Just got disturbing email regarding English class for my rising freshman

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo.

That’s a hard no.

The amount of awards this book won is staggering. People more knowledgeable than you think it's a yes.

I’m all about the awards for its literary style. Adults should read it and support this authors work.
She’s talented.
It’s just not a book for 9th graders.

You know not of what you speak. The awards are related to youth. Stop coddling your kids.

The Poet X was awarded The Printz Award, which "honors the best book written for teens this year."

The Poet X was also recently awarded the Pura Belpré Award, which is presented anually to a Latinx writer "whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth."

In November, The Poet X was the recipient of the 2018 National Book Award for Young People's Literature

Nothing better in Latino literature? Like maybe something promoting studying and not yard fights and making out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I might ask for an alternate book just to avoid reading a novel in verse, which my kid hates as much as I do.

I'm very left wing, but I'm actually a little disappointed that the schools are trending so hard away from reading the classics. I feel like kids will have lots of opportunities to read the controversial new lit-crit darling books. But when will they read The Grapes of Wrath, or The Crucible, Slaughterhouse Five, or Long Day's Journey Into Night, or anything by Hemingway or Wharton? (Seems like some of the classics, like Ray Bradbury, George Orwell and Toni Morrison continue to be popular among schools.) I subscribe to the "Make New Friends, But Keep the Old" theory of literature -- I feel like we are tossing out all the old friends. It would be easier to mix in the new ones if kids read 6 novels a year, but it seems like a lot of classes really only have 2-3, plus maybe some poems or short stories.

Exactly this.
I understand the point is to teach them to write and analyze the text but why not do it using tried and true classics.
Besides I don’t see a single thing my “not Hispanic or Latino” make child can relate to in this book. Yes they already learned about consent in Health. The rest like fighting isn’t relatable luckily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo.

That’s a hard no.

The amount of awards this book won is staggering. People more knowledgeable than you think it's a yes.

I’m all about the awards for its literary style. Adults should read it and support this authors work.
She’s talented.
It’s just not a book for 9th graders.

You know not of what you speak. The awards are related to youth. Stop coddling your kids.

The Poet X was awarded The Printz Award, which "honors the best book written for teens this year."

The Poet X was also recently awarded the Pura Belpré Award, which is presented anually to a Latinx writer "whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth."

In November, The Poet X was the recipient of the 2018 National Book Award for Young People's Literature

Nothing better in Latino literature? Like maybe something promoting studying and not yard fights and making out?

It’s a book about a young teenager who discovers a gift for writing poetry in English class. How could a book be more pro-studying than that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo.

Yes, the "warnings" are true, I guess. It is a beautiful book in verse and a lot of students will connect with the immigrant experience and finding your talent. But you do you. Elizabeth Acevedo is a best selling author and poet - and she's local! If you can see her in person, she is a phenomenal speaker.

As an immigrant I am tired of hearing about “immigrant experience” and feel bad for the kids who don’t have it.
What is there to analyze? Be grateful to the country, try to assimilate but feel free to keep any home customs in the privacy of your home.
My kid’s adversity was definitely not related to immigration.
Maybe because I am a cultured person and speak good English, and don’t insist on carrying all the backward stuff from my home country to the U.S.?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo.

That’s a hard no.

The amount of awards this book won is staggering. People more knowledgeable than you think it's a yes.

I’m all about the awards for its literary style. Adults should read it and support this authors work.
She’s talented.
It’s just not a book for 9th graders.

You know not of what you speak. The awards are related to youth. Stop coddling your kids.

The Poet X was awarded The Printz Award, which "honors the best book written for teens this year."

The Poet X was also recently awarded the Pura Belpré Award, which is presented anually to a Latinx writer "whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth."

In November, The Poet X was the recipient of the 2018 National Book Award for Young People's Literature

Nothing better in Latino literature? Like maybe something promoting studying and not yard fights and making out?

It’s a book about a young teenager who discovers a gift for writing poetry in English class. How could a book be more pro-studying than that?

Ah, ok! I guess it got lost in the shuffle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

We were assigned to read Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews in 8th grade at my parochial school. On my own I openly read the series that included the Blue and the Grey and the Crystal Cave and its sequels plus many classics. teachers were impressed. I remember them positively commenting on the Crystal Cave.

I swear public schools are way more conservative when it comes to being able to discuss topics and read books during school.

I’m going to call bullsh*t on that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I might ask for an alternate book just to avoid reading a novel in verse, which my kid hates as much as I do.

I'm very left wing, but I'm actually a little disappointed that the schools are trending so hard away from reading the classics. I feel like kids will have lots of opportunities to read the controversial new lit-crit darling books. But when will they read The Grapes of Wrath, or The Crucible, Slaughterhouse Five, or Long Day's Journey Into Night, or anything by Hemingway or Wharton? (Seems like some of the classics, like Ray Bradbury, George Orwell and Toni Morrison continue to be popular among schools.) I subscribe to the "Make New Friends, But Keep the Old" theory of literature -- I feel like we are tossing out all the old friends. It would be easier to mix in the new ones if kids read 6 novels a year, but it seems like a lot of classes really only have 2-3, plus maybe some poems or short stories.

Exactly this.
I understand the point is to teach them to write and analyze the text but why not do it using tried and true classics.
Besides I don’t see a single thing my “not Hispanic or Latino” make child can relate to in this book. Yes they already learned about consent in Health. The rest like fighting isn’t relatable luckily.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo.

