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I've never seen the show Glee (we don't have cable), but I just got a new car with a CD player, and I was complaining to a friend at work that I didn't have any good CDs to play. I'm tired of listening to "oldies" (classic rock). I've really wanted to learn to like some current music (as difficult as it is!).
She brought me a CD with a selection of music on it she thought I'd like. The Glee soundtrack was on it, and it is absolutely excellent. I know good music and talent when I hear it. I keep saying they don't make good music these days - but this changed my mind. Of course, the covers of songs from my own era (the 70's) didn't hurt. But the covers of newer songs were equally good. My daughter took the CD once she heard it, and I haven't seen it since.
I'm sure the Obamas are happy to have the cast of Glee perform, if only for the terriffic music.
Valid points. I felt the way you do before my oldest child reached middle school. But I now realize how things are changing; have been for a long time, but its definitely getting worse. I don't think most parents have a clue what is going on in the public schools and most of the time it doesn't involve "choice." I wouldn't believe it, except we are now experiencing it and I am fortunate to be a SAHM and be able to investigate these things.
You don't give much credit to parents. Sometimes I don't, but shoot, 'most parents don't have a clue what is going on in the public schools' takes in a lot of people and indicates that you think we are morons.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GottaBMe
These are the books that are in the kids' school library and it isn't pretty. Does your school have an online catalogue? If so, check out some of the books in it. You may be surprised. Maybe not. To each his own.
So you're all for banning books. Hmmm.
I never heard of Glee, so I don't have an opinion, but it seems that if it was so very controversial, they wouldn't be performing for kids at the White House.
Someone PLEASE enlighten me. What are B.J.'s??? I feel so inadequate. My mind just can't come up with what they could be.
You don't give much credit to parents. Sometimes I don't, but shoot, 'most parents don't have a clue what is going on in the public schools' takes in a lot of people and indicates that you think we are morons.
So you're all for banning books. Hmmm.
I never heard of Glee, so I don't have an opinion, but it seems that if it was so very controversial, they wouldn't be performing for kids at the White House.
Someone PLEASE enlighten me. What are B.J.'s??? I feel so inadequate. My mind just can't come up with what they could be.
Okay. B.J.s refers to a type of oral sex. And the problem is that the children are not simply being given the definition but are finding fiction books in their school library that talks about this act and girls feeling "proud" to have performed it. Not my idea of what should be in a school library. I'm sorry if I offended some by implying that they do not know what their kids are reading at school. I, myself, was blindsided by the overwhelming books that focus on sex, violence, profanity and stealing etc. when my 10 year child entered middle school. I called around to friends in other states and while they assured me that "their" library would not have such books or parents would be outraged. However, when they checked, sure enough, the books were there. And many of them have sweet pink covers or are written by known authors who have previously written books that did not contain such inappropriate material. But, enough. This post was about getting opinions on the appropriateness of Glee singing at the White House Egg Roll and it is clear that the majority of posters think this is fine.
While I don't at all have a problem with the cast of Glee performing at the White House egg roll, I will concede that I, too, am struggling to help my child find appropriate reading material now that she's headed into middle school. Over the past year or so, her reading level soared several grades and the selections in elementary library aren't necessarily all that challenging to her. The school expects her to read at her Accelerated Reading level, even though the fiction selections available at that level are often topically inappropriate. We've gently encouraged her toward some classics and more nonfiction to try to fill in the gap, but it's difficult. (This pressure comes from the academic environment, not me. I'm happy to let her tread water for a year or more, so she can put her intellectual energy into other subjects.) Interestingly, some really popular series for older middle and high-schoolers (e.g., Twilight) are written only at a fourth grade level. Even Harry Potter is more challenging!
While I don't at all have a problem with the cast of Glee performing at the White House egg roll, I will concede that I, too, am struggling to help my child find appropriate reading material now that she's headed into middle school. Over the past year or so, her reading level soared several grades and the selections in elementary library aren't necessarily all that challenging to her. The school expects her to read at her Accelerated Reading level, even though the fiction selections available at that level are often topically inappropriate. We've gently encouraged her toward some classics and more nonfiction to try to fill in the gap, but it's difficult. (This pressure comes from the academic environment, not me. I'm happy to let her tread water for a year or more, so she can put her intellectual energy into other subjects.) Interestingly, some really popular series for older middle and high-schoolers (e.g., Twilight) are written only at a fourth grade level. Even Harry Potter is more challenging!
Schools make $$ off of accelerated reading programs. Not blaming them, they have to find profit.
Not sure if you have a decent public library, but maybe go up & talk to a seasoned librarian (if one is available) & see if they have some suggestions.
I am thinking Charlottes Web & Where the Red Fern Grows, but the first may be too young and the latter may be a little too heavy.
You can also go online and check out some of the Newbery winners. This is a site if interested: ALA |
(I'm online right now doing some research for books for my 4yr old who has a very distinctive taste in books, so hence the response!)
I am familiar with some of the books the OP is referring to. Mainly via news articles and videos bemoaning some of their existence. I've read quite a few excerpts from some of the books I heard mentioned online and while they certainly contain a couple of pages that could raise some eyebrows it all needs to be taken into context. I'm willing to bet the OP didn't read each of the books cover to cover to determine the place that the sexual material had in the greater story.
