Common Sense

In other, non-racist gubernatorial candidate news, learning is safe for one more day in Beaverton, Oregon. The school district administrator upheld a book review committee decision to keep teaching Ray Bradbury’s “The Veldt” as part of their middle school curriculum.

A few parents were up in arms over some of the language and violence found in the story which centers around kids going crazy and lions and stuff (Ed note: I don’t have the Cliff’s Notes and we read “Lord of the Flies” instead).

During last week’s review committee meeting, both Kristi and Tracy Roberts said they believed the violence in the piece was not appropriate for students at any district grade level.

Kristi Roberts earlier had said that the story wasn’t followed up by a discussion of consequences for the children’s actions and she also objected to some of the language spoken by the characters.

Last year, the couple pulled their daughter, who was then a Stoller sixth-grader, out of the class during discussion of the story.

Because the responsible thing to do is to pull your kid out of school, I guess.

Teacher David Slater said he felt Bradbury’s piece was a warning that when interpersonal relationships are taken out of the family, evil is introduced.

“I too saw this as a cautionary tale and a really rich piece for discussion,” said Jenny Takeda, a district library specialist.

However, Tracy Roberts noted that if the book were a motion picture shown in school, students would have to have permission to see it.

“If this was a movie, in my mind it would be rated PG-13,” he said. “Literature isn’t rated that way and at what point do we draw the line?”

Although there was brief discussion on whether works of literature read in the schools should have warnings on them, the idea was dismissed.

After the committee’s decision, Kristi Roberts said she was disappointed but not totally surprised, having been warned that it is difficult to have such a work removed.

I can see it now, “WARNING: READING THIS MAY LEAD TO YOUR CHILD, LEARNING, DEVELOPING INDEPENDENT THOUGHT AND BECOMING A USEFUL MEMBER OF OUR DEMOCRACY.” I swear, if parents have nothing better to do than nitpick classic literature because of potty mouths and some violence, they should just find a hobby.

Face it, you parents are idiots. You have no idea what they should be taught, so you shouldn’t interfere with teachers who are trying to impart knowledge. Stop trying to screw up your kids!