I have a special understanding for how hard it is to be a teacher these days. Our schools are perhaps the number one battleground for the culture wars. Whether you have a liberal or a conservative bent, everyone can pretty much agree that it helps their cause to have their particular point of view etched on those blank slates known as students. You know, the ones that will be voting for the next 60 years.
How do we teach history? Is the United States a beacon of liberty or a nation of former slave owners pillaging the globe for its riches?
Do we teach our kids about sex? If so how?
Evolution? Intelligent design? Both?
Religion - aauuuuggghh!
We all know that kids should read books, but which ones? Should they be allowed to read ones that have profanity like Catcher in the Rye How about books with political or cultural slants? How do we expose them to literature that isn’t as bland as a motel painting without upsetting someone?
Why can’t it all be easy and noncontroversial like Math and Physics? People these days can’t even agree on how to teach Biology.
These are important issues fraught with strenuous passion across the country, which is why I think it is appropriate to take a short time out and look at one school that so completely messed up that all you can do is laugh your guts out and enjoy it.
Tioga Middle School in Fresno, California wanted their students to avoid profanity. Now personally, I love profanity, but I understand that you can’t have your student body running around sounding like a Katt Williams concert.
At my school, they handled this problem by telling us that we couldn’t use explicit language or we’d get into trouble. That was a little vague, but believe me, kids pretty much know what they can and can’t say at school. Additionally, I think it’s probably pretty easy to figure out whether a 12 year old is crossing the line out of ignorance or malicious intent.
Article comments
1 - Lisa Solod Warren
They read the list to the students? And then refused to show it to the parents? Sounds like a Monty Python skit. I would love to see the original article.... Sounds almost stupid enough to be true:)
2 - Brad Laidman
I've read different things like they put them all up on the blackboard or they used an overhead projector
I think each teacher had to do it in their own class.
3 - Joanne Huspek
All I can say is "wow!" What will they think of next?
4 - Daniel Miller
Joanne,
What will they think of next? Probably something equally or even more stupid. I do, however, quarrel with your use of the verb "think." I doubt that thinking had much to do with it.
Dan(Miller)
5 - Joe
"Teacher, can I still say @%@#$#? It isn't on the list!"