poet X is "good" literature or not, but we already have systems in place for all of the issues that have been raised. If you're still not satisfied, take it to the school board, not a message board.