Another example of goth hysteria

Minyaliel · 02-16-2007, 02:45 AM

http://www.blackburncitizen.co.uk/ne...say_pupils.php

My only comment: *SIGH*!!

HumanePain · 02-16-2007, 02:57 AM

The investigation is unfortunate yes, but it warmed my heart to see that all of the comments to the article were in support of the teacher. I mean really, what does the school want: an English and Drama teacher without an imagination?

bleedingheart344 · 02-16-2007, 04:02 AM

This is very unfortunate, I wish they weren't trying to shut possibly excellent authors down, her novels could have been excellent. Then again, she probably is presenting them to the wrong audience.

emeraldlonewoulf · 02-17-2007, 01:14 AM

IT seems that schools systems will not be satisfied until we have robotic automatons reciting nothing but pre-approved governmentally sanctioned material for "students" to memorize. Some school is lucky enough to have an English and Drama teacher who has achieved completing and publishing her own work, and they stomp on her. figures. They want to teach "creatively" but don't recognize it when it slams them in the face.

Valerius · 02-17-2007, 02:51 AM

Just goes to show how very little can stir up some over the top reactions from parents nowadays. This is utter nonsense, though, and I feel bad for the poor teacher.

Panther · 02-17-2007, 06:26 AM

Wow, that really sucks.

What happened to using school as a way to teach us to think for ourselves? Isn't that the point of the whole damn thing?

CptSternn · 02-18-2007, 09:03 AM

Public schools in the west have become nothing more than a mouthpiece for the administrations running the government. While that might be said about any country to some extent, its now more than ever true as we see the ideas of free speech, uniqueness, and thinking outside the box being persecuted in the schools, in the work place, and on the news.

Much like the children being arrested for bringing nail clippers to school, one knows they are not a real threat, BUT we are demonstrating to them the value of staying in line or facing the wrath of an all powerful government you cannot fight against.

It's a reflect of society as a whole as well as a reminder of the true intent of such regimes.

ArtificialOne · 02-18-2007, 12:29 PM

First of cpt, The asians have the market on mindless memorization teaching.

The problem with us schools is local schoolboards trying to micromanage classrooms.

All the present admin has done is trying to set goals and tests to make sure we aren't producing dummies. As bad as the present one or past ones have been they are not responsible for setting the agenda of whats taught or how it's taught in schools.

This teacher was obviously successful in pubishing. That should be appluaded. But she was teaching in a religous school and they are the ones who decide whats right for their own school. Hence "private" school. I don't like it, but I don't run that school so I can't do anyhting about. If it was a public one it would be different. I would suggest she swaps out to a public school or a college.

republigoth · 02-18-2007, 06:54 PM

If you and I want to be free to push our agenda of non-interference with kids personal lives, the fundi's have to be free to push their agenda of moral structure. I agree - it's a private school and private schools exist to push their agenda, which is fine.

I don't know where ya'll grew up, but in high school and middle school (rural, cowboy hat wearing 4H and FFA public schools) I wasn't -that- persecuted. I think alot of 'alternative lifestyle' types like myself get all worked up into a persecution complex because it's rightious to play the martyr.

Yeah, I was stared at sometimes and the jock boys were creeped out by me, but when you experianced that in school, was your reaction much different towards them? I disrespected jocks and cheerleaders because I thought they were dumb. It was mutual. No one threw me out of school for talking about the philosophy in the Satanic Bible in class or wearing a shirt with the sabbatic goat crest.

The whole point in growing up is gaining perspective about that type of thing. It wasn't that big of a deal back in high school, you just thought it was.

ArtificialOne · 02-18-2007, 08:23 PM

I went to Catholic school for awhile and looking back... I would have been better off with robots teaching me...lol
explains allot don't it? lol

Crying_Crimson_Tears · 02-19-2007, 11:50 AM

This is very unfortunate situation. I mean she is a DRAMA and ENGLISH teacher. She is supposed to be creative. I mean I think it's wonderful she does these things and she can be creative like this.

Very unfortunate she has to be investigated.

Underwater Ophelia · 02-24-2007, 09:03 AM

It says she told students what her pen name is. If she works at a high school, where kids can be as young as 14, and her work is indeed of a sexual or violent nature, it is highly inappropriate of her to share that with them, especially in the school environment. Parents of these students may not want their children exposed to that content, which is certainly not in the curriculum.

Now, I'm not saying it's wrong to be creative, and it's great that a real writer is a writing teacher. However, if it is of an adult nature, it should not be shared with high school students, especially without parental consent.

badteccy · 02-24-2007, 09:50 AM

I agree, it's fine for her to write what she wants outside of school...but if the books have adult content then she certainly should not be reading them to her students. Hurf durf.

CptSternn · 02-25-2007, 01:47 AM

Private or public - if her books are sold in bookshops the students could go to and purchase the said book without ID or any checks by the government, then the teacher shouldn't be punished.

If it were a book that required age verification or something truly 'adult' I could see the issue, but to take action when reading material readily available to the same children at shops and markets worldwide seems a bit draconian.

Of course in the states certain public school districts in places like Kansas have barred the reading of books like The Wizard Of Oz and Of Mice And Men due to 'inappropriate content'. And thats not just some small group that proposed it, we are talking on the ballot legislation to have said works pulled from school libraries.

Either way, anyway you look at it your looking at censorship at the highest level. I personally feel it does a disservice to the pupils when you block their learning in such a manner as you stop their natural learning habits which the previous generation enjoyed and force them to adopt new habits which have yet to be tested in the real world.

Panther · 02-25-2007, 05:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badteccy

I agree, it's fine for her to write what she wants outside of school...but if the books have adult content then she certainly should not be reading them to her students. Hurf durf.

I disagree. It said she read excerpts. Obviously this wouldn't be about her gothic writing style if she'd been reading sex scenes to the kids, as that's illegal, and not just immoral. Perhaps a couple students read her books afterward, but the teacher didn't assign them, and they could have decided to read them on their own without her pushing them.

But I do agree that private schools have a right to control their classes as much as the parents want. After all, as someone else said, that's the point.

But it still sucks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cptstern

Private or public - if her books are sold in bookshops the students could go to and purchase the said book without ID or any checks by the government, then the teacher shouldn't be punished.

I've never been 'carded' for buying romance novels, even though they have explicit sexual situations. So this doesn't hold water.

asta_tintora · 02-25-2007, 11:49 AM

Mmm, pie, the tastiest of all foods.

manequin · 02-25-2007, 01:18 PM

On a kind of random first post. My school had a gothic english teacher. She only taught me twice but her room was really cool. She had all posters of vlad dracula and stuff. She started a goth club at school but after she left to study forensics they shut it down because two of the members (I go to an all boys school by the way) were caught making out in the school library. sigh... Good times. I miss her...

Underwater Ophelia · 02-26-2007, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by manequin

On a kind of random first post. My school had a gothic english teacher. She only taught me twice but her room was really cool. She had all posters of vlad dracula and stuff. She started a goth club at school but after she left to study forensics they shut it down because two of the members (I go to an all boys school by the way) were caught making out in the school library. sigh... Good times. I miss her...

That's neat that the club started and everything, but it's really a shame that they shut it down because of the two members. That's a totally separate event.