Posted on 03/18/2013 7:58:11 AM PDT by JoeProBono
Tales of war, bombs and abduction — coming to a third-grade classroom near you. City and state education bureaucrats have given the green light to an English curriculum for elementary schools that includes picture books with startlingly realistic portrayals of war — to be read by 8-year-olds. They include “The Librarian of Basra,” which contains drawings of fighter planes dropping bombs on a palm-tree-lined Middle Eastern town.
In another illustration, the protagonist looks worried, peering out a window at soldiers manning machine guns on a rooftop.The terrified townsfolk wonder, “Who among us will die?” and “Will our families survive?” Similarly, “Nasreen’s Secret School” depicts the abduction of a young man from his home in Afghanistan by soldiers and discusses Taliban rules that forbid women to go out in public alone.“There’s no way in hell that I find it appropriate for third grade, let alone elementary school, on so many levels,” said a Queens elementary-school principal who was shown one of the books by colleagues outside the city.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
And to the headline-writer, these are not “textbooks” in the generally understood sense of the word. They are illustrated storybooks. Both of the ones mentioned in the excerpt look interesting and colorful; if I see them in my local library, I might check them out.
It’s about the eee-vil Americans, no doubt.
As I have stated many times, the time is coming when all they will teach our kids about WWII will be Dresden and our dropping the atomic bombs, and the Japanese internment camps. Nothing about the evils of the Axis Powers.
I have the Robert Fagles translations of the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Aeneid, as well as some of the Greek tragedies. Very vigorous and bloody, they are.
And if any kid dared to draw pictures of planes bombing houses they’d be suspended for a week plus have to go to counseling.
***the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Aeneid,***
Three of my favorite books along with Herodotus’ HISTORIES.
I have Herodotus, too, in a hefty Barnes and Noble bargain paperback. Also Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” and a translation of Xenophon’s “Anabasis” that manages to make it more like an adventure than a quartermaster’s journal.
My school heavily emphasizes literature, history and biography, because that’s what I like. It’s worked out well so far, although we’re usually playing catch-up with math ;-). I figure it’s all good, as long as they can do algebra well in time for the PSAT.
th depictions off Islamists b beheading people?
God forbid any of these kids should ever read Shakespeare.
Today in our local rag there was an LA byline obit of a wwII Phillipeans War hero...the man who led the last wartime US Army Calvery Charge and stayed and fought on Luzon after the US surrender. Of course, the title included the following: After MacArthur retreated from the Phillipeans. MacArthur was ordered out as having had the Japs capture our 4 star general would have been a propaganda disaster. Furthermore, the article went on to say in quotes: “I will return”. He said “I shall return.” Look for more MacArthur bashing, direct and muted, as the left knows he was violently anti commie and a conservative.
No pictures of innocent Americans leaping to their deaths from the WTC either.
When my youngest one was four, he loved the movie Patton. He had a little plastic toy helmet like the one George C Scott wore in the movie.
We took a picture of him wearing it, standing in front of an American flag and sent it out at Christmas with the message “Greetings from the General”
He loved army guys and video games where he could map out the armies and the strategies. He sid he wanted to be a general, then be president and get his face on the rock (Mt Rushmore)
Then he got into medieval times and the crusades. He did a presentation in second grade on castles and said that when attacked, the people inside would throw dead cows over the wall. The teacher asked him why they did that and he said “Because of the stench.” He also explained how a trebuchet worked. And he could pronounce it better than I.
He also studied WWII in 5th grade. Got him several books on WWII for kids.
Still likes the Knights Templars, but a 16, he wants to write video game.
Anyway, I think the books are fine. Kids need to know history, all of history, not just sugar coated stuff. Heck, if you read the Bible to your kids, there’s a lot of violence and war in there too.
“the people inside would throw dead cows over the wall.”
Sounds like he may have watched some Monty Python also.
My wife read this to her 3rd graders over the objections of her principal. This was in 06 till she retired in ‘10. She thinks this is an excellent book and lesson for young kids.
And, "We will be truly free," if our Congress and President ever actually thought such a thing, and brought it into reality...which has so rarely actually occured in American history.
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