Mary Wood teaches English literature at Chapin High School in Chapin, South Carolina. Wood, who has been teaching for over a decade, offers a variety of honors courses, including Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition. AP courses give high school students the opportunity to earn college credit. To get credit, students must receive a passing score on an exam produced by the College Board, the same organization that produces the SAT.
“Today I learned that the word Algebra is derived from an Arabic word and this made me feel uncomfortable as a Northern European. This is illegal under state law. I should not have to learn anything that makes me feel uncomfortable.” As high school student (way back when) I could have had all sorts of fun with this.
Seems like the students are not qualified emotionally to be in the AP class, troubling to think of what their life will be like should they go to college/university.
The only adult in this situation is the teacher, and I hope she receives a barrage of offers from school districts that don’t just need but want teachers like her.
The dumbing down of Republican-subjugated states is a great disservice to their constituents and will further disadvantage students, many of whom already attend schools with the worst educational outcomes in the US. On the other hand, I just ordered a copy of Between the World and Me.
Reading revised histories with no context (Rosa Parks merely wanted a "better seat" or cotton was picked by "guest workers" from Africa) makes me uncomfortable.
This is should be illegal under state law and I demand that it stop it right now!
If the two students were too academically immature to benefit from a demanding AP class they should be advised that they are ineligible and should return to regular English classes. AP classes are for students ready for college reading materials.
I have little to no doubt that the student who wrote the e-mail and the school board member who demanded that that book be banned are also big supporters of showing Confederate battle flags, etc.
This whole story is as nauseating as it is offensive (the book ban, not Judd's exposing of it).
At what point are we, sensible adults, going to say “enough is enough!” This is not only happening in South Carolina, it’s happening all across America.
Just exactly are our students learning in schools now? Surely they will do away with all Ethics, History, American History, World History, and any classes that the teachers/professors have to discuss race, or sexuality, or any and all this other that has been banned.
The best thing is to just close the schools. Have the parents teach their children at home. Then, once a year the child has to report to the state Capitol to be given a competency exam by our state legislators. Or, better yet, just forget all about giving our children an education at all. Let them get out and go to work and earn their living now. Let them learn the ways of the world all on their own. That might suit all these far right activists groups. No history or anything will be taught in the classroom. It will be taught on the streets, with guns. This way we can be burying more and more of our young people than we are now.
I can’t believe we, as responsible adults, are sitting back and allowing people like Ron DeSantis, and the legislators of Florida, South Carolina, and all these other states to take rights away from us. Take learning an education away from our children. I’m this case in South Carolina, you have ONE student which filed a complaint with a right wing school board member. What should have happened was that student should have been called to the administrators office and simply ask, “what class would you prefer to transfer to?” “We have a Child Bearing and Raising class, or a “I’m sucking my thumb class”. “Maybe you just don’t want to learn. How about you just sign out of school.”
At what point are we going to quit coddling these children, and adults, that complain because they are “uncomfortable” with the instruction of a class, or a picture in a book, or a video shown in a classroom. Damn, people, we have to get back to basics here. We are trying to prepare our children for life. For living in a world where everything isn’t all cozy and nice.
This country, this world, has history. Our history may not be pretty at times, but it’s OUR HISTORY. It needs to be taught in our schools. All of our historical statues have been removed from public sight. All of the state gulags she e been changed, or removed from sight is they had anything to do with the Civil War, or that time in history. Just exactly where are our children going to learn anything about the history of this country?
One more thing, thus class in South Carolina was a “College level” educational experience. It wasn’t a MANDATORY class that all students had to take. These students that complained should have simply been removed from the class and put in a different class. They weren’t the quality of students grown up enough to be in such a class in high school!
If we don’t get rid of all these Republican state legislators and governors, and our federal Representatives and Senators, we are going to regret it. We are going backwards. Soon, it will be reliving our history in a manner we won’t like. Then, our children will be forced to learn, first hand, what survival is all about.
Hmmm... it seems these extreme measures, allowing unskilled individuals to adjust a school curriculum is a form of “reverse indoctrination”. By pushing these views they effecting the knowledge and understanding of children. By removing certain information, the children are having their views of the world warped by “opinions” and “feelings”. Those taught WITHOUT the agreious material are now indoctrinated to have the shallow views of a few “uncomfortable” individuals. Anyway - how is a level of “comfort” judged? Perhaps those who would not be offended by the material in question (a likely majority) are now having the basis of their education modified by a few unskilled, unaware individuals. We need courses in “comfort level measurement” so it can be determined at what level of discomfort is intervention actually needed. My discomfort level on disallowing unskilled selection of course material is VERY high and the practice must be stopped NOW!
I remember a time when conservatives complained that democrats were raising snowflakes ... now look who is talking. These kids can’t deal with “feeling uncomfortable”? ... well, welcome to life. As someone who hires people I have to say that I feel bad for the kids going through these new republican school systems since they are being kept dumb and kept from what would truly be the key skill someone needs today ... critical thinking.
The same people complaining of bringing up "antiquated" history also complain about the removal of the confederate flag from state property and call it "erasing history".
If either of those students had put their arguments into an essay, they would have passed the class.
Unless of course, they realized that they could not prove those arguments to a nonracist.
AP is a privilege. Everyone else's education does not need to be dumbed down because of their fragility.
Suck it up, buttercup.
Are they going to argue that a college outside of South Carolina should be forced to accept their ignorant selves because it's unfair to make White children compete fairly?
I hope that teacher seriously considers moving to a different state. A lot of school systems are looking for great teachers.
I never knew that high school is supposed to be a place where no one is permitted to feel uncomfortable, at least not certain unspecified, but we know who you are, people. One wonders whether any works of enlightened literature can long survive the onslaught of censorious legislation, and the zealous thinking that lurks behind it.
