Reply to “Rick” summer reading

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DD is going to Westland as a 7th grader and I emailed the school to ask whether this was a requirement. It is. Apparently they'll be discussing the book ad nauseam all year.

I'm as lefty as they come, but I greatly miss the days of classical education, and reading classical literature ([b]with appropriate explanations on misogyny, historical stance against homosexuality, class systems, etc[/b]). Rick may be a valuable book to open children's minds, but it certainly is not well-written.

I wish Westland had more of a balance between modern culture and great writing.
[/quote]
 :shock: You want them to teach [i]that [/i]history?!

I thought we were supposed to put our heads in the sand.[/quote]

PP you replied to. Well, yes. I love the classics, I got a lot out of them (both British/American and my native country's). And when you read Dickens or Austen or Twain or Balzac, you can't let certain racial/gender assumptions and societal restrictions go without comment, can you? It's a whole teaching moment.

I'm perfectly fine with contemporary novels on current societal issues. I see it as the continuation of all the conversations I have with my kids about other novels from the past. But why just Rick? Why not pair it with a classic, and have a comparative discussion?

Basically what I'm whining about are the low standards. The kids are just asked to read one, poorly written book. It's not nearly enough. I usually curate a list of summer reading for my kids and we discuss them, but it would be nice if the school could help me out!

And yes, to answer another PP's question, this book is part of the Middle Years programme. I don't think it's easy to opt out, as this book is supposed to be discussed throughout the year. Just complement it with something YOU think your child should read :-)

[/quote]

Whoa.  We aren't talking about a situation where the choices were Dickens, and Balzac, and Gino.  It's summer reading.  If you're going to do one summer book for the whole school, including kids who are just turning 11, and kids who are recently arrived in the country (Westland has a ton of diplomatic and expat kids), you need a book with a reading level around that of Rick, which means no Austen, Hemingway, Balzac etc . . .  that the vast majority of kids, without any kind of parental help, are going to be able to read.

Complaining that the book isn't Balzac is even stupider than the people who haven't opened the assignments complaining about what they imagine they might say.  [/quote]

PP you replied to. Yes, we are foreigners, and generally the diplomat and expats have a rather high reading level in their native language. Language barrier aside, because that's a whole other discussion, my point is that we need way, way, higher reading standards. There are plenty of classics that were originally written for the middle school set. As a child in France, I was assigned a ton of Balzac in middle school. Since I went to an international school, that's also when we started Shakespeare. I read my first Bronte novel at 12. You have no idea what you're talking about, my friend.
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The standards here are too low. I know MCPS is a public school, not a private school, but that's really not an excuse.[/b]

But the richest part of all this is that you think people who want higher standards are "stupid". Way to reverse the charges :-)
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I have family around the world and I agree with this.  I grew up in another part of the country and attended public school.  Immigrated here as a young age.

This is very true.  The standards here are VERY low.  Across the board.  Especially for Math, but that’s a whole other thread.  [/quote]

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