this will lighten your day

[mrfish]

Teacher quits over Eminem project

                     TIPTON, Iowa (AP) - An elementary school teacher resigned after her
 superiors threatened to reprimand her for letting a group of students continue a research project on rap musician Eminem.

 Administrators told music teacher Cassie Johnson, 24, to cancel the sixth graders' project after parents complained their child had found inappropriate material on the Internet. Principal Brian Krob declined to discuss details of the incident. Johnson said she  assigned different topics to the students after the parents' complaint but then allowed them to continue it after learning that  students in another class were allowed to give a presentation on the  same subject. She said the presentation didn't have any references to Eminem's lyrics, which contain obscenities and references to violence. Johnson turned in her resignation to the Tipton school  board on Feb. 16. The board accepted it last week after a 20-minute closed discussion.

[Eagler]

Sounds like Cassie needs to find a new line of work. What teacher would expose 6 graders (11 to 12 year olds) to that trash? I'd be calling the school board and newspaper if it were my children. She wouldn't have to resign as she'd be fired or we'd all be in one of those courts of law.

Eagler



[This message has been edited by Eagler (edited 03-06-2001).]

[Maverick]

Eagler,

Chances are the students themselves brought the subject up. They no doubt have multiple copies of this "persons work" in their own music collections.

Rap "music" is extremely common in elementary school children's choices. I find (IMO) that most of it contains objectionable terms and concepts but kids have "a right to self expression" and freedom of choice as to what they listen to. It isn't the schools position to determine the "right" music a child listens to. It is the parents obligation to do that.

Some schools sidestep the issue by making a rule that no child may bring a music playing device on campus. That way no CD's, tape players or radios are on campus to cause a problem and disturb the "educational atmosphere".

Mav

[-sudz-]

Eagler - I'm no fan of Eminem but I do know that children learn more quickly and completely when they are engaged (interested) in the subject material.

If the study of his rap will teach them how to compose a gramatically correct sentence (or how not to), how and when to use capital letters, and convey concise thoughts then I'm all for it.

We might even see better newgroup postings in the future.  (No slam on you, your posts have all I mentioned).

-Sudz

PS - mrfish. You should post the link to that story.  I'd like to find out what the project was intended to teach . . .

[TheWobble]

 

parents complained their child had found inappropriate material on the Internet

OH NO!!! boy she must have REALLY pointed them towards it too I bet, god knows how HARD it is to find inappropriate material material on the internet..shit you got to be a hacker to find anything but pictures of flowers and butterflies.

I sure hope then didnt come across an pro-jessie jackson websights, nothing could screw up a kid more than that.

[Eagler]

 

Originally posted by Maverick:
Eagler,

Chances are the students themselves brought the subject up. They no doubt have multiple copies of this "persons work" in their own music collections.

Rap "music" is extremely common in elementary school children's choices. I find (IMO) that most of it contains objectionable terms and concepts but kids have "a right to self expression" and freedom of choice as to what they listen to. It isn't the schools position to determine the "right" music a child listens to. It is the parents obligation to do that.

Some schools sidestep the issue by making a rule that no child may bring a music playing device on campus. That way no CD's, tape players or radios are on campus to cause a problem and disturb the "educational atmosphere".

Mav

Mav

I agree it's the parents responsibility but if the teacher set it up, even at the students (children) suggestion, without first sending a note home to the parents to get their permission, the teacher was out of line. The content of the subject matter warranted that. What if the kids wanted to watch porno instead of marine biology flick? Extremly poor judgement on the teacher (adult) side.

Eagler
 

[StSanta]

Too bad to see that teacher go.

Even objectionable (to some9 topics MUST be discussed. We do ourselves and the kids a disservice if we hide the bad stuff.

By discussion, we bring it out into the open and there one can examine it for what it is.

My parents did exactly this with drugs and sex. Objective discussion with factual data, rather than the scaremonger tactics used by our government.

As a consequence, I was a lot better informed and drugs didn't hold as much of a spell on me. While my buddies were discussing how cool this and that would be, I had a pretty good idea.

Same thing for music. What is BETTER than having an adult direct and expose the misogybic, hompphobic lyrics of an artist who, like marilyn manson, uses shock value to sell records?

It's not like the teacher encourages it. It might in fact result in quite the opposite.

Too bad that teachers who have the balls to a) stick up for the rights of kids and b) educate kids about something controversial has to turn in her resignation.

Extremely poor judgement of the people around her not to support her.

------------------
Baron Claus "StSanta" Von Ribbentroppen
9./JG 54 "Grünherz"
[img]http://www.geocities.com/nirfurian/stSanta.jpg[/img

"Live to pull, pull to live"

[Creamo]

She screwed herself. Right or wrong, quitting really only impresses yourself, and then you cool off and go, "What the hell was I thinking." Hope she doesn't have kids to explain that ram episode of drama too when it comes time for shopping and they are in the soup aisle.

Speaking of lyrics, I bet this will get a rise out of ya LW WWII types. Its damn near my favorite song.