“Today I learned that the word Algebra is derived from an Arabic word and this made me feel uncomfortable as a Northern European. This is illegal under state law. I should not have to learn anything that makes me feel uncomfortable.” As high school student (way back when) I could have had all sorts of fun with this.
We cannot allow a tiny minority to destroy our public schools. Alternative readings can be assigned for that tiny minority.
Seems like the students are not qualified emotionally to be in the AP class, troubling to think of what their life will be like should they go to college/university.
The only adult in this situation is the teacher, and I hope she receives a barrage of offers from school districts that don’t just need but want teachers like her.
The dumbing down of Republican-subjugated states is a great disservice to their constituents and will further disadvantage students, many of whom already attend schools with the worst educational outcomes in the US. On the other hand, I just ordered a copy of Between the World and Me.
Reading revised histories with no context (Rosa Parks merely wanted a "better seat" or cotton was picked by "guest workers" from Africa) makes me uncomfortable.
This is should be illegal under state law and I demand that it stop it right now!
God forbid the narcissistic racist children of the South should feel “uncomfortable” about the truth.
If the two students were too academically immature to benefit from a demanding AP class they should be advised that they are ineligible and should return to regular English classes. AP classes are for students ready for college reading materials.
I have little to no doubt that the student who wrote the e-mail and the school board member who demanded that that book be banned are also big supporters of showing Confederate battle flags, etc.
This whole story is as nauseating as it is offensive (the book ban, not Judd's exposing of it).
At what point are we, sensible adults, going to say “enough is enough!” This is not only happening in South Carolina, it’s happening all across America.
Just exactly are our students learning in schools now? Surely they will do away with all Ethics, History, American History, World History, and any classes that the teachers/professors have to discuss race, or sexuality, or any and all this other that has been banned.
The best thing is to just close the schools. Have the parents teach their children at home. Then, once a year the child has to report to the state Capitol to be given a competency exam by our state legislators. Or, better yet, just forget all about giving our children an education at all. Let them get out and go to work and earn their living now. Let them learn the ways of the world all on their own. That might suit all these far right activists groups. No history or anything will be taught in the classroom. It will be taught on the streets, with guns. This way we can be burying more and more of our young people than we are now.
I can’t believe we, as responsible adults, are sitting back and allowing people like Ron DeSantis, and the legislators of Florida, South Carolina, and all these other states to take rights away from us. Take learning an education away from our children. I’m this case in South Carolina, you have ONE student which filed a complaint with a right wing school board member. What should have happened was that student should have been called to the administrators office and simply ask, “what class would you prefer to transfer to?” “We have a Child Bearing and Raising class, or a “I’m sucking my thumb class”. “Maybe you just don’t want to learn. How about you just sign out of school.”
At what point are we going to quit coddling these children, and adults, that complain because they are “uncomfortable” with the instruction of a class, or a picture in a book, or a video shown in a classroom. Damn, people, we have to get back to basics here. We are trying to prepare our children for life. For living in a world where everything isn’t all cozy and nice.
This country, this world, has history. Our history may not be pretty at times, but it’s OUR HISTORY. It needs to be taught in our schools. All of our historical statues have been removed from public sight. All of the state gulags she e been changed, or removed from sight is they had anything to do with the Civil War, or that time in history. Just exactly where are our children going to learn anything about the history of this country?
One more thing, thus class in South Carolina was a “College level” educational experience. It wasn’t a MANDATORY class that all students had to take. These students that complained should have simply been removed from the class and put in a different class. They weren’t the quality of students grown up enough to be in such a class in high school!
If we don’t get rid of all these Republican state legislators and governors, and our federal Representatives and Senators, we are going to regret it. We are going backwards. Soon, it will be reliving our history in a manner we won’t like. Then, our children will be forced to learn, first hand, what survival is all about.
Hmmm... it seems these extreme measures, allowing unskilled individuals to adjust a school curriculum is a form of “reverse indoctrination”. By pushing these views they effecting the knowledge and understanding of children. By removing certain information, the children are having their views of the world warped by “opinions” and “feelings”. Those taught WITHOUT the agreious material are now indoctrinated to have the shallow views of a few “uncomfortable” individuals. Anyway - how is a level of “comfort” judged? Perhaps those who would not be offended by the material in question (a likely majority) are now having the basis of their education modified by a few unskilled, unaware individuals. We need courses in “comfort level measurement” so it can be determined at what level of discomfort is intervention actually needed. My discomfort level on disallowing unskilled selection of course material is VERY high and the practice must be stopped NOW!
I remember a time when conservatives complained that democrats were raising snowflakes ... now look who is talking. These kids can’t deal with “feeling uncomfortable”? ... well, welcome to life. As someone who hires people I have to say that I feel bad for the kids going through these new republican school systems since they are being kept dumb and kept from what would truly be the key skill someone needs today ... critical thinking.
The same people complaining of bringing up "antiquated" history also complain about the removal of the confederate flag from state property and call it "erasing history".
If either of those students had put their arguments into an essay, they would have passed the class.
Unless of course, they realized that they could not prove those arguments to a nonracist.
AP is a privilege. Everyone else's education does not need to be dumbed down because of their fragility.
Suck it up, buttercup.
Are they going to argue that a college outside of South Carolina should be forced to accept their ignorant selves because it's unfair to make White children compete fairly?
I hope that teacher seriously considers moving to a different state. A lot of school systems are looking for great teachers.
I never knew that high school is supposed to be a place where no one is permitted to feel uncomfortable, at least not certain unspecified, but we know who you are, people. One wonders whether any works of enlightened literature can long survive the onslaught of censorious legislation, and the zealous thinking that lurks behind it.
That school board member is a sham and her election was a sham. She was put there for this exact purpose. Here we go.