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.

Why?

Because my kids are too young to be required to read pornography?

You should read a dictionary. This book is not “pornography”.

I’m sorry—how is it not exactly??? I’ve read it. Have you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can thank Moms for Liberty and all the ridiculous book bans the far right is pushing on everyone else.
If you are actually concerned and not just trying to stir up some drama, call the school and ask what book required the notice.

I’m not far right.
Or even right if center.
But my kid was not ready for this book and I’m skeptical of any male teacher who wants to teach this book in a class of 14-year-old girls.
Langley head coach prob would have had no issue with it, however. But that’s another thread.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Youngkin made us go through every book in the curriculum. If ANY sexual content is in there, and that means any, we have to alert the parents. This email sounds insane and it’s actually just to tell you “Hey, your kid is reading Romeo and Juliet which contains a very obtuse joke about penises.” But legally we have to tell you.

-hs teacher

Romeo and Juliet also includes suicide, teens killing each other, and 14 year olds having sex with people they met yesterday.

If we are going to make the argument that kids should be shielded from reading about people doing things that their parents disapprove of, then acting like this book is fine because it’s “classic” is absurd.

It’s the graphic and explicit way in which the content is presented, not the content itself

[Anonymous]

We were reading books like Clan of the Cave Bear, The King Must Die, Mists of Avalon, 100 Years of Solitude, and Unbearable Lightness of Being at my Catholic school in the 90s. And yes, many of those were as Freshmen. Calm down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While I agree with your right to monitor what your child reads, I have to ask: do you monitor their media consumption? What they watch online? Do they have a smartphone? Because, if so, a book is the least of your worries. what do you think has more impact? Reading words on a page or watching images on a screen?

Yes.
But more importantly, I monitor whether there’s an adult my child interacts with who pushes inappropriately explicit content into him.
And if I found that to be the case online, I would press charges.
Wouldn’t you???

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Youngkin made us go through every book in the curriculum. If ANY sexual content is in there, and that means any, we have to alert the parents. This email sounds insane and it’s actually just to tell you “Hey, your kid is reading Romeo and Juliet which contains a very obtuse joke about penises.” But legally we have to tell you.

-hs teacher [/quote]

WTF?

I hate religious nutters trying to force their beliefs on everyone else. [/quote]

Are you okay with a teacher handing your kid a copy of penthouse….for the articles?

[b]Because that’s essentially what this book is.[/b]

Why is it so hard for you to get the difference between kids being “allowed to” read what they want and being REQUIRED to read porn for a grade???[/quote]

Well clearly most educators and parents disagree with you about this.

I don’t get the big deal, you get a letter and a chance to opt out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were reading books like Clan of the Cave Bear, The King Must Die, Mists of Avalon, 100 Years of Solitude, and Unbearable Lightness of Being at my Catholic school in the 90s. And yes, many of those were as Freshmen. Calm down.

No one isn’t calm, Taylor.

Just being cautious about casually permitting adults to introduce explicitly graphic sexual material to children.

[Anonymous]

Did none of you go to High School? I'm genuinely confused by these responses.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Youngkin made us go through every book in the curriculum. If ANY sexual content is in there, and that means any, we have to alert the parents. This email sounds insane and it’s actually just to tell you “Hey, your kid is reading Romeo and Juliet which contains a very obtuse joke about penises.” But legally we have to tell you.

-hs teacher [/quote]

WTF?

I hate religious nutters trying to force their beliefs on everyone else. [/quote]

Are you okay with a teacher handing your kid a copy of penthouse….for the articles?

[b]Because that’s essentially what this book is.[/b]

Why is it so hard for you to get the difference between kids being “allowed to” read what they want and being REQUIRED to read porn for a grade???[/quote]

Well clearly most educators and parents disagree with you about this.

I don’t get the big deal, you get a letter and a chance to opt out. [/quote]

Agree.
The opt out is good.

And my PSA here is that of course not all parents will even want to opt out. And I’m fine with that, honestly.
What I’m not okay with is people pretending that this particular book is “just like all the other books like Romeo and Juliet”, etc. it misleads parents who should be encouraged to know what they are saying yes to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like a good thing. It protects the teacher, warns the student, and informs the parent.

+1
The letter is a good thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did none of you go to High School? I'm genuinely confused by these responses.

Confused by this question.
What explicit masturbation scenes did your teachers require you to read in high school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo.

That’s a hard no.

So you've read it?

Yes. When they tried making mine read that shit.

I found it anti-Christian and pornographic for a child to be reading.

[Anonymous]

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?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo.

That’s a hard no.

So you've read it?

The Poet X should not be a class required book due to the desecration of the most sacred part of Catholicism, the Eucharist.

FCPS would not allow a book anywhere near a classroom that denigrated Mohammed in the same way that this book desecrates the Eucharist.

Leave it as a classroom book for kids to choose on their own, but remove it from the class reading lists.