One book that was mentioned and the title escapes me I had actually read in 9th grade back in the 90's. It gives a reasonably graphic depiction of a rape where the boyfriend forced himself on the girlfriend in her sleep after they had had sex on one previous occasion. It also includes a very detailed description of her efforts to clean herself afterward. He later tries to make it right by proposing to her. The story is really about her struggles with male figures and finding what love truly is something she can only do when she generates a positive self image.
I personally have no problem with my children reading material that may be suggestive or even overt in the sexual references as long as those references are being placed in the book to reinforce a greater lesson. I would however, endeavour to read the book as well and have conversations about it with them to ensure that the real meaning of the material was understood.
Schools make $$ off of accelerated reading programs. Not blaming them, they have to find profit.
Not sure if you have a decent public library, but maybe go up & talk to a seasoned librarian (if one is available) & see if they have some suggestions.
I am thinking Charlottes Web & Where the Red Fern Grows, but the first may be too young and the latter may be a little too heavy.
You can also go online and check out some of the Newbery winners. This is a site if interested: ALA |
(I'm online right now doing some research for books for my 4yr old who has a very distinctive taste in books, so hence the response!)
We are extremely heavy library users, and I'm a pretty serious autodidact, along with working as a library volunteer, so I'm familiar with what is available. We've worked through a good portion of the Newbery winners. (My daughter wipes out 3-5 novels a week, and it's not uncommon for us to have 40-50 books out of the library at a time between the four of us.) At this point, I'm looking for books at the eighth-to-ninth grade level. Even Where the Red Fern Grows is only a fourth-grade book according to the AR system, and it was assigned reading for my daughter's class anyway. Let me give an example of what I'm facing: Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is an 8.4, which is not a book for an elementary school student, no matter how worldly. That's not to say that there aren't a few good possibilities, including Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, The Wind in the Willows, David Copperfield, Heidi, and The Call of the Wild, but they don't always appeal. Right now, she's reading the unabridged Anne of Green Gables, which is a 7.3, for the third time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJGOAT
I would however, endeavour to read the book as well and have conversations about it with them to ensure that the real meaning of the material was understood.
I admire your good intentions, and I sincerely hope that you are able to pull that off. Even as a well-educated, well-read, stay-at-home parent, I struggle to keep up with my kids' assignments. The demands of daily life tend to get in the way of long discussions about any particular book. Instead, my husband and I endeavor to have an on-going conversation with both of them about morality and ethics, relying on our kids to apply those lessons to their individual life experiences, including, but certainly not limited to, the books they read.
Last edited by formercalifornian; 03-09-2010 at 09:15 AM..
Here are the names of a few that I find offensive:
TTYL & L8RG8R by Lauren Myracle (novels written totally in text message style) No literary value. Lots of crude sex. Myracle is one of the authors that had previously written several okay novels (Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen) so that many parents wouldn't think twice when seeing their child read TTYL with a cute pink cover.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is very popular with the fifth graders. Its about a futuristic world where every year children are selected to fight each other to the death for the amusement of the adults. (They also strip naked to go before the judges.)
The Alice Series by Phyllis Naylor have long been challenged. There are about 25 books in the series. Not all are bad, but many I find inappropriate, presenting things like 13 year olds traveling alone on a train, flirting with strange men, etc. These generally at least try and teach a quasi "good" lesson in terms of the outcome. However, I still find most of them not to my liking.
Tree Girl (I can't recall the author but this is one of many instances where there are 2 books with the same title by different authors.) Anyhow this one is NOT the one whose author starts with a "B." It is the story of a Guatamalan girl who witnesses and endures some horriffic things during the revolution. It is described as a "must read." But I, myself do not think my 10 year old needs to read about someone finding her whold family murdered and read 4 pages describing the details of a painful childbirth.
There are many other examples. And yes I have read many of these cover to cover once I found out what was being presented to my child, who up to this year, thought the "s" word referred to "stupid." Now, she is coming home with words like "fu*k" and "G.D." in school library books. I am fortunate in that my child does not want to read this stuff. But I have to work diligently to find good stuff for her to read. She is a very advanced reader and used to read non-stop. Now, she still enjoys reading but only books that I preselect. She doesn't even want to go in the library.
I'm sure everyone has different opinions on what is appropriate for their child. I just wish the schools would use better judgment on what they select for the school library. As someone else pointed out many of these books are written at a fourth grade reading level so what are they teaching? These books don't need to be banned; just keep them at the bookstores or public library not at the school library. I mean the school library can't have every book written in it. Why these?
Anyhow, parents can preview books at Amazon. But rather than just read the publisher's review, be sure and read a few of the 1 or 2* reviews to get the real picture. Often you can also read the first few pages to get an idea if its to your liking. Also, go to the bookstore's Young Adult or Teen section and try browsing through it. Most of those titles will be found in your middle schooler's library. You decide if this is appropriate for your child.
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I feel so inadequate. My mind just can't come up with what they could be.
