being PC in textbooks
Only men bake cookies in school textbooks.
What do dinosaurs, mountains, deserts, brave boys, shy girls, men fixing roofs, women baking cookies, elderly people in wheelchairs, athletic African Americans, God, heathens, witches, owls, birthday cake and religious fanatics all have in common? Trick question? Not really. As we learn from Diane Ravitch’s eye-opening book "The Language Police," all of the above share the common fate of having been banned from the textbooks or test questions (or both) being used in today’s schools.
My goodness, I do believe that people take being PC a bit too far. Can you imagine completely taking these things out of textbooks just because it *might* offend someone? I understand not printing obscene things, but the things mentioned above are normal every day things. I worry for kids that are growing up in the school districts these days; seems like they are missing out on some stuff.
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Comments
An excellent example of why I would seriously consider homeschooling my kids, or at the very least, get them into an excellent charter or alternative school. (And the fact that I will never be able to afford something like that is one of the reasons I don’t intend to have kids (among the millions of other reasons). )
Posted by: Zuly | May 2, 2003 02:15 PM
Well my mom teaches Home eccs at a public Highschool. And as a result of it I am quite a cook. I can make cookies that can make Martha Stewart look like John Stewart.
What really gets me is product placement in school text books, advertising in public schools and schools selling student data to marketers.
Posted by: Jake of 8bitjoystick.com | May 2, 2003 02:18 PM
Homeschooling and charter schools.. ppphhtt.. what a scam.
Posted by: Jake of 8bitjoystick.com | May 2, 2003 02:21 PM
Jake, if you are going to comment here, I’d appreciate you not make judgement calls like that on the other commenters. I was homeschooled until 10th grade, and went to a private high school and college after that, and strongly support them as an option, and probably something I will do with my kids if I have some.
Posted by: kristine | May 2, 2003 02:33 PM
Well you have to give him bonus points for making such an eloquent argument.
Posted by: robyn | May 2, 2003 03:18 PM
It is a little far fetched to abandon the public education system that was founded by Thomas Jefferson just because of some radicals in California want to edit the text books.
Posted by: Jake of 8bitjoystick.com | May 2, 2003 04:33 PM
Jake, I’m sorry you feel the need to call my ideals "far-fetched". There are many reasons that I feel homeschooling and private schools should continue to be an option. Not JUST because of this article.
I feel like you came over here with the need to create contraversy, and even though I’ve felt funny by your comments in the past, I hadn’t felt attacked until this point... Please find other places to be discourteous.
Posted by: kristine | May 2, 2003 05:11 PM
I am not trying to create controversy. I am not attacking or calling names. If you don’t want people to comment on posts then turn off the comments or put a statement saying "disagreement is not allowed".
Posted by: Jake of 8bitjoystick.com | May 2, 2003 06:29 PM
My disclaimer below says "please keep things nice." I probably wouldn’t have cared about your comment except for the fact that you were showing bad manners towards Zuly’s idea of education, and then mine as well.
Posted by: kristine | May 2, 2003 06:47 PM
I’m curious as to just what makes homeschooling a "scam".... mums and dads trying to rip off young Joey by diverting school lunch money funds?
Alright, so I don’t really want an answer to that. Kristine, you know, I learn something new about you all the time! I didn’t know you were homeschooled. I’m a fan of public schools myself, but went to a private university, and have a few homeschooled friends.
I think taking these things out of schoolbooks is extreme, but done NOT because it might offend someone, but because kids do form a lot of their ideas about the world from what they read, and what they learn in school. I don’t have a problem seeing more men baking in textbooks...just don’t ban classic literature. Teach kids that ideas have changed since then as they see it.
Posted by: Anne | May 2, 2003 08:41 PM