Health teacher indoctrinates students, child harassed

Basically, a teacher in a health class incorporated outright lies into some abstinence only shit, said some homophobic/transphobic shit, repeatedly brought up the Bible while also admitting to being aware of the First Amendment, and said that kids who aren’t raised Christian don’t have values.

A student recorded this, and her father (who happens to be a YouTuber with a quarter-million subscribers) contacted the FFRF, and then they were both bullied, harassed, and threatened by half the damn town. To the point where they had to leave town out of fear for their safety.

I am furious.

Massive violations of separation of church and state in public schools is not the kind of blast from the past I wanted this year.

Alternative Math, and Satire Failing

And the ridiculous thing is, the comment section on YouTube is full of clueless regressives and transphobes thinking the blatant stand-ins for the Bush and Trump administrations (the actual phrase “alternative facts” originates with Kellyanne Conway), creationists, and Fox News are supposed to represent “liberals”.

Authors Answer 99 – That Annoying English Class Question

Also, I’d be too busy looking for the flying pigs to actually notice what students were saying about it.

I Read Encyclopedias for Fun

When we were in English class in school, I’m sure we all dreaded that one question that we were always asked. What is that question? Of course, we never liked to decipher the hidden (or obvious) meaning that the author is trying to tell us. But what happens if our books are being dissected in English class?

Question 99 – If something you wrote was read by an English class, how do you think they would answer this common question: What message is the author trying to convey?

Paul B. Spence

That there is hope.

D. T. Nova

I guess I’ll go with my still-unpublished first novel.

I imagine that a common answer to that question would be “The system is broken, but the will to change it for the better is unbreakable.” Alternately the more simplistic “Queer people can be heroes, and organized religion can be destructive.”

Elizabeth Rhodes

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Authors Answer 98 – Why Did We Have to Read That in School?

I may have lucked out by not having to read The Grapes of Wrath.

I Read Encyclopedias for Fun

Last week, we talked about books we enjoyed reading in school. Now, we’re going to talk about those that we didn’t like. For many people, reading books in school was far from fun. We had to interpret the books in ways that we never imagined, and it just made it less enjoyable.

Question 98 – What book did you read in school that you didn’t really like?

Cyrus Keith

You know you’re asking me to remember something I probably stuffed into a mental trash can almost forty years ago, right? There were a couple we started on, that I couldn’t even get through the first chapter without my eyes bleeding. They were long, winding, literary classics of some kind, and I was bored to tears from the opening lines.

C E Aylett

I don’t really remember, to be honest. I didn’t get on well at school and couldn’t wait to…

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Authors Answer 97 – Memorable School Reads

Better late than never.

I Read Encyclopedias for Fun

You either love or hate English class in school. When reading books, you’re asked to interpret them in ways you would never think of. What does the author mean? Does that blue curtain mean something? Or is it just a blue curtain? Sometimes, it’s enough to cause students to hate reading. But there are some books that stand out to us and become favourites.

Question 97 – What book did you read in school that you loved?

Paul B. Spence

Hmm. I read lots of books while in school. For school? Le Morte D’Arthur was always a favorite.

D. T. Nova

James and the Giant Peach comes to mind. Later on, The Odyssey.

Elizabeth Rhodes

Not a book, but a play. Once I gave Romeo & Juliet a serious chance I loved it. Knowing it’s not a love story at all went a long way toward appreciating the story…

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Authors Answer 96 – Required Reading in English Class

For the record, in the context of this question I interpreted “modern” to mean “newer than much of what is currently included”.

I Read Encyclopedias for Fun

Welcome to September. Last month, we had an interesting month for Authors Answer, and the final story was The Personality Dealer. The winner was a tie! Gregory S. Close and Eric Wood won that one.

This month, we’re focusing on education. Not only that, we have three new contributors to welcome! So, say hello to Cyrus Keith, C E Aylett, and Beth Aman. We’ll begin with their answers.

This week, we’re looking at English class in school. There are a lot of novels that are required reading in class, but we don’t always see what we really want to read. So, what do we think should be read?

Question 96 – What modern novel do you think should be included in high school English class?

Cyrus Keith

Define “Modern.” For me, that could include anything written since 1916. So, with that definition in mind, I’m thinking the book in…

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Liebster Award

Nikki has nominated my blog for the Liebster Award. Thank you!