---------------------------------
Angel of Death
by Slayer

Auschwitz, The Meaning Of Pain
The Why That I Want You To Die
Slow Death, Immense Decay
Showers That Cleanse You Of Your Life
Forced In
Like Cattle
You Run
Stripped Of
Your Lifes Worth
Human Mice, For The Angel Of Death
Four Hundred Thousand More To Die
Angel Of Death
Monarch To The Kingdom Of The Dead
Sadistic, Surgeon Of Demise
Sadist Of The Noblest Blood

Destroying, Without Mercy
To Benefit The Aryan Race

Surgery, With No Anesthesia
Feel The Knife Pierce You Intensely
Inferior, No Use To Mankind
Strapped Down Screaming Out To Die
Angel Of Death
Monarch To The Kingdom Of The Dead
Infamous Butcher,
Angel Of Death

Pumped With Fluid, Inside Your Brain
Pressure In Your Skull Begins Pushing
Through Your Eyes
Burning Flesh, Drips Away
Test Of Heat Burns Your Skin,
Your Mind Starts To Boil
Frigid Cold, Cracks Your Limbs
How Long Can You Last
In This Frozen Water Burial
Sewn Together, Joining Heads
Just A Matter Of Time
'Til You Rip Yourselves Apart
Millions Laid Out In Their
Crowded Tombs
Sickening Ways To Achieve
The Holocaust
Seas Of Blood, Bury Life
Smell Your Death As It Burns
Deep Inside Of You
Abacinate, Eyes That Bleed
Praying For The End Of
Your Wide Awake Nightmare
Wings Of Pain, Reach Out For You
His Face Of Death Staring Down,
Your Blood Running Cold
Injecting Cells, Dying Eyes
Feeding On The Screams Of
The Mutants He's Creating
Pathetic Harmless Victims
Left To Die
Rancid Angel Of Death
Flying Free

-----------------------------

Some may argue that kids shouldn't hear this. It's just history.

[Creamo]

Thread-stopper!

Man, I need perk points for these. It's well into the 100's.  

[Eagler]

 

Originally posted by Creamo:
Thread-stopper!

Man, I need perk points for these. It's well into the 100's.  

Creamo
Yes, it's history and I would think it could be used in that sense. I didn't see the "N" word in there once nor the "F" word or any vulgarities in describing the atrocity that was Nazi Germany during WW2.

apples and oranges

Eagler

[pzvg]

A teacher, no matter how competent, may not discuss subjects of an inflammatory or objectional nature with my child, not even in an attempt to help my child get beyond it.
That's MY FREAKIN JOB!
End of statement, take it however you want, but to get to my kids, ya gotta go through me

------------------
pzvg- "5 years and I still can't shoot"

[-lynx-]

Eagler - I have to disagree with you there. Sticking your head in the sand and pretending that Eminem is not there is not going to change him being there. I'd rather have the kids discuss him under the guidance of a mature, trained professional (teacher in this case) then them doing it all by themselves. They buy those CDs whether you like it or not. Hell, they buy them because you don't like them. That's how kids are - I'm 37 and I still remember me swearing to my mom that I'd never wear anything but flares  .

Surely you must remember what it was like? What, you never argued with your gran that music by Queen was not just a satanic noise??  

[This message has been edited by -lynx- (edited 03-07-2001).]

[Eagler]

lynx
Have to agree to disagree on this one then. I send my kids to school to learn the subjects I've signed them up for. I don't need some liberal teacher expressing his or her views about a moron such as M&M to my child. Especially in the 6th grade. We are not talking about high school juniors/seniors or college kids here. If a parent allows their sixth grade child to listen to that trash, they need their head examined too. I'd sue the pants of the school board/county if I found out a teacher exposed my 12 year old to such vulgarity without my knowledge or consent. And I'd win!

Eagler

[miko2d]

 

Originally posted by StSanta:
My parents did exactly this with drugs and sex. Objective discussion with factual data, rather than the scaremonger tactics used by our government.

 That is just it. The parents are the ones who ultimately decide what their children should learn. Now every single detail, but the controversial rap lyric is not something you expect in a curriculum of a regular school.

Too bad that teachers who have the balls to a) stick up for the rights of kids and b) educate kids about something controversial has to turn in her resignation.
 She should have been smart enough to let her superiors (people who end up responcible for her actions) and parents (people who are responcible for the chilrden) know about her plans. Also she should have had respect for their wishes if they objected.

Extremely poor judgement of the people around her not to support her.
 What can they do after the fact? She is either too stupid not to realize that the parents would object (whatever their reasons) or she knew they would object and hid her intentions on purpose to willfully contradict their wishes.

 This thing is pretty complex and she got off easy.

miko

[mrfish]

yeah but if they were teaching kids better they wouldn't be impressed by eminem -  they would be too educated to find anything worthwhile in a little clown who goes around venting about his life- he would look like a joke not a hero and he would be back at mcdonalds where he was destined to be.

who actually thinks he is a great street poet

vs.

who heard that you were supposed to think he is  agreat street poet on tv and jumped on the band wagon

i hear people say the same things about him over and over like they are reading a script it makes me wonder