That’s a hard no.

The amount of awards this book won is staggering. People more knowledgeable than you think it's a yes.

I’m all about the awards for its literary style. Adults should read it and support this authors work.
She’s talented.
It’s just not a book for 9th graders.

You know not of what you speak. The awards are related to youth. Stop coddling your kids.

The Poet X was awarded The Printz Award, which "honors the best book written for teens this year."

The Poet X was also recently awarded the Pura Belpré Award, which is presented anually to a Latinx writer "whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth."

In November, The Poet X was the recipient of the 2018 National Book Award for Young People's Literature

Nothing better in Latino literature? Like maybe something promoting studying and not yard fights and making out?

Yes, why couldn't it be more like such pro-studying classics like A Catcher in the Rye, A Separate Peace, or the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. You seem not very well read if you're expecting literature to "promote studying."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I might ask for an alternate book just to avoid reading a novel in verse, which my kid hates as much as I do.

I'm very left wing, but I'm actually a little disappointed that the schools are trending so hard away from reading the classics. I feel like kids will have lots of opportunities to read the controversial new lit-crit darling books. But when will they read The Grapes of Wrath, or The Crucible, Slaughterhouse Five, or Long Day's Journey Into Night, or anything by Hemingway or Wharton? (Seems like some of the classics, like Ray Bradbury, George Orwell and Toni Morrison continue to be popular among schools.) I subscribe to the "Make New Friends, But Keep the Old" theory of literature -- I feel like we are tossing out all the old friends. It would be easier to mix in the new ones if kids read 6 novels a year, but it seems like a lot of classes really only have 2-3, plus maybe some poems or short stories.

Exactly this.
I understand the point is to teach them to write and analyze the text but why not do it using tried and true classics.
Besides I don’t see a single thing my “not Hispanic or Latino” make child can relate to in this book. Yes they already learned about consent in Health. The rest like fighting isn’t relatable luckily.

+1

Wtf? So it's OK for non-WASP kids to have to read 1950s all white middle class classics, but not OK for your kid to read something from a different view point?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo.

Yes, the "warnings" are true, I guess. It is a beautiful book in verse and a lot of students will connect with the immigrant experience and finding your talent. But you do you. Elizabeth Acevedo is a best selling author and poet - and she's local! If you can see her in person, she is a phenomenal speaker.

As an immigrant I am tired of hearing about “immigrant experience” and feel bad for the kids who don’t have it.
What is there to analyze? Be grateful to the country, try to assimilate but feel free to keep any home customs in the privacy of your home.
My kid’s adversity was definitely not related to immigration.
Maybe because I am a cultured person and speak good English, and don’t insist on carrying all the backward stuff from my home country to the U.S.?

Oh wow. You are that kind of immigrant. I’m an immigrant, speak English fluently and would argue neither have anything with being cultured. You can still assimilate and have pride/keep customs of your old country. Americans celebrate it. Ever hear of the Irish parade? Or even in this area, there are different days celebrating different countries and cultures? How about the Cherry Blossom Festival? And there is backward stuff in every culture so not sure what you mean by that statement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I might ask for an alternate book just to avoid reading a novel in verse, which my kid hates as much as I do.

I'm very left wing, but I'm actually a little disappointed that the schools are trending so hard away from reading the classics. I feel like kids will have lots of opportunities to read the controversial new lit-crit darling books. But when will they read The Grapes of Wrath, or The Crucible, Slaughterhouse Five, or Long Day's Journey Into Night, or anything by Hemingway or Wharton? (Seems like some of the classics, like Ray Bradbury, George Orwell and Toni Morrison continue to be popular among schools.) I subscribe to the "Make New Friends, But Keep the Old" theory of literature -- I feel like we are tossing out all the old friends. It would be easier to mix in the new ones if kids read 6 novels a year, but it seems like a lot of classes really only have 2-3, plus maybe some poems or short stories.

Exactly this.
I understand the point is to teach them to write and analyze the text but why not do it using tried and true classics.
Besides I don’t see a single thing my “not Hispanic or Latino” make child can relate to in this book. Yes they already learned about consent in Health. The rest like fighting isn’t relatable luckily.

I mean my half Latina/half white girl doesn’t have any personal experiences with gangs and street fighting. But she still appreciate The Outsiders.

[Anonymous]

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

None - the ones objecting to these books aren't OK with rap, and the ones who are OK with rap are OK with this as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG OP, it's not like they're going to be reading The Happy Hooker in class.

No, but they could be assigned the graphic novel Gender Queer in FCPS.

Why don’t you post the c0ck / d1ldo-sucking illustration from Gender Queer here to DCUM, and see what happens?

I mean, since that image / material is approved for our children in FCPS, by FCPS, why wouldn’t it be OK here on a parents forum, right?

[Anonymous]

Why do schools think that it is so necessary for freshman classes to read all these kind of books with sexual content? Will freshmen English skills not grow if they are not exposed to such content at school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG OP, it's not like they're going to be reading The Happy Hooker in class.

No, but they could be assigned the graphic novel Gender Queer in FCPS.

Why don’t you post the c0ck / d1ldo-sucking illustration from Gender Queer here to DCUM, and see what happens?

I mean, since that image / material is approved for our children in FCPS, by FCPS, why wouldn’t it be OK here on a parents forum, right?

Having a copy of the book in the library and assigning it to an entire class are completely separate things, but DCUM is always exaggerating so why stop now.