She Was a Teacher or Something? But Whatever.

First, please let me direct you to two excellent essays on the ClassKC.org topic, both penned by school Students. The first is a comment here from a student at Lee's Summit North. The second is from Sunday's Kansas City Star and is by Sasha Mushegian at Blue Valley North. Both writers address the points that we release students into the real world and work force, so should prepare them for what they will find, and that we shouldn't shelter high school students in the same manner that would be appropriate for younger children. And, right they are. High School is as much about learning to apply values, and to apply discernment, as it is about anything. If we present only a bleached canvas, how can we ask them to judge it?

Next, please note the companion piece to Ms. Mushegian's essay, an interview with Janet Harmon, one of the leaders of Citizens for Literary Standards in Schools. A few thoughts . ..

Ms. Harmon clearly supports the Bible as being taught in the schools, although I don't think that she is trying to push that topic in this context. However, even though I believe it is the word of God, I certainly think that an objective viewer would find it contains many examples of gratuitous sex and violence.

Apparently, Ulysses was originally posted as an acceptable alternative book, but has since been removed. Ms. Harmon's reply when informed consider it the greatest novel ever written: "Yeah, I think they - the author is Irish or something? But whatever. That's all I'd like to say about that." I wish I had the smallest understanding of that response.

Finally, I note with concern Harmon's comments on Toni Morrison's "Song of Solomon": "It begins with a suicide and it ends with a suicide. The middle doesn't get any better. There are no characters who are noble or who have hope. It was very depressing. I think there are so many other better books to read and the content is much more worthy of discussion." I am reminded of the comments made by Susan Sarandon (as well as other artists) that we are medicating the art out of our children. "Where will the future's artists come from," the argument goes, "when we have given our children so much medication that they can't feel overly depressed or overly exuberant?" From great passion comes great art, and unless one is exposed to feelings that can generate that passion, they can never touch the peaks of what it means to be human. A school should be a protective environment, but it should not pretend that depression doesn't exist. As the two student essays demonstrate, these are things that should be discussed, not swept under the